Ng Yun Hui

Day 1: 

 The seaside wind was very cooling and welcoming. It felt like natural cold aircon that was enjoyable before it rained. This view is not the best but still a good way to start the trip. It has also educational meaning where I was able to learn more about the korean war with the help of the guide.

I did not expect to start my trip with such unique cuisine that we barely get to eat and is not very commonly found in singapore. Nevertheless, it was a good and interesting meal eating seafood despite taking effort to get meat from any of the shells and bones. 

Day 2

When/where did the experience take place?

: IASA campus for the whole of Day 1 

What happened that was significant?

: The welcoming ceremony where they performed for us. 

How did this experience make me feel (positively and/or negatively)?

: It was very shocking for me as there is a significant cultural difference between us in minor details that I did not expect. 

Does it challenge or reinforce my prior understanding?

: It challenges my prior understanding as before this I did not think that korea and singapore will be of much difference. We are similar in many ways but different in significant ways as well. For example, their cafeteria culture where everyone has the same meals, lessons and how they take place and each individual Korean's character is very positively different from us as they are very kind, caring and welcoming when interacting with us.  

I learnt that there is room for improvement in all of us and as long as we stay observant towards our differences, there is much for us to learn from and to incorporate into our daily lives to improve ourselves and the lives of others. I should also appreciate my independent lifestyle where more freedom of choice is provided and home is not far away from school. 

I learnt this accumulatively throughout the day. For instance, during their classes despite it mostly being in korean, teachers felt apologetic that we do not learn much and for special classes prepared just for us, they also went out of their way to interact and help us in very patient manners. They are very helpful, my buddy brought us for a mini school tour during some extra time that we had. The students live in dorms and do not usually have the chance to go home or go out of school. 

This learning matters because it will affect me in the long run. If I am able to learn from this, it will benefit me and teach me how to better approach others and discipline myself to have a good balance of hard work and play.

In light of this learning, I hope to be more sociable and helpful to people I first meet and keep an open mind. It will make me more approachable as a person and help others to feel better. It will be challenging for me as I am not a very expressive person that will be able to interact with anyone I meet.

Day 2 : 

 This performance was very shocking and heartwarming as I am sure they put thought into what song is being sang to us and this song to show the relationship between us is very heartfelt. I am also shocked by how uniquely talented they are where one group could hit high notes of the song while others reached the low notes.

It was very windy and cold out on the rooftop garden but still a nice experience and view. The cold is not the most bearable with the wind but compared to Singapore, it is much more enjoyable weather. Learning how to use the telescope was also interesting and fun. 

 Their hospitality in letting us enjoy Korean supper was very kind of them I enjoyed it very much. Being able to experience this with my friends as they tried the spicy noodles brought joy to us. The wide variety of food was very surprising and I am very grateful to be able to experience this. 

Day 3

In IASA seminar room, we had a talk on asteroids. We listened to the speaker present his experiences and methods of finding necessary results. I kept an open mind when listening to the talk as I was not very sure how the talk would be carried out. However, I still continued to listen attentively and caught on to some interesting information that I would not have known off without the help of the speaker. I learnt that I should always keep an open mind to such situations as there is possibly some learningg experience that I may be missing out on. I should give myself the opportunity to learn and not assume the activity to be otherwise. This experience enhances my knowledge on meteorites as before this, I am not very sure of this aspect of science and this talk has piqued my interest in this area. I learned that everyone has very different opinions and despite the difference in opinions, we should be open to the possibilities and opportunities. I learned this when the talk brought up the difference between engineers and scientists. They both look towards the interest of different people but have good intentions. This learning matters because in my daily life, we are bound to meet others of different opinions and views. We should be open to these views in order to improve together and not look down on the differences. In light of this learning, I hope to stay open-minded to the remaining activities on this trip despite being sceptical about any. 

Day 3: 

 Their way of classes are similar to my math classes in SST where the teacher gets the student to go to the board to write selected questions answers and corrects the student on the spot so that the class can learn from one another's mistakes and this allowed me to understand the similarities and common ground in learning.

 This picture was taken at the hyundai motor show. As part of safety features, many airbags are installed in the car and that is very thoughtful of them. They think beyond the normal designs to provide better and more trustworthy safety for their customers. The car crash test was also very interesting and informative to learn about other important safety features implemented in their cars.

The debate gave me a new perspective of things to understand that everyone has different views and I should be objective and not side with the point of view that I believe in but to understand and be sensitive to other views as they are also very true. I should not be pushing for my point but be curious of how such topics can be seen from various perspective and how we should overcome them.  

Day 4 

The titration experiment took place in their chemistry lab during the 3rd period. Everyone carried out 3 experiments to figure out the concentration of the aspirin tablets. At the start, I was quite unsure of what was to be done, and the arrangement when the experiment started. Despite the confusion, I carried out the task and followed the instructions given as much as possible. The entire experiment was carried out by my partner and I as well as the buddies. We alternated in carrying out the steps for each part of the experiment. However, this arrangement was slightly confusing for me as I still did not really understand the steps and their purposes. The language barrier was also an issue when the experiment was being carried out and the buddies tried their best to explain the steps and how the experiment should be carried out. I expected the experiment to be similar to the ones held in SST as titration is something familiar to us. However, I was slightly taken aback as the setup and use of apparatus may vary. I need to be able to adapt to the situation better. It allowed me to understand more about titration, especially how they modified the experiment for the purpose of the aspirin. Being able to think critically to work with the knowledge of titration and come up with the experiment for this purpose. It worked together with my prior knowledge on titration to provide me with a deeper understanding of the science behind it and how to further improve my thinking. I learned that with our present knowledge, it is easier for us to make deeper considerations and adapt to the situation in order to get the results. I learned this when I did a few steps of the experiment wrongly. This kept me thinking on how I could have better done the experiment with my present knowledge of the concept to make it more of a success. The calculations also allowed me to continue thinking of how to use my prior knowledge with this experiment to come out with accurate results from the materials and setup given. This learning matters because it does not stop at titration. In my path as a science student and future science that is part of my life, I am responsible to understand how to improve procedures to reach the intended goal successfully. There will be many more experiments to come and much more research to be done. In light of this learning, I hope to slowly improve my practical skill sets and critical thinking as well as awareness to the different variables which might affect the experimental results. 

Day 4 :

 The activity being carried out is the titration experiment. As part of the learning experience in IASA, this experiment was carried out for us to find the concentration of the aspirin tablets. It was not a straight forward experiment but neither was it a difficult one to understand. It kept me thinking throughout the experiment and what was so different from our titration experiment back in school.

 The presentations were informative and what shocked me were how detailed their research topics were. They are very in depth in their research and constantly check with reliable sources about similar research and results that have already been collected. The analysis is very advanced and hopefully with more practice, I can adapt their way of critical thinking in science. 

All good things come to an end. The exchange with IASA ended with heartfelt events where we exchanged gifts with our buddies and received a very nice photo album from our host. Despite our many differences, we were able to find our common ground in appreciation for music and many others. Other than all the hard work put into the last few days, we shared joyful memories filled with fun and laughter. The language barrier was significant and put us apart but the time spent was wrapped up with such joy nevertheless. 

Day 5

Today, we went to the Gwacheon national science museum. We split up into groups to explore the museum. Initially, I was not very amused as most of the signs were in Korean and the language barrier was not very easy to overcome. While exploring, one of the workers from the museum approached us when we faced difficulty with one of the exhibits. He thought that we understood korean and explained the concepts and demonstrated to us in Korean. I was very grateful for his kind gesture. I assumed that he thought we were korean. But I was equally puzzled as I do not think that I look korean. This made me slightly awkward in the situation. I think I handled my emotions pretty well as I continued to listen attentively and thanked him afterwards for his initiative. This taught me that similarly, back in Singapore, I should be more approachable and helpful and not be afraid to help others as much as possible. Even if I am afraid that it will be awkward, I should try as it may have made a significant difference to someone else. This reminded me that being approachable is a kind act that I should not be afraid of but step out of my comfort zone to do so. I hope to see myself stepping out of my comfort zone for the benefit of others more. 

Day 5 : 

 At the cheonggyecheon stream, we had a tour on the purpose of this tour which I found very unexpected. It was due to the fengshui of the palace in seoul. In fact, the stream was removed to build roads and rebuilt. This brought me think of the BKE and how the road removed a part of an important ecosystem and home to some animal species. But they realised that this affected the animals significantly and decided to build the linkway.

The namsan tower was special to me as when we went up, there was an amazing view awaiting us. It made me feel that despite our busy schedules , we should always find time to rest and appreciate our surroundings and the little things people do for us. A short break will allow us to be less stressed out on the task at hand and focus better.

At the national science museum, this was when the worker at the museum came over to demonstrate to us how to operate the exhibit that we were struggling with. It was very shocking and reminded me of the constant need to take initiative to help others. The koreans are so willing to do so which is something that I can take away from interacting on this trip. 

Day 6 conclusion 

Overall, Korea's culture was eye-opening. From the missing dust bins to recycling efforts and the kindness and graciousness they show, there is much to learn from them. Taking a small step to make a big difference can seem close to impossible but no doubt the first step is what's necessary to the start of change. Putting in the effort to initiate can continue to influence others in my path so that everyone benefits. It's not difficult to do your part for the environment if everyone puts in that little amount of effort to care for our garden city. Their small acts of kindness and care showed for us at IASA and Koreans, in general, makes me wonder if we're doing enough. Not only small acts but the larger acts of graciousness, initiating to forge stronger relationships and thinking of many ways to do so, overcoming difficulties and all barriers put up between us. This says how much they cherish and care for the ones around them. Indeed, we should do our best to lend a helping hand and do the same or better when reaching out to others to make them feel welcome. Even so, being approachable is also key of how they made us feel welcome easily which is an important point to be wary of in future. 

Day 6: 

 This was new to me as when talking about lamps we usually think of Thomas Edison and his discovery. However, we were exposed to information beyond that which took me aback. The discovery of how to make light was a significant finding that took many years of hard work to commercialize. The initial discoveries had interesting concepts and even that required much hard work to be discovered. However now light is a huge part of our daily lives and even lead to light pollution makes me think how some things have been taken advantage of by mankind.

 Mobile phones are a large aspect of our daily lives. The evolution of phones are very relevant to us in this day and age to see how we've progressed and how we've advanced. The high convenience and efficiency of these communication devices indeed has a large impact on our lives. Some say for the better but some say the development of such technology has hindered our own skills such as face to face communication and searching for information offline.

This shows the past of electrical appliances and how it significantly made our lives easier. The video shown compared life before and after the invention of such appliances which made me appreciate the little things that bring us convenience more. The development of these appliances is very interesting as we get to compare how these appliances were a long time ago and how they are now. Further in the tour, we were shown Samsung's fridge which had a 21 inch screen built on the door of the fridge showing you what is in the fridge and is voice commanded. This clearly shows how technology has advanced over the years.