Christabel Lee

Summary

In conclusion, this part week has truly opened my eyes and granted me new perspectives on the way I view the world. In particular, the two greatest insights I gained from this trip was about plastic bags, the Korean language, and what an OLE really means.

Firstly, plastic bags. Before this debate, I was aware that plastic bags were detrimental to the environment, yet knew that plastic bags were so ubiquitous in our lives that banning them would result in extreme consequences. However, after individual research, I learned even more about how plastic bag bans have affected social and economic sectors in countries upon being implemented. I was shocked as the way humans had naturally responded to the change was not as I had anticipated. Truly, I have learnt that issues are never printed in black and white; that implementing a measure to improve one aspect always affects others, like the ripple effect in water. Simultaneously, this helped me to apply the critical thinking skills I learnt in Social Studies, and calculate which side would have the least undesirable impacts when taking ALL aspects into consideration. 

Secondly, I felt that I have grown into greater appreciation of the Korean language. Before, due to my lack of interest in K-pop and K-drama, I never really took a second look at Korean characters. However, upon arriving in Incheon, we were literally surrounded by Korean characters such that I started examining them further. The most interesting thing I saw in the language was how the characters of different sounds were pieced together to form one complete character. Until now, with English, Chinese and Japanese being the only languages I was familiar with, I had never encountered a language with this type of system. And I think this realisation only reinforced what Japanese had already been teaching me; every language is different and unique in its own ways, and should be respected as so. Though it is good to seek more advanced technology to overcome this language barrier, we should also learn to appreciate the language as a whole instead of force-fitting it into whatever language we are comfortable with. This not only shows respect for the language itself, but it shows respect for the people who created and use this language.

Adding on to this point, I thought something that was mentioned was very true: while the Korean students were so gracious as to take the extra effort to google translate their words into English for us to understand, perhaps we should have extended the same service. I always felt that it was a pity, that whether the Koreans were hosting in IASA or visiting Singapore, they were always the side that was compensating their language for us. As quoted by Nelson Mandela: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes into his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes into his heart." Therefore, for future overseas experiences, I hope to be able to change my habits. Although google translate is not entirely accurate in translating whole sentences, it is the best we can do. Although we cannot translate every single sentence into the language, we can at least take the effort to try simple everyday phrases such as 'Hello', 'Thank you' and 'Goodbye'. As forming relationships is already crippled by the language barrier, attempting to transcend that language barrier can really catalyze forming friendships. 

Lastly, I learned the fundamental mission of OLE trips: to make friends from across countries. To me, this is very hard. Firstly, there is a difference in mode of communication. In Singapore, we use WhatsApp, while in Korea, most students use Kakao Talk. Secondly, there is a difference in languages. This makes it hard to express our feelings, as at least one party has to use a language they are uncomfortable with. Lastly, there is a vast difference in lifestyle. Being in different countries means there are very little common experiences that to discuss and connect by. Hence, after a few emails, it might be challenging to keep in contact. Nonetheless, it is very rewarding to maintain a long distance friendship. It not only allows the continual exchange of ideas and cultures; it also unlocks a network of relationships that can aid you in the future. I learned to treasure overseas friendships even more, and put in the effort to continue the friendship even as both parties return to their everyday lives.

All in all, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to go on this OLE trip. I have learned more about Science and learned more about life. I hope that these lessons and memories will stay with me, and that I can apply from now on.

Day 6

We ate a big bowl of Korean porridge for lunch.

After lunch, I stood outside the restaurant. For once I didn't feel cold despite only wearing a sweater because my stomach was full with hot porridge. I wanted to enjoy my last opportunity to stand in the cold before returning to Singapore.

Day 5

1) Situational awareness

At the top of the mountain, there was a pavilion. We went to the pavilion to take photographs. While I was helping my friends take a photograph, a lady came up to me. At first, she just gestured, so I thought she was merely asking me what I was doing. I told her I was taking a photograph. However, she then mimed praying, and then pointed to the floor right in front of me. I then noticed that the floor had a small square with four dots carved on the floor. I finally realised that the women was indicating that she needed to stand on that square and pray. So I stepped aside. Essentially, I thought that it was a bit inconsiderate of me to have not noticed this sooner. Even though most visitors were tourists who only wanted to take photographs, this place was still considered sacred to some people. Therefore, I learned that even while I enjoy myself at tourist attractions, I should be aware that these places still carry traditional and religious value to the locals, and hence be more considerate and respectful towards these places that mean a lot to the locals.

2) Advertisement

While walking along the streets, I saw a unique advertisement. When I first approached it, it appeared to be a full roll of toilet paper. However, when I walked directly past it, the imagine changed to an empty roll of toilet paper. Although I could not read the words as they were in Korean, I thought this was a very creative way to attract attention of passerbys. It actually reminds me of another poster, which shows a normal child when seen at a average adult height, but shows a child that is heavily bruised when one squats down to an average child height. This poster had been targeting child abuse, so that only children would see the poster's true colours and be able to report any abuse from their parents. I feel that these advertisements are unique and hence draw the attention of people when they normally ignore all other ordinary posters. It is also a unique application of science concepts put into design.

3) Language limitations

I had been looking forward a lot to this particular section, because I was eager to learn more about Science. Little did I know that all the explanations were entirely in Korean with no English translations. I was disappointed that the exhibitions looked interesting and seemed to promise greater insight; yet I was enable to tap into that knowledge due to my inability to understand Korean. I felt that this reinforced what many people have said about language; that it is the key that opens many doors. There are hundreds of different languages in the world, and in them a multitude of resources that have been gathered and collated by experts from all over the world. Yet, we only have access to a portion of it, not because they are unavailable (we have the internet now) but because it is simply written in a language that we cannot understand. Hence, it reminds me that language is even more crucial to gaining understanding, because to exchange and gain new ideas, we need communication, and no matter how advanced Google Translate becomes, it can never fully retain the purity of the original message. This truly motivates me to strive towards improving my languages, especially Japanese. And Chinese. For even if the struggle is hard, the fruits are rewarding.

Day 4

1) Environmental poster

I saw a poster on what we can do as individuals to fight against climate change. I thought that the suggestions were very simple and practical, yet seldom carried out. I thought that the first two points, 'think about it' and 'talk about it', are the first steps to convince yourself. Then the points 'write about it' and 'make art about it' are to motivate others to fight against climate change. The last one, 'act on it', is the final outcome after you and the others have been inspired to take action, and is the most important one too. If we just think and talk and write and draw about it, but don't act on it, all our effort is rendered useless.

2) Homeplus Culture Center

This was probably just a waiting room for people using the service of Homeplus, but I thought what was cool was that it was very open. Instead of being inside a shop or at least surrounded by a fence or boundary, it was totally open to the public. There were even books on shelves that were free for browsing. It also reminded me of yesterday, when we took a river cruise. I saw a booth that looked like a telephone booth, except it contained books. I thought it was a big gamble to display books so publicly and trust the public to take good care of it, yet it seems to have paid off. The books seemed to be in relatively good condition, and it did not seem that people stole any of the books as there were still a lot there. I wonder how Singaporeans would respond to such an initiative. Anyways, I thought that this proved that Koreans are very considerate people who are responsible enough to take care of not only their own stuff but also to take care of something that belonged to society, even if nobody was keeping a strict eye on them.

3) My buddy

I am very grateful for my buddy. During this trip, the thing I was the most afraid of was the language barrier. I always hated it when gaps in language led to awkward silences and turning to phones or their own friends. Even when they could speak reasonably well, it was often hard to find a common topic to chat about. However, not only was my buddy's command of English good, but she also was more open to explaining things to me and chatting with me when I asked her questions. This is no easy feat, and I am very grateful to have been given her as my buddy.

Day 3

1) Personalised trees

While taking a walk around the school compound, my buddy showed me her tree. She told me that every student in IASA gets their own tree. They then write their name and a short message ona  sign and hang it on the tree. I thought that firstly, this helped strengthened environmental awareness by having ownership of your very own tree. Secondlym I thought this created a better sense of belonging to the school, as it represented that each student is recognised and treasured as individuals. Lastly, I felt that it was a good representation of how the students are nurtured and grown in IASA.

2) "Agony by human beings faced with the climate change" 

I saw this statue at IFEZ. I thought it was a very abstract way to express our emotions to climate change. Although it formed an incomprehensible shape, it conveyed clearly the feeling of anguish and helplessness about climate change. Especially as we discuss climate change so much to the point it becomes a norm, this statue reminded me to still feel sad about climate change and be even more determined to fight against climate change.

3) Korean Language

I asked my Korean buddy to explain a bit about how the Korean language worked. She showed me how the pronunciation of her name matched the spelling, and explained briefly how the characters are placed together to form a sound. Up until this trip, I actually had never really taken much interest in Korean language. However, this trip has piqued my curiosity in the language. I now feel that the language, though it shares some similarities with English, actually have many unique characteristics that gives it a beautiful complexity. Now, I am more motivated to learn more about the language.

Day 2

1) Brotherhood and Sisterhood

One thing I noticed was how the Koreans seemed to constantly address us as 'brothers and sisters'. First, the tour guide used it to address us on day one. Then today, during the opening speeches, the principal mentioned the sisterhood between SST and IASA. At first, I found this a bit uncomfortable as we had just met so I didn't feel we could be considered that close. However, after reflecting about it, I thought that this was the Koreans' way of making us feel welcomed adn at home by accepting us even though we were not blood related or even fellow citizens.

2) Chairs in canteen

I found this detail small yet thought it subtly contributed to efficiency as a whole. Although pushing in chairs may seem a trivial thing in our lives, it does cause a lot of noise pollution and scratch marks on the ground. When people forgot to push in their chairs afterwards it blocked the pathway. However, the chairs in the canteen were designed such that they would swing back under the table. This minimised noise and the hassle of threading between chairs.

3) Come in from the back

I noticed that they usually entered a room from the back door rather than the front I thought this was quite thoughtful of them, and it demonstrates their basic respect for the teachers and classmates.

4) 17 sustainable goals

I think one reason why the students of IASA are so passionate and focussed on their projects is because they have a clear goal. On the bulletin boards, you could see maps showing parts of the world facing certain problems such as child slavery and refugee discrimination. Having these statistics constantly staring at you everyday makes it undeniable, and is a good reminder of the hardships people still face in the world even when you are living comfortably. Also the goals give a fixed focus point and I guess would give me motivation, to know that I am doing a project not just for grades but for people to live better lives, and encourage me not to give up.

Day 1

I was just glad to have reached Korea safely, without the airplane crashing or malfunctioning halfway. Although plane accidents seem to only be unfortunate events that happen to 'someone else, not me', I have learnt not to take this for granted. I am grateful that the whole group arrived safely and in good health.

This is my first time to Korea. Besides wondering about the weather, I was also wondering how Korea would be like. Up till now, my only impression of Korea has been K-drama and K-pop, so to be honest I did not have a very positive impression of Korea at first. Nonetheless, I tried my best to put these thoughts aside, and keep an open mind.

I love the weather. For the first time in forever, the air outside is colder than inside a vehicle. I love drawing on condensation on the windows.