Simran Sharma

Day 1

Today we had dinner at this place which was apparently a learning operation place. It was pretty cool because if not for this guide, we wouldn't have known since the whole place had been transformed into streets with shops and even a carnival!

After dinner, it unexpectedly started to rain. Our guide told us that the rain marks the end of the autumn season and the start of winter. It is pretty cool that winter started on the exact day that we arrived (although it is starting to get really cold brrrrrr ☃️)

After going back to the hotel, I did some research of my own which stated that winter in Korea starts in late November. so, I am not very sure whether or not the rain indeed marks the start of November!

Day 2

This was the first thing that I saw when we were entering IASA. I was so surprised that they had put in so much effort in not only putting up a banner to welcome us but the vice-principal Ms Kim also came at the gate to handshake each and every one of us. This was followed by a really overwhelming yet heartwarming assembly where they officially welcomed us by telling us about their school, telling their students about ours and also gave us a taste of their musical talents! I indeed felt welcomed.

We had the opportunity of listening to some sharings of research presentations by grade 2 IASA students. Although most of their research seemed so advance, I really found them fascinating as they linked all their research back to real-life applications and how we can solve real-life problems.

reflection

Publish: firstly, we were warmly welcomed by not only our buddies but the whole school. 

Process: this made me feel really really welcome (not just superficially) and a little bit overwhelmed. I think the overall welcoming ceremony was a positive experience even though I messed up the part where we had to individually get up and greet the school by bowing when our names were called!

Generalise: this made me realise how much effort had really gone into the whole planning of this SST-IASA program and in turn, it made me feel even more grateful to have been given this opportunity! I also learnt a little about the Korean culture from this, like how you got to bow to greet and how welcoming they really are as individuals in a society.

Apply: in light of this learning, I aspire to become a more welcoming individual that will go out of her way to make someone feel at home. I can apply this by being more inclusive to other people, like for example in school, and making them not feel left out! 

Day 3

We had the opportunity to visit the Hyundai Motor Studio where we learnt about how the robots helped in car manufacturing. We also learnt how necessary it was for there to be test runs done on the cars using dummies to ensure their product is safe for the public. It was really innovative throughout and I was awestruck!

We took a boat ride at the West Boathouse and even though it was very cold, we all had so much fun enjoying the really pretty views (autumn trees!!!) I found the bridges to be the coolest part!

Reflection

Publish: we debated on the topic of whether or not plastic bags should be banned in South Korea and Singapore. We did this in teams of 4 with two IASA and two SST students in each team. I was the debater!
Process: I was really nervous at first as I don't find my speaking to be very good so I was scared that I would stutter so much and do really badly, especially at the crossfire part. However, soon after it started I realised everyone was just as nervous as me and that calmed me down a bit.
Generalise: this experience enhanced my knowledge on not only debates but also the main issue that plastic bags pose to us and the environment. Since I was on the con side and believed plastic bags should not be banned, I really got to learn a lot about the positive aspects of plastic bags that were unknown to me before! For example, I didn't realise that cloth or paper bags might not be very good compared to plastic bags in terms of the hygiene factor as to reuse it you might need to wash it which leads to water pollution!
Apply: in light of this learning, I would like to do some research on my own when I get back to Singapore to broaden my knowledge even further and really get to the root of this issue. This is so that I can educate myself of the world around me and take proper actions following that (not use plastic bags anymore/etc).

Day 4

today we learnt about a few students' research papers. they were really educational and mind-boggling but also a little bit confusing as it was very high level!

today was our last day at IASA! I was very very sad when I was leaving school as I would miss my buddy very much! even though we were only there for 2.5 days, IASA really left some great precious memories that I'm going to treasure for a really long time!

so today, Ryan and I learnt that we should take small servings !! we didn't realise how much we had taken until we had put everything in the pan🤧 we definitely regretted it as we had to ask (BEG!) other people to help us eat:( we learnt our lesson !1!

Reflection

Publish: one of the most significant things that I did was attend the biomedical lesson, where the students shared their research. Some of the research topics were oxygen deprivation due to contact lessons, non-invasive brain neutral control methods and suggesting alternatives, etc.

Process: I found this very educational as I got to learn about new stuff that I had no idea about! Even though I was very confused about the content because it was kind of advanced, I still found it beneficial!

Generalise: it reinforces my prior knowledge on how eye contacts can harm you as I learnt about it during an optometry workshop at Singapore Poly. This made me realise how people across the world learn the same thing in different ways and find different ways to apply it. This also inspired me to learn more about biomedical as I think I might want to do something related to it in the future!

Apply: I can use this inspiration to do some research for my own knowledge on topics that I am curious about, probably related to biology!

Day 5

Today, we visited the Gwacheon Science Museum where we had the wonderful opportunity to visit many various types of booths/areas like the fictional science area, future trains 999, etc. the only issue I had with it was that most of that was in Korean language and hence I didn't understand a lot of it. Apart from that, I found some places really cool like this waste minimisation booth!

also at the Gwacheon Science Museum, we visited the wildflower hill (that's the name if I'm not wrong) which was really really pretty >< despite the chilly weather, we managed to take some really aesthetic pictures yay !!

Lastly, we visited the Namsan tower, which looked over the whole city! It also had locks of love where people put a lock for loves' sake !! it was really cute, and we got to take nice pictures again !1!

Reflection

Publish: the most significant thing I did today was to visit the Namsan tower, which overviewed the city! The scenery from up there was really pretty thanks to the mountains and autumn trees!!
Process: this experience sparked up love and appreciation in me even though I didn't put any locks at the place like everyone else!

Generalise: this reminded me to show my love and gratitude to my loved ones whenever I have the chance to make them feel appreciated and of course, loved! This also leads me to think about how life is really short and if you don't show your love now, then when?

Apply: I hope to express my love and support to my family and friends by little actions like sending them appreciation messages, get them small random gifts, etc. 

Day 6

Today, we visited the Samsung Innovation Museum, where we learnt mainly about how technology has advanced from the past. The picture above is what washing machines first looked like in the past. I found this rather intriguing not just because it looked different and cool, but also because it shows how much we, as a society, have advanced so much in terms of technology.

Sadly, today was our last day in Korea. I felt really sad having come to the end of this lovely trip (definitely the best GCP I've ever had)! But oh well, all good things come to an end, so I might as well accept it and appreciate the last few hours I had left in Korea!

Overall Reflection

To me, this Incheon trip was way better than I had imagined it to be, and I am overall satisfied with it! The most significant part of this trip was visiting IASA and interacting with my buddy, Heesoo. I learnt so much about this school and realised how different it is from SST and many other schools even! Even though, I found some aspects of the school terrifying (like how they start school at 6am and end at 11pm, whilst studying most of their time as well as how they only have 1 every 12 days where they get the chance to go out of the school, and even then, each one of them go to some academy for extra studies), I really admire the discipline the IASA students have! This made me realise how big the world is out there, and despite all our differences, everyone is working hard in their own ways to ensure a better future. This sort of inspired me to work harder and become more competitive in school as well as life. In light of this realisation and learning, I aspire to push myself more and try to get rid of my distractions (like binge-watching Netflix, etc.) so that I will be able to focus on my short as well as a long-term goal, in terms of career and doing more for the world! All in all, I am fully satisfied with this trip and hope to work on my new aspirations inspired by my learnings!