Damien Tan

Day 1
 Pictures:

Today we arrived at Incheon International Airport. The bus driver told us that the airport was actually located on its own island and was connected by bridge to Incheon and Seoul. We took the bridge to Incheon which is the longest bridge in South Korea.

We then proceeded to a restaurant located in a carnival for dinner. The place we ate was actually the landing site of the US forces which cut off North Korean logistic routes during the Korean War as commemorated by the tablet shown.

Day 2:

We arrived at IASA and were greeted by a warm welcome by the principal and vice-principal which was then proceeded by a welcome ceremony

During 4th Period we listened to 6 second-grade students presented research projects they did in year 1. Two of the projects focused on generating electricity from wave power.

After dinner, we observed the moon and stars through telescopes under the guidance of their Astronomy Club, Nova. The picture shown is taken through one of the telescopes 

Publish: 

• What was the most impactful event that you observed/experienced today?
• I noticed that the IASA students are very focused on their studies as they are rather attentive during lessons and would put in their best efforts to complete their work. They are not afraid to excuse themselves to complete outstanding incomplete work and willingly put their devices away to do their self-study. 
• Another thing I noticed is that the IASA students are very friendly and welcoming. During the welcome ceremony, they invited the year 1 and 2 students to watch and some of the clubs performed for us.
• When/where did the experience take place?
• It took place during the period where I sat with my buddy for his computer language lessons in the computer lab.

Process: 

• How did this experience make me feel (positively and/or negatively)?
• I think that this experience helped me to focus on the lessons/lectures/activities better and it also influenced me to put away distractions during lessons to focus on the lesson content.

Generalise: 

• How does this experience enhance my knowledge of a specific reading, theory, or concept? 
• From this experience, I feel more motivated to stay focused and committed when doing my work and to avoid procrastinating due to various distractions.
• Does it challenge or reinforce my prior understanding? 
• I previously made the assumption that they may not have been as hardworking as I observed as before the lesson the IASA buddies are quite fun
• It reinforces my prior understanding that having a strong commitment is important

Apply: 

• How can I apply what I have learnt back in Singapore?
• I can apply this in my studies as well to be more hardworking and committed to studying and avoiding procrastination. To do so, I should do my best to eliminate distractions and keep to a set timetable.

Day 3

Pictures:

Today we visited the IFEZ or Incheon Free Economic Zone, Songdo district. I learnt that IFEZ was the government's plan to make Incheon Northeast Asia's economic centre. IFEZ is split into 3 districts, Songdo district, Yeongjong district and Cheongna district. The Songdo district which we visited is developed to have the International Business Complex, Knowledge Information Industry, Bio Complex, High Tech Industry Complex and a Port.

We also visited the Hyundai Motor Studio Goyang which showcased the robots that are used in the manufacturing and installation of various parts in cars. It also showcased the safety features and how the safety of the car is tested. Some safety features include the airbag, auto-correction when steering out of lane, alerts when approaching a car or when another car is approaching blind spots.

Publish

• What did I do? What did others do?
• Today we had the quarterfinals of the Public Forum Debate. I was one of the judges for the debate between Group 3 and 4. The debate was rather heated and they fired arguments back and forth during the crossfire rounds. My buddy and Joshua were simultaneously debating for our group against group 7.
• When/where did the experience take place?
• The debates took place in 4 separate classrooms in IASA during 3rd Period today.

Process

• How did this experience make me feel (positively and/or negatively)?
• The debates were quite a unique experience and I was rather intrigued by the arguments group 3 and 4 brought up as they allowed to me consider different points which I may not have previously considered.
• The debate style is slightly different from the debates we do in SST. They used the Public Forum Debate style. Some of the noticeable differences are that there were no points of information allowed and each team was only comprised of 2 speakers in the debates we had today.
• What assumptions or expectations did I bring to the situation?
• Prior to this trip, I assumed that they debating style we used in SST was a standardised way of debating. However, this brought me new exposure and allowed me to experience different debating styles

Generalise

• How does this experience enhance my knowledge of a specific reading, theory, or concept?
• I think that this experience has brought me to understand that the ban on plastic bags does not only bring a positive environmental impact. Previously, I presumed that the ban on plastic bags would be a risk-free solution to the current environmental issues. For example, the ban on plastic bags could cause mass retrenchment as the plastic bag manufacturing industry is one of the largest worldwide, and in a time of recession, we should be supporting such successful industries. This experience has hence allowed me to view problems from multiple perspectives and not only consider one impact or cause.

Apply

• What have I learnt and how can I apply this in future?
• I have learnt the importance of considering multiple perspectives when met with a problem or challenge. We must also consider that every solution brings its own set of problems and hence must weigh out the advantages and disadvantages of implementing a solution.
• I think this can be applied when I face conflict or need to find solutions to a problem, I should try to brainstorm and understand the problem from multiple perspectives and once I have thought of solutions I also need to understand the impacts of the solution, rather than seeing and solving problems on a surface level, which may bring about larger negative consequences and create more problems to solve.

Day 4:

Unfortunately, the three days with IASA has come to an end. Today, Razaele played a piece at the end of the farewell ceremony on the piano and my buddy from IASA also played a piece. It has been 3 days of enriching and exciting experiences and it has definitely been unforgettable.

For dinner today, we ate tteokbokki in the Songdo District. Tteokbokki is Korean rice cakes and the restaurant offered several different types including one which had corn and cheese on the inside. 

Publish

• What did I do? What did others do?
• During the 3rd and 4th period today, we had a chemistry practical lesson where we performed an analysis of aspirin and antacid tablets by acid-base titration. In the practical, there were 3 different tasks we were required to do. The first was to perform standardization of sodium hydroxide as the concentration was unknown. The second task was to perform a forward titration and the third was to perform a backward titration. Due to time constraints, I was only able to complete the first and third tasks but the forward titration task was quite similar to the titration I do back in SST.
• When/where did the experience take place?
• It occurred in the chemistry lab on the second floor of IASA in 3rd and 4th period.

Process

• How did this experience make me feel (positively and/or negatively)?
• I think that this experience has helped me to understand that there is no one fixed way to do something and that a certain concept such as titration can be used in different situations based on the context.
• What assumptions or expectations did I bring to the situation?
• I previously assumed the way titration was performed was in one standard way that I am used to, forward titration. I also assumed that the way certain steps that were performed should also be the same. On the contrary, certain steps such as transferring precise volumes of solutions are done with different apparatus. In the IASA laboratory, they used an adjustable 10.00ml micropipette while in SST we use a fixed 25.0cm^3 pipette

Generalise

• How does this experience enhance my knowledge of a specific reading, theory, or concept?
• I think this experience has helped me to apply what I have learnt during Chemistry lessons to real-world problems that require slightly different methods such as backward titration.

Apply

• What have I learnt and how can I apply this in future?
• I feel that in future I should try to understand and rationalise the steps and procedures to a practical so that when the question is adjusted or brought out of the same context, I still can apply what I already know to solve the problem.

Day 5

Pictures:

Today we visited Cheonggyecheon Stream. We learnt that this stream was actually once covered by a highway, however, the government decided to demolish the highway to restore the stream in 2006 to allow the people in Seoul to have a place to relax.

In the afternoon, we went to Namsan Park. We saw that couples would often go there to place a padlock on the bridge and there was an area to try out the traditional Korean dress, the Hanbok. We also ate dinner at the restaurant in the same building.

 Publish

• What was the most impactful event that you observed/experienced today?
• Today we went to Dongdaemun Design Plaza to do some shopping. Along the way, some of us bought some snacks from the streets and needed to dispose of the wrappers that came with the food. We then realised that along the streets and inside the Design Plaza, there were no visible garbage bins. We later found out that Korea has a recycling system similar to that of Japan whereby the Koreans will sort out their trash into different groups of recyclables and put them into specific plastic bags.

Process

• How did this experience make me feel (positively and/or negatively)?
• I think from this I understood that the Koreans are very considerate and gracious people. Although there are no visible garbage bins along the streets, the streets are mostly still free from litter. It really shows that Koreans care for the environment and care about the cleanliness of their country. The shopowners in Dongdaemun Design Plaza when they noticed tourists like us carrying garbage 
• What assumptions or expectations did I bring to the situation?
• I assumed that such recycling and garbage disposal systems were only unique to Japan and I did not expect that Korea follows such a similar system.

Generalise

• How does this experience enhance my knowledge of a specific reading, theory, or concept?
• I feel this experience has reminded me to be more considerate and to try to help others whenever possible, it also reminded me to be more considerate in terms of reducing my waste and recycling whatever possible to conserve our Earth and achieve sustainability.

Apply

• What have I learnt and how can I apply this in future?
• I think in future I can be more considerate and try to help those who may be unfamiliar or new to a certain place. For example, if I run into someone who is lost and I may be able to help them, I should do my best to approach them and help them find their way. I can also bear in mind to try to sort my garbage and recycle whatever can be recycled to play my part in saving the environment.

Day 6
Pictures:

Before leaving Korea for Singapore, we visited the Samsung Innovation Museum which showcased a glimpse into the history of electronics and electrical appliances and how we have used and are using them to build smart cities. It also featured some of Samsung's innovative products which could all be controlled using a smartphone. 

Overall experience from this trip

• Through this week, I noticed that the Koreans were very gracious and welcoming. From the beginning, the tour guide would refer us as brothers and sisters. When we went to IASA, they held a school-wide event where they had a welcoming ceremony for us. The principal, vice-principal, teachers and students tried to make us as comfortable as possible when we there.