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ST JOSEPH ’ S INSTITUTION • JOSEPHIAN ANNUAL 2014 LEARNING JOURNEY
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION ( IE ): TRIP TO TAIPEI
It has been a fruitful and enriching experience these three weeks in a land where it embodies kind-hearted people , practices open-mindedness in the society and possessing the most number of convenience stores in the East . Appreciating Chinese culture and revisiting one ’ s ancestral roots has been an eye-opening experience for us , which allowed the revival of old traditions and reinforcements of current ones .
We have gained not only useful knowledge about our origins and culture , but also the comprehension and practice of Lasallian values , which further enkindled the motto of “ Men for others , Men of integrity ”. Apart from being compelled to be independent in a foreign land , we had the opportunity to look out for the accompanying Raffles Girls community which prompted the strengthening of both existing and recent bonds we established with them . For instance , when someone fell ill , everyone gathered to ensure that the injured would recover speedily and no one was left behind in this trip . What encouraged us to be proud of being Josephians , was the compliment an RGS Chinese Teacher made , commenting how the spirit of ‘ brotherhood ’ SJI boys embody helped the situation .
Thankfully , we did not encounter mishaps or catastrophes . However , harsh cold weathers like temperatures reaching to a record as low as 10 degrees Celsius left us scrambling for our windbreakers to keep warm ! We managed to return home , safe and sound , with none falling seriously ill or injured during this trip .
Respecting practices in SJI , we constantly ensured ourselves to have a short prayer before meals or a journey to another district and all of us volunteered to carry the food packets when the opportunity arose .
On the first night in the dazzling city , we were courteously greeted by the horde of friendly counsellors ( also known as “ 辅导员 ” fu dao yuan in Chinese ) from the National Taiwan Normal University ( 国立台湾师范大学 guo li tai wan shi fan da xue in Chinese ) who volunteered to be guides during this memorable trip . They were dressed smartly with a purple vest as a form of easier identification . From what we could vividly remember , they accompanied their young charges to the awaiting excursion bus that would transport us to our cozy hostels that we would be residing at and they even offered us helping hands for our luggage . Their enthusiasm and thoughtfulness showed early , offering their seats on the bus to teachers and students because there was a shortage of seats . After an hour of a smooth bus ride , we were brought to our rooms and given our room cards . They knew we were tired after our flight , thus after a short briefing and welcome session led by Ting , the head coordinator , it was time to turn in for the night !
We had filling and sumptuous meals there to fill our stomachs , some of which consisted of egg rolls for breakfast and dry noodles for lunch . During our stay there , we roamed around the vicinities of the school hostel and campus , as well as the night market near the National Taiwan Normal University . For most of us , it was an enjoyable experience as we were able to purchase items that were priced reasonably for students studying at this location . Having this golden opportunity to be able to appreciate the Taiwanese unique ‘ pasarmalam ’ culture , we resolved to return to Taiwan to re-devour the unforgettable scents of barbequed food !
We rehearsed for the Official Induction on the second day of our journey and were strongly encouraged to be on our best behavior as several school officials were coming to grace the event . We had representatives from both schools to present a thanksgiving speech to the officials ! It preceded smoothly as the SJI Representative , Tan Jia Xin ( LE401 ) and the RGS Representative , Jessa Gan , proceeded with the speeches they had prepared once we arrived in Taiwan . After the speeches and energetic rounds of applause , a group photo was taken and gifts were exchanged between the officials and the two Singapore schools . Soon , we had to go for an assessment prepared by the Overseas Chinese Association .