Day 1 of the Singapore School Trip

The students arrived at the Singapore Changi Airport at about 12.45 pm. By the time they cleared the customs and got their luggage, it was close to 2 pm. The tour guides promptly got us onto the buses and off to our first destination, Ya Kun Kaya Toast outlet at China Square for tea. The students had an enjoyable time eating kaya toast with their drinks.



The pictures taken at Ya Kun Kaya Toast Outlet

After tea, we went to our next next destination, the Merlion Park at One Fullerton. It was a scenic walk by the Singapore River. We took lots of pictures with the Merlion. One group did a really good introduction of the history of Merlion. After the Merlion Park, we took a drive to Suntec City Mall. We drove past the mall to have a look at the Fortune Fountain. We didn't get off the coach to see the fountain as the fountain was not working at that time.
Picture taken at the Merlion Park

Picture taken at the hotel's lobby

From Suntec City, we went to the hotel to check in and also to have a quick change of clothes to get ready for dinner. From the hotel, it took about 30 minutes to get to my home for dinner. I must say that the students were very well behaved, even my mother commented on that and she was very impressed by their good behaviour and manners. Good job, kids!

The students had a good time having dinner and talking to their friends. They had a spread of Singapore's local food like, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Hokkien Mee, Carrot Cake, Char Kway Teow and lots of Satay. During dinner, they also took the opportunity to interview my mother, husband and me for their survey. We were impressed with their eagerness to speak in English. They also had fun playing with my niece. It was a wonderful day


Pictures taken at my home

A Note to the Parents

Dear Parents of Ma Wan Kids,

I guess this weekend might have been spent on shopping and packing for your child's school trip to Singapore. I hope that you have managed to get everything ready for them. I'm sure your child must have very excited and looking forward to the trip too. At the same time, I believe that as parents, you might be feeling a little anxious for your child. Don't worry, your child is in safe hands.

The weather in Singapore today is about 24 to 33 degrees. Please click on this link for weather forecasts. The weather is Singapore is normally hot and humid with showers sometimes in the day. It would be good to pack summer clothes for your child and maybe one or two long sleeve t-shirts and a jacket too. Don't worry about food. Singapore has lots of cheap and good food. I've seen the itinerary provided by the travel agent and the places that they are going to bring us for meals are really good. They have very yummy, tasty and delicious food there. I've got a feeling that you child might come back a few pounds heavier. It always happen to me when I go back to Singapore.

Parents, if you have any questions, feel free to ask questions in the comments and I will try my best to answer them. If you child has questions, feel free to ask me too. I'm looking forward to spending time with your child in Singapore! Oh yes, before I forget, I will be updating this blog from Singapore for you to have a look on the activities that your child and the teachers have done. So remember to check the blog!

Love,
Faith

Education

Dear Students from Bukit Panjang and Ma Wan,

These are questions on the education system of Singapore that you can discuss about.

1) How many students are there in your class and in your school?
2) How many main subjects do you study in your school? What are the subjects?
3) How many tests and examinations are there in an academic year?
4) What do you think about the system of EM1 and EM2?
5) What are the co - curricular activities (CCA) available in your school? What's your CCA?

Have fun discussing these questions above!

Love,
Faith

Housing

Dear Students from Bukit Panjang and Ma Wan,

These are questions on the housing in Singapore that you can discuss about.

1) Do you live in a private or public house? What is the percentage of people that live in public housing?
2) How much do you need to pay or rent your flat?
3) How big is the flat? What is the average size of a flat in Singapore?
4) What the races of your neighbours?
5) What the facilities or services are there in your building? (e.g. security guards, air-conditioner in the lobby)

Have fun discussing these questions above!

Love,
Faith

Food

Dear Students from Bukit Panjang and Ma Wan,

These are questions on the food of Singapore that you can discuss about.

1) What is your favourite food? Why and what does it taste like?
2) Which is the best food in Singapore?
3) What does the stalls in the hawker centre sell?
4) What is the most famous or popular food in Singapore?
5) There are different ethnic groups that live in Singapore, do they eat different food? What is it?

Have fun discussing these questions above!

Love,
Faith

Environmental Protection

Dear Students from Bukit Panjang and Ma Wan,

These are questions on the environmental protection in Singapore that you can discuss about.

1) Does your school use solar energy facilities? What does your school use to harvest solar energy?
2) How does your school encourage the students to be more aware of being environmental friendly?
3) How is the domestic waste handled by the government?
4) What are the regulations on vehicles on the road to help reduce the emission of greenhouse gas?
5) What are the regulations and restrictions set by the government to reduce waste? (In Hong Kong, there is a levy of $0.50 on each plastic bag.

Have fun discussing these questions above!

Love,
Faith

History

Dear Students from Bukit Panjang and Ma Wan,

These are questions on the history of Singapore that you can discuss about.

1) What is the story of the Merlion?
2) What is the language of the national anthem? Why?
3) What's the history of Racial Harmony Day and why is there such a day?
4) Why are there four official languages (Mandarin, English, Malay and Tamil) in Singapore?
5) When did Singapore become and independent country? Can you give a brief history of it?

Have fun discussing these questions above!

Love,
Faith