Reflections on my South Korea Experiential Learning

1.      How has your impression of South Korea changed in the last few days?

Looking back, my impression of South Korea has definitely changed and evolved a lot and I can say this very confidentially. If I have to provide justifications to this, the reasons will simply be: South Korea has not really been a significant aspect in my life as I am usually not an “outside person” and I am not really into the Korean Wave. Case in point: I prefer listening to Rock and Metal and these music genres usually derives from America and not South Korea. Hence, even if a Korean Pop Song was popular among my peers, I am not greatly affected by it. The same goes for Korean Dramas. As a result, I rarely find out more about Korea. After embarking on this trip, I am even keener to find out more about South Korea’s rich and interesting cultures and traditionals. I was greatly impressed about the explanations given by the Tour Guide and the videos shown at Odusan Unification Observatory with regards to tense relationship between North Korea and South Korea. They went beyond the scope of our textbooks. We are also given the opportunity to see it for ourselves how North Korea was badly affected by Communism. I never realized how badly Communism can actually ruin a country. It’s really a sharp contrast to South Korea as even at North Korea’s shore, there were not even proper housings and roads at sight. Perhaps that’s why they say “we have to see it in order to believe it”. Also, South Korea also has very rich, physical and human, geographical examples such as water features, policies and their economics etc. I am also able to relate and link back to the things that I have learnt in my Social Studies and History Classes and thus, forged better understandings in these subjects. Also, I think that there’s also a lesson that can be learnt from this trip. This is not to judge anything superficially. To many people, the only thing that is rich in South Korea are K-Pop and Korean Dramas. However, in actual fact, there are even richer things such as her History.

           

2.      In your opinion, what are 2 similarities and 2 differences between Singapore and South Korea?

Like Singapore, South Korea emphasis much on education. In their country, POSCO High School students need to memorize several pages of facts for their tests and examinations. Also, like Singapore, only few selected and qualified students can enter the Universities. This goes in line with how Singapore ensures the best out of the best among her general population. Also it is slightly comparable to Singapore’s Policy of Meritocracy where everyone is given an equal chance to succeed in life because of one’s effort and not because of other factors like wealth. Besides that, South Korea’s Government is also very anticipative about the future like Singapore’s Government. She prepares herself for future problems that may arise such as an aging population by educating the on how they can help their grandparents to improve their lives just like Singapore. For instance, the Daegu Senior Experience Centre is one good example. In this place, the people can experience how old age can restrict one’s movement and affect their daily routine by trying on special contraptions and the display of various improvised and modified household items specially designed for them. They will then understand the importance of addressing their needs and will take the effort to do so before it’s too late. Despites the similarities, there are also differences. Firstly, South Korea seems to put in more effort to educate the people on safety, life saving and prepare them for various crises such as natural disasters and terrorist attacks. A Safety Theme Park was even constructed purely for those purposes. This special facility allows the general population to have hands on experiences on fire fighting and C.P.R. as well as very realistic simulations for disaster managements like earthquakes and bombing in trains. I think that the Singapore Civil Defence Force should also try to adopt what South Korea is doing as it will better prepare Singaporeans for such circumstances as it’s better to be safe than sorry. Another difference is in terms of the amount of large and heavy industries that South Korea has like POSCO Industrial. POSCO Industrial is the 2nd largest steel making company in the world. We went there to learn about steel manufacturing and her history and even had to take a bus for a tour around the whole place because it is so large!

3.      List and explain three of your most memorable experiences.

I have many memorable experiences throughout this whole trip but I will shortlist three for this case. The first memorable experience is the visit to POSCO High School. POSCO High School is one of the best schools in South Korea. The students there are generally very friendly and can easily break the ice that exists between us initially. For instance, my buddy immediately welcomed me with a warming smile. Also, despite him not being able to communicate well in English, he is determined to spend time and effort to phrase his questions about Singapore. I really admire his admirable quality. The school itself was very big and has many facilities that most Singapore schools lack. It is indeed an honor to be walking in such a school to learn about South Korea’s education system and how the students feel about it and their school. Also, another highlight is the POSCO Industrial visit. I am able to witness firsthand the process of steel manufacturing. The red hot “steel” that we normally see in our textbook is indeed very hot even from a great distance. This is especially so when it passes you on the rollers below the walking platform. I doubt that not everyone will be able to visit such processes so up close and personal. I am really grateful that I am given the opportunity to do so. Lastly, the experience of a lifetime that really takes the cake is the visit to the World Cup Stadium where the 2002 FIFA World Cup was held. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience as I doubt that I will ever set foot inside such a location which a special event like this will be held in my life. The stadium was magnificent, much grander then I had ever expected. Despite just being a stadium, visitors are allowed to visit different parts of the stadium such as the Changing Room and Interview Room to learn about the structure and history of this place. In it also contains many items related to the past Soccer Achievements of the country as well as brief descriptions of its history. I have definitely gained a lot from this particular place.

4.      List and explain three things you have learnt about yourself and your life as a student.

Firstly, I had learnt to be more appreciative of the fact that I am a student in Singapore. In South Korea, students studying in POSCO High School are unable to receive the same holistic education that I am receiving now. This is so as the school emphasizes, to a significant degree, on teaching the students Sciences, Mathematics and many other core subjects. Thus, the students are unable to have an all-rounded education. For instance, only some selected students are allowed to take up Club Activities (Equivalent to our Co-Curriculum Activities) like Performing Arts whist others have to focus on studying only. Hence, many have literally no chance to develop in other aspects.

Secondly, I also felt guilty whining about how hectic my school life is after comparing it with that of POSCO High School. The students actually learnt much more than anyone of us. Just to name some of the subjects taken by a certain pupil: English, Korean, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Social Studies and Economics etc. Additionally, he also mentioned that their classes usually ends at night and span over a period of 6 Days from Monday to Saturday. How stressful is that? So, next time when you are about to moan about it, please keep in mind that you are considered, to a certain extent, luckier as compared to them.

On top of that, I also came to know that we can’t always be confined to the four walls of our classroom as there’s always more knowledge that we can gain in the outside world regardless of who you are. It only depends on whether you are willing to put the effort and time to learn them. For example, if a person consistently pays a great deal of attention to his/her studies, how would he/she be able to learn more about what goes on around the rest of the globe? He/She may be knowledgeable but if compared to someone who actually know things that are not printed on textbooks, he/she will definitely lose out for sure due to a limited amount of knowledge.

To wrap it all up, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to my parents, teachers and peers who had encouraged me to go on this trip. And most importantly, my Group Members: Lim Jun Yang, Choo Xin Yee, Jow Ming Tong, Shiny and Xaverie Sng. It’s actually through this Experiential Learning Trip did I learnt more about South Korea’s rich culture and history. I will never trade these fond memories that I had gained in this once in a lifetime experience for anything else in the world, period.

Cheers!

Pang Shi Jie

Seng Kang Secondary School

3E1 (2010)

Reflection On My South Korea Experiential Learning.

My impression of South Korea was that they were all friendly and environmentally friendly at first but after visiting the country, my impression have changed. My impression of South Korea now is that not every Koreans is friendly and environmentally friendly but there were still a hand full of them who are. This is because in certain areas there were Koreans pushing their ways around while in other areas, the Korean were very friendly and nice. There were also some areas with drains and dustbins full of rubbish around it.

There were 2 similarities and differences between South Korea and Singapore that I can list out but there are still more. One of the similarities is that there were many Koreans shopping in all areas just like Singapore. The another similarities is that you can rarely see rubbish being littered in South Korea just like in Singapore. Everyone would carry their litters with them until they find a dustbin. The one of differences between South Korea and Singapore is that in South Korea, you can still see areas with a wide spread of trees and plants in quite a few areas while in Singapore, you cannot get to see as many natural areas as in South Korea. Another differences between South Korea and Singapore is that they have different ways of dividing their rubbish into groups. For example, the Mc Donald in South Korea, the foods and drinks are carefully divided into groups. This is hardly seen in Singapore as the litters are not properly divided.

I have 3 most memorable experiences. One of the memorable experiences is that the study of the students in POSCO High School. This is because i was told that they have to study from morning to at least 11+PM which was 10+PM in Singapore time. Another memorable experience I have is that they have a Deagu Safety Theme Park. It is not a playground like any other them parks, instead, it is an area which help Korean of all ages to learn how to react when there are any accident happens, such as earthquake. The last memorable experience I have is at the Seoul Tower. It was the first time a have been there and the view from the tower is very nice.

I learnt that I am very fortunate to live and study in Singapore as the study time in Singapore is so much shorter than the time studied in Korea. The another thing I've learnt is that there is a very wide range of foods that i can choose from in Singapore rather than Korea. I also feel that I am very lucky that I did not have to experience any disaster like in South Korea, such as the out break of fire in the subway train.

 by: Geraldine Toh, 3e3 

Relfection on My South Korea Experiential Learning

How has your impression on South Korea change in the last few days?

My impression has change because I did not know how advance is the technology in South Korea. After I have visited the Digital Pavilion, a place where they display the advance technology. They have started creating the use the 3D technology. This is due to their competitiveness against Japan, they wish to increase the economic growth by using the advance of technology. This shows how much Korea has grown and how much Singapore is lacking in terms of technology.

In your opinion, give 2 similarities and 2 differences between Singapore and South Korea

The 2 similarities are both countries are doing their part to be clean and green and both are facing ageing populations

Both countries is encouraging the citizen to be clean and green by recycling it, both countries have set up recycling bin around the country. In addition, Korean does not only encourage its citizen to recycle item, they off or dim most of the streets in order to reduce the usage of electricity.

Since both countries faces ageing population, the government has done set up old folk home to take care of elderly that have been abandoned by their family member. In addition, South Korea have use their advance in technology to build facilities to cope with the ageing population.

However South Korean and Singapore is different in terms of Education Systems and culture

In Korea, the things they learn in elementary, middle and high school is the same as Singapore in nursery, kindergarten 1 and 2, primary and secondary. However, in Korea, students do not need to go through national exam such as P.S.L.E, GCE “N” and “O” level. They will move on to the next level normally, however, students that are smarter than the rest, they are able to skip grade unlike Singapore. For example, student who is prodigy, they are able to skip middle and able to go straight to high. In Korea, they also focus on the students sports. Students, who are better than the rest, are given more priority than the rest.

In Korea, the Korean are very particular about punctuality, if you are late for even 1 minute, it show the sign of disrespect. Korean also will have to bow even when they say hello. Unlike Singapore, Singaporean is not so particular about bowing. This shows the Korean culture.

List and explain three of your most memorable experience.

One of my most memorable experiences is the visit to the POSCO high school. This show it is possible for us to communicate with students from other country by using a common language which is English.  This gives me the chance to know people from other country, allowing me to know about the different culture from different country.

Another memorable experience is the trip to Dengu safety theme park. This theme park is build to let people experience natural disaster and accident. Such examples are Earthquake and Fire accident in a train.  This is useful as it let people know what the procedures are when natural disasters and accidents happen.  This is to prevent the people from panicking and causing more people to be afraid

Lastly, the most memorable experience is the trip to the Andong Hahoe Folk Village.  This village shows the culture of the olden time of South Korea. It rare to find this type of village in Korea as now the world is becoming a Urban world, since we were given the chance to see, we should see as in the distance village it may be destroy and we will never be able to see it again.

List and Explain three things you have learnt about yourself and your life as a student?

I have learnt that the students in South Korea are more stressful and tired than the students in Singapore. After the interaction with the South Korean student, I found that they finish school at 11.20pm and have to report to school at 8am. This shows that they have less time to relax unlike us. We should be grateful that we do not have schooling until that late. We should appreciate what we have now and not abuse it.

I also feel that my behavior is not up to standard. There are times when impulsive. This will affect my adult life in the future. When people impulsive, they sometimes will tend to be violence and violence will led to unhappiness.

I feel that as a group leader I did not do a good job as I did not distribute the job properly to all my group member and end up doing most of the thing myself, as a group leader I should not be doing this, I should distribute evenly among my members.

By Chng Guo Wei
     Class 3N7

Reflection on My South Korea Experiential Learning

My impression of South Korea had changed in the past few days. I knew that Korea was a green city, but what i did not expected was that their locals were all very involve in the green activity. Recycling bins were placed all around town and stores for Koreans to sort out their rubbish according to the material it is made of. The Koreans really follows this policy of sorting out their rubbish properly which actually kind of shock me. Hence, i thought that the local Korean were also an important reason for the Green City of Korea now.

Korea and Singapore are similar in terms of being a green country. This can be seen from the above explanation of how the recycling bins were commonly seen on the street for Koreans to dump their rubbish into. Secondly, Korea was also similar to Singapore in their Education System to ensure that students are educated well to serve the society. Korean students in POSCO high school are expected to self study till 11.30 at night before going home and also to read up an amount of book within a month. From this, we can see that Korea emphasize alot on educating their student well enough for their future business which is similar to Singapore having 9 years of compulsory studying.
However, we also have difference such as the climate and the physical environment. The climate in Korea was very cold to the extent of us wearing more 3 or more clothing to keep warm. The environment in Korea was very beautiful especially the different colour of tree's leaf which cannot be seen in Singapore

Korea had given me lots of memorable experiences. Three of which are firstly, to experience the environment the students in Korea study in and the cafeteria they dine at. Secondly, the beautiful scenery of autumn which can never be seen in Singapore. And lastly, the become porky-terian for 7 days.

I have learnt alot during this South Korea trip. Learnt to appreciate Koreas culture, learnt to manage my time properly, learnt to be independent and not rely on others, etc. I will alway remember this experintial learning journey to Korea and treasure the friendship made with the POSCO students :D 

Steffi Soh, 3E3 :)

Reflection On My South Korea Experiential Learning.

1) How has your impression of South Korea changed in the last few days?

My impression of South Korea has really changed alot in the last few days I spent in Korea. The country is more colder than I thought. I also thought that South Korea is behind Singapore in terms of technology but I have realised that they are doing much better than Singapore and Korea is also one of the leading countries in the technology area, as they have many well-known companies like Samsung and Lg. Korea is also more cleaner than I thought. They are also making alot of efforts in improving the country. South Korea is really a very well-developed country.

2)In your opinion, what are two similarities and two differences between Singapore and South Korea?

One similarity between Singapore and South Korea is that both countries are environmentally friendly and have recycling bins similar to Singapore.
Another similarity would be that both countries have an ageing population. Singapore and South Korea are also making alot of effort to solve the ageing population problem.
One difference is that South Korea has many natural scenery like mountains. Whereas Singapore does not have such natural scenery.
Another difference is that South Korea's education system is totally different from Singapore. In terms, of the way the learn and school hours.

3) List and explain three of your most memorable experiences.

- One of the memorable experience would be going to the Seoul Tower. This is because I do not think I will be able to visit it again. Its also a very experience. I was able to see the whole of South Korea which was very beautiful. I'm grateful I was able to go there.

- Another memorable experience would be visiting the POCHEOL high school and interacting with the Korean students.I was able to make new friends because of the visit and I was able to learn more about their lifestyle and what they do. The amount of time they spend in school is so much longer than the time Singapore students spend in school.

- Another memorable experience would be the visit to the Daegu Safety Theme Park. In the theme park I was able to experience some of the natural disasters like, earthquakes. We were also educated on how to react to these disasters and also how to protect ourselves. Which was very useful even though Singapore does not really experience this disasters.

4) List and explain three things you have learnt about yourself and your life as a student.

- I am really grateful to be a student in Singapore as the amount of time we spend in school is lesser than the time Korean students spend in school. Which gives us time to rest and do our homework. As I don't think I will be able to spend so much time in school like the Korean students. 

-I am also happy to be in Singapore as I appreciate the food in Singapore. The food in Korea is not really suitable for people like me. I prefer the food in Singapore as there is a wider range of food. I really appreciate the food in Singapore.

-I'm also grateful to live in Singapore has we do not suffer from natural disasters like South Korea. But I'm grateful to have learnt how to protect myself from disasters and should never take Singapore for granted. I am happy to be a Singaporean! :D

By, SANTHYA :D

My impression of korea has change since I reached there. Initially, I thought that Koreans were rude and arrogant, but since I arrive at Korea, I discovered that they extremely friendly and humble.This is especially so for POSCO students. They would communicate with us patiently despite needing to response and several times. This truly allows me to change my initial impression.


During the 7 days stay at South Korea, I found out some similarities and differences between Singapore and South Korea. A similarity would be the solutions to overcome the ageing population problem. Korea introduces ideas such as the specially made utensils. On the other hand, Singapore uses approaches like promotine healthy lifestyle.Both countries are trying their best to solve the ageing population problems and this to me , is one of the similarities. On top of that, another similarity is that both countries sells samsung products and these products are popular in the two countries.Korea uses SAMSUNG to "communicate" with their buyers while Singapore promotes SAMSUNG products regularly to the buyers.Thus, we can conclude that both countries have similar brand. In comparison, the difference between the countries is the concept of safety theme park. This is set up to raise awareness of safety and I believed that Singapore do not really have it, but can invest on it.Another difference is that Korea school give special priviledges to their students. They would be able to get their own special corner in school and thus, able to have a peace corner for them to study, relax and chill out. It is really joyous to hear that such priviledges are given to the students and I think that Singapore can adopt similar concepts.


My most memorable experience would be the visit to the safety theme park. I was able to handle and experience "earthquakes" and other "natural disasters" and it allowed me to understand the evacuation process. I would definitely be able to save myself and other people in times of it happening. Another memorable experience is the student exchange programme at POSCO high school. From the programme, I understand the importance of communication. Initially, it was difficult to communicate with the students. however we persevere and were able to communicate with little english and korea.The last memorable experience is the senior citizen convention centre. It seems like a time machine whereby I am able to experience how it feels like to be an elderly. It was also a time for me to prepare and reflect upon ageing population. Through this visit, I also get to know how modern and high technology Korea is.



From this trip, I have learnt to be an open-minded student. I should think out of the box to innovate and enterprise new things. Though it may not be an easy task, I still continue to and do my very best to acheive in being an open-minded student. Also, I have learnt that I am very fortunate to be studying under the Singapore education system, whereby classes and lessons will end by 4 pm. I am sure that I would not be able to cope with the hetic lifestyle, and will lead an unhappy teenage life. Lastly, I have learn to explore new things. I believe that going through the world is the only chance where I can learn and experice new stuffs that are beyond the textbooks. With the courage and readiness to step out our comfort zone, we will truly then be able the big world


- Ming Tong 3e1

Joel Tan Boon Chai, 3N7 :]

  Regarding to: How has your impression of South Korea changed in the last few days?

South Korea is a very green country.They help to save the Earth by having recycling bins in their country. They even have various types of bins in a fastfood restaurant like Macdonald's. I was amazed by their effort in saving the Earth. It makes sure that the public recycle plastic,paper or even waste food before leaving. In airports, shopping malls or even schools, they installed auto- escalator. It works only when it's sensor feels objects passing by.This could help to save energy in the long run. South Korea is also a very developed country in terms of their economy and environment.


  Regarding to:In my own opinion, what is the two similarities & two differences between Singapore & South Korea.

 The two similarities in my opinion was:
1) Singapore and South Korea have put in effort in saving the Earth by having recycling bins in the public.
2) South Koreans and Singaporeans likes to go for shopping. Our learning trip to South Korea also brought us to many hot-spots where most people like to go for shopping.
Two differences:
1)Singapore does not really experience any nataural disasters but Korea does. Disasters like earthquakes occurs in Korea.
2)South Korea have differnet types of table manners. South Koreans must only hold one utensils while eating. Singaporeans doesn't really care about all these particular manners.

 Regarding to :The most memorable experiences while i was South Korea.  
The first incident was when we was able to go to Pocheol High school to exchange our culture and understand each other's country better. We were all assigned to a Korean student. Although we stayed in that school for less than 2 hours, i really enjoyed being with this particular friend that i just made. We even exchanged E-mails to remain in contact. 
The second incident was having fun with all my Singaporean friends who went to South Korea with me. We have fun together. I think this has really strengthened our friendships. I hope that we would always remember this trip. :]    
Last but not the least, the third memorable experiences in South Korea. 
The food that we ate was seriously delicious. Our last meal in Seoul before we came back to Singapore. It was the Barbeque Porkeeeeeeeee. Haha. I also miss our tour guide, Mr Bill Lee. All the best to him :]  I have not regretted going to this Korea trip. Also, thanks to all the teachers who made this trip a delightful trip for all of us.

Regarding to:Three things i've learnt about myself and my life as a student.
I've learnt to be appreciative of how Singapore school system work. We can actually go home early right after school but for these Pocheol High School students, they would stay back frequently for self studying. We should not be complaining much :]

Secondly,I've learnt to appreciate the people around me. I was missing them when i was in Korea. I would call them up and ask upon them when i was in Korea.

Lastly, i learnt that we should not be afraid of knowing more friends. We should be initiative to make friends with one another. With more friends, we can actually also enjoy ourself. One good example to say about was me, i was so quiet before going to this trip. But after prolonged communication with friends around me, i start to be more open.

Finally, i would wish everybody all the best in the future and would remember the fun we had during these 7 days trip :]

Signing off,
Joel Tan Boon Chai :]