It has been almost a week since we left Australia, but it still seemed like yesterday that I was still running on the grass of the bulpadock or chatting with friends. The two weeks that we had in Melbourne can be labelled as one of the best lessons in my life. It has taught me many things and allowed me to learn from others from around the world.
Firstly, let me sum up the two weeks that we had spent there. Right from our first day, as we stepped into Jeopardy( for the girls ), we realised the fact that we had to share bathrooms and that some of our rooms were not what we expected. So naturally, we were like "two weeks in this place?!?! " But as the days passed, we slowly adapted to the place. Having Germaine and Jiahui staying opposite us was awesome as we got the chance to look after one another too. Walking through the corridor every other day, it's nice to gradually have more people saying hi and smiling and I realised how despite our cultural differences, we can still easily make many friends.
From lectures to excursions, we have learnt countless amazing stuffs. The lectures provided me with alot of new knowledge and their way of learning captivated me and made me felt that the two hours were too short. Subjects like aerospace engineering and genetics laboratory were ones we would not have experienced in school. Also, beyond highschool and career lecture gave me a platform to think more about my future. :) The night activities saw us working with our mentor groups to sing and perform and also saw the 10 of us working together to belt out a tune. It has definitely bonded the 10 of us together. As we saw our mentors perform and lead activities, we also got to learn much as they had this spirit that was so influential that everyone would join in too. For example, working with our mentor groups on Trivia night was also fun as we all played our part to contribute to the answers. As the saying goes "two heads are better than one".
From merely schoolmates, we have also become good friends in the course of two weeks. Being there for one another, waking one another up in the morning, to eating our meals together, we have all bonded. I will never forget the time we chill out in one another's room. Everyone would bring along their chocolates, TimTams, etc, and we will chat and talk to pass time before the next activity. Also, when Weijie sprained his ankle, I saw everyone trying to help, such as visiting him in the morning and bringing breakfast. When some of us fell sick, the others constantly reminded them to drink water, or make honey drink for them. Also, Melissa helped me throughout the trip and was a great listening ear, cheering and encouraging me. This has all showed me how small acts of kindness goes a long way to make someone's day.
Of course, the 10 of us who went to Melbourne definitely have matured to be greater leaders. It started with us being shy and reserved, always waiting to be called upon. The welcome dinner, activities, lectures in the first few days saw us sitted at a corner within our own comfort zone. But as the days passed, we have all learned to step out, voice our ideas, participate in activities or even volunteer to do public speaking. It was not just an overnight change but through constant encouragement of each other and Ms Low and Ms Tan. During debrief, we listened to the lessons each other got from the day and the teachers' feedbacks. It was through this sessions which we realised some points we missed out in the day or aspects we could have improved in.
Being split into our respective mentor groups, we got to work with people of other countries. It has really been an eye-opener as different people had their views and ways of doing things, and with so many leaders in the group, we had to learn to give in and be a good follower instead. But through some activities, I realised that they do know alot more things than us, Singaporeans. So talking to them also taught me alot of stuffs. They also showed me that only through constant questioning can I be able to gain more knowledge. The mentors have also been great role-models for us.
As the Valedictory Dinner was going on, two of the students made a speech which I found most touching. As they said, the friendships formed in the two weeks would be ones we will remember for the rest of our lifes. Also, the lessons we learned in the two short weeks will forever be etched in our minds. As we touched back down in Singapore, we have already started missing the place. The two weeks spent in Trinity have of course passed in a flash and we cannot turn back the clock, but the memories only we have, we will keep in mind forever.
Lastly, a great huge THANKYOU to Ms Low, Ms Tan, Melissa, Jiahui, Germaine, Benedict, Weijie, GaoQian, Jingyi, Dunkai and Yanyang! Without them, this trip would not have been as awesome, fun and fruitful. :)
Firstly, let me sum up the two weeks that we had spent there. Right from our first day, as we stepped into Jeopardy( for the girls ), we realised the fact that we had to share bathrooms and that some of our rooms were not what we expected. So naturally, we were like "two weeks in this place?!?! " But as the days passed, we slowly adapted to the place. Having Germaine and Jiahui staying opposite us was awesome as we got the chance to look after one another too. Walking through the corridor every other day, it's nice to gradually have more people saying hi and smiling and I realised how despite our cultural differences, we can still easily make many friends.
From lectures to excursions, we have learnt countless amazing stuffs. The lectures provided me with alot of new knowledge and their way of learning captivated me and made me felt that the two hours were too short. Subjects like aerospace engineering and genetics laboratory were ones we would not have experienced in school. Also, beyond highschool and career lecture gave me a platform to think more about my future. :) The night activities saw us working with our mentor groups to sing and perform and also saw the 10 of us working together to belt out a tune. It has definitely bonded the 10 of us together. As we saw our mentors perform and lead activities, we also got to learn much as they had this spirit that was so influential that everyone would join in too. For example, working with our mentor groups on Trivia night was also fun as we all played our part to contribute to the answers. As the saying goes "two heads are better than one".
From merely schoolmates, we have also become good friends in the course of two weeks. Being there for one another, waking one another up in the morning, to eating our meals together, we have all bonded. I will never forget the time we chill out in one another's room. Everyone would bring along their chocolates, TimTams, etc, and we will chat and talk to pass time before the next activity. Also, when Weijie sprained his ankle, I saw everyone trying to help, such as visiting him in the morning and bringing breakfast. When some of us fell sick, the others constantly reminded them to drink water, or make honey drink for them. Also, Melissa helped me throughout the trip and was a great listening ear, cheering and encouraging me. This has all showed me how small acts of kindness goes a long way to make someone's day.
Of course, the 10 of us who went to Melbourne definitely have matured to be greater leaders. It started with us being shy and reserved, always waiting to be called upon. The welcome dinner, activities, lectures in the first few days saw us sitted at a corner within our own comfort zone. But as the days passed, we have all learned to step out, voice our ideas, participate in activities or even volunteer to do public speaking. It was not just an overnight change but through constant encouragement of each other and Ms Low and Ms Tan. During debrief, we listened to the lessons each other got from the day and the teachers' feedbacks. It was through this sessions which we realised some points we missed out in the day or aspects we could have improved in.
Being split into our respective mentor groups, we got to work with people of other countries. It has really been an eye-opener as different people had their views and ways of doing things, and with so many leaders in the group, we had to learn to give in and be a good follower instead. But through some activities, I realised that they do know alot more things than us, Singaporeans. So talking to them also taught me alot of stuffs. They also showed me that only through constant questioning can I be able to gain more knowledge. The mentors have also been great role-models for us.
As the Valedictory Dinner was going on, two of the students made a speech which I found most touching. As they said, the friendships formed in the two weeks would be ones we will remember for the rest of our lifes. Also, the lessons we learned in the two short weeks will forever be etched in our minds. As we touched back down in Singapore, we have already started missing the place. The two weeks spent in Trinity have of course passed in a flash and we cannot turn back the clock, but the memories only we have, we will keep in mind forever.
Lastly, a great huge THANKYOU to Ms Low, Ms Tan, Melissa, Jiahui, Germaine, Benedict, Weijie, GaoQian, Jingyi, Dunkai and Yanyang! Without them, this trip would not have been as awesome, fun and fruitful. :)
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