Day 7 - London's Poet and Sherlock

~London~
Early this morning, we had a meeting with a poet called Jacob Sam-La Rose. It might seem like his middle name is ‘Sam-La’, but actually, ‘Sam-La Rose’ is his surname, so we were told. We had to walk a very long distance and it started raining when we were reaching our destination. Jacob started off by introducing himself and then he read a few great poems that he wrote. The first one he read to us was about a girl he had a crush on when he was younger. After the poem, everyone gave a soft “ aww...” and he called us a good audience :D After that we had an activity about emotions. We had to choose from a list of emotions and answered questions using our five senses to describe our chosen emotions. We had to read our answers out loud and somehow it already seemed like a poem. He mentioned that our answers were like a rough draft of a poem. Our teachers were very impressed by some of our answers. Also, because of his huge charisma, the way he read our answers made them seem even more profound. Then we played a game. He read us a poem entitled “Jigsaw” which was about his father. We were split into five groups,

1. The Raging Kitties

2. The Spartans

3. Merrily-On-High

4. Miss Tnee’s Fan Club

5. Toss Toss (inspired by the play “Wicked” we watched last night)

And we had our own buzzer:

1. Meow

2. AH-OO!!!!

3. Ding Dong

4. Miss Tnee!

5. Toss Toss

The game was carried out like a game show where we snatched to answer questions about the poem. The dark horse, The Spartans, WON! Then we had another game, where we had to write out names of people important to us. We narrowed the list down to one, and had to choose a specific object that reminded us of them. We had to give as many details as possible. When he read out some of our answers, we were surprised and very touched by what some of us had written. We really enjoyed our time there and took a group photo with him before he rushed off to another workshop. (Busy, busy man.)

We took the tube to Liverpool Street to eat lunch followed by some 'free and easy'. The constant announcements of the approaching trains made us feel the rush of the English people’s lives. We went shopping at an open area where people from all over the world sold things. It was sort of like a Singaporean flea market but much more up market. We met many Asians there and it felt very good to speak Chinese to them because of this, we were given special discounts! Heh heh. Then we took a tube to Baker Street for a Sherlock Holmes walk where we met out guide, Janet. Although it was drizzling, we continued the walk to various spots where the stories were set. Janet told many highlights and interesting parts of the stories and it was very entertaining. We also went to a museum to see a painting his “ancestor” painted in the story. All of us were amazed how the author made the story really realistic by using things in our lives.

We ended our walk at Oxford Circus then we took the tube to St. Pauls for dinner at Pizza Express. They had a revolving door and it was so COOL! Dinner was good as we had 3 different types of pizzas with cool names. We kept ordering more pizzas as we loved it very much!! We walked back to the hotel in a slight drizzle, had debrief and went back to our rooms to try to finish our homework. (We are such good students.)

WE REALLY DON’T WANT TO LEAVE LONDON.

Done by 3 of us who really rock, Reporters of Day 7 of UK Trip:

Janice Lee, Kathy Lim and Natalie Sim.

Day 6 - London's Museums and Musical!

We started our day by visiting the Imperial War Museum. Here, we visited the Holocaust exhibition where we learned about how the Jews were treated during the Second World War. We found out that at least 6 million Jew died due to the war and till today, Jews are still discriminated although it is not openly stated. The museum was really interesting; there were a lot of tank and airplane replicas from the World Wars. By the time we left the doors of the Imperial War Museum, we were all so affected by Adolph Hitler’s brutality.

After that, we visited the British Museum which was a little less interesting but still awesome as we saw all the artifacts from around the world. The interior design is very modern and the exterior design, ironically, has very ancient design. It was indeed a fascinating and memorable experience as we explored the histories despite not having enough time to explore everything the museum has to offer! Moreover, we need not spend money to travel to Egypt, China, Mexico or Japan to learn about these countries.

Next, we attended a theatre workshop in Victoria where we expressed ourselves freely through actions. The instructor told us to jump or clap while we walked around as our warm-ups. We then did parody of one another. For example, one of the pair would do something that we would consider normal and the other must do the caricature version of it. The contrast has to be visible and it was really enjoyable. The next activity was what we call the “sit, stand, lie”, which 3 people will take turns to sit, stand, or lie based on a given theme. Nobody is supposed to be doing the same action at the same time. It was the most amazing workshop we have ever been to.

Lastly, we attended a musical called Wicked. It is a prequel on the Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz. The story was about the Wicked Witch of the West getting bullied and looked down on just because she looked evil (she is green-skinned). It was a fantastic musical. The good witch, Galinda, was so hilarious and everything she did made us laugh. The songs they sung were fabulous and the soundtrack is a steal. We believe that the musical was created to tell the public about issues such as politics, racial discrimination and hope. This musical probably has allow people to be more sensitive about the other people around them.

Reporters of Day 6 of UK Trip:
Viviana Lie, Ho Ling and Alicia Chong

Day 5 - Oxford and Harry Potter!

Today, we had the luxury of a few extra hours of sleep. After breakfast, we headed to Oxford. It took us an hour and a half, but it was all worth it as we got a first class view of the countryside. We knew we were approaching Oxford when we saw many ancient and brick buildings. They had very intricate designs and we were definitely impressed by the immersion of modern shops into these ancient buildings. It was definitely an eye opener to see so many varsity shops selling the same oxford sweatshirts and jackets. We saw all these and more, whilst walking around the shops. At 1:20, we proceeded for our tour of some of the nearby colleges, during which we learnt about their customs and history. We were amazed that Oxford University was not just one university but a university consisting of many colleges! Also, the landscape and architecture at Oxford University was breathtaking. I believe that the amazing history and view, and the very informative information from our oxford guide, Nula, have ignited the flame within us to study hard and achieve greatness to study in oxford university. Thereafter, we said goodbye to the countryside and hello to the city! During our journey to the hotel, we passed through the so called “Orchard Road” of London, Piccadilly Circus. We went by many awesome shopping malls, like M&S, Topshop, and Harrod’s ,where they had display windows a big as our rooms! With Angela’s vivid description of the many shops, we were able to highlight them and compare them to that of Singapore. On the bus ride to our hotel ,we had a minor “accident”, but all went well , thanks to our very efficient driver, Pat. Sadly, he had to leave us that day to be the driver for another tour group. ):

For dinner, we turned to comfort food in Chinatown, where the dishes came with surprising speed and disappeared just as fast. After our satisfying meal, we walked our to the Criterion Theatre at Piccadilly Circus to catch “The 39 Steps”. The play was impressive because it only consisted of 4 cast members who played a multitude of roles. The plot was well-paced and the storyline interesting, if a little predictable, but it was generally a good experience. After the play, we took the London Underground for the first time! The journey was uneventful and most of us felt that Singapore’s MRT system was more efficient. How patriotic! We had a short walk back to our accommodation and everyone turned in for the night.

Reporters for Day 5 of UK Trip:
Denyse Chua, Liew Yuwei and Eunice Liau

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Hey all,

Not to worry, every student that was 'attacked' by the puking spell has recovered. Everyone is up and bouncing now. The sick faces have been replaced with big smiles. Yay!

Regards
Mrs Chan and Miss Tnee

Day 4 - Stratford-Upon-Avon, Master Shakespeare's Birthplace

~Stratford~

The weather today was slightly warmer compared to the previous day. For the first time, we went straight for breakfast without our luggage as we were staying at the Stratford Travelodge for two nights. Breakfast at the Travelodge cafe was a simple buffet-style breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon and baked beans. There were also cereal and yoghurt.

After breakfast, we got onto the coach and headed straight for the birthplace of the world-renowned William Shakespeare. Before we visited his home, we attended a short lecture by Dr. Nick Walton to “brush up on our Shakespeare”. We learnt a couple of new information about the Bard, for example, that he wrote 37 plays and his birthday, which was also the day he died, is a huge honorary celebration in Stratford every year. It is marked most significantly with a grand parade down the town’s main street.

Our initial plan was to visit Shakespeare’s birthplace after the lecture, but as we did not want to “squeeze” with the big group of French students who were about to enter, we were thus given some time to wander around Henly Street first. We did some shopping, many of us enthralled by the various unique and interesting Shakespeare souvenirs. After a delicious lunch of Cornish Pasty, we visited Shakespeare’s home (also a museum), where we were greeted with actors dressed in costumes of that era and treated to a short skit of Henry V in Shakespeare’s own garden. Most of us took in huge breaths in Shakespeare's Birth Room, in hope for great results for Literature!

Filled with new knowledge on the inspirational Shakespeare, we then travelled down to Warwick Castle. There, we conquered the daunting 500-steps leading to the look-out tower. Even Vanessa, who was afraid of heights, went up! After taking in the views from the tower, we visited the Castle’s lavish rooms and even saw fossils on the floor, which the guides claimed were the oldest thing in Warwick Castle. We also watched a show on falconry.

Later, we headed to the Courtyard Theatre after dinner and watched the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet, our first play in England! The set was amazing, and their use of fire and lighting was wonderful. Some of us did not really like the portrayal of certain characters (Angela, our guide, too insists that Juliet was meant to be beautiful but…) Most of us were really tired though, after a long day of activities.


Reporters of Day 4 of UK Trip:

Vanessa Mok, Ng Yiling and Cheryl Lim

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Dear all,

Some of the students are currently under a puking spell... mostly from motion sickness. These students have been told to sit more front and stop looking at their purchases or books in the coach... they have bought motion sickness pills to curb the urge to vomit.

Regards
Mrs Chan and Miss Tnee

Day 3 - Haworth and the Bronte Parsonage

It was a much colder day today. We started off our day by heading to MacDonald’s for breakfast and everyone enjoyed it! From there, we headed to Tesco Extra for a quick shopping spree! All of us treasured the 45 minutes dearly, running to different sections to grab our items like fruits, potato chips and flavoured water. It felt like we were participating in an Amazing Race.

Having “stocked up” on our necessities, we proceeded with our journey to Haworth, the Bronte Parsonage. On our way, we realised that the journey to Haworth was gloomy and dull, a total contrast to the scenery at the Lake District. Upon reaching Haworth, we attended a workshop to understand more about the history of the Bronte sisters. We also visited the house of the Bronte sisters, and learnt that their living environment had a deep impact on their writing. Personally, we felt that it was very depressing to learn that the Bronte sisters were not leading a very privileged life, being women in a male-centric era and living with illness as a commonplace matter due to the very bad sanitary levels. Astra even mentioned that she felt sorry for the sisters as they had to wake up to face the graves every day.

After touring the museum, we trotted down the street of Haworth and stumbled upon an amazingly quaint candy shop, transporting us back to the 1940s and it was indeed an experience we were glad to have.

From Haworth, we moved to Stratford-upon-Avon and had dinner before checking into our Travelodge. As usual, we concluded our day by having a debrief with the teachers. During that, many of us were lamenting about the amount of homework given to us. However, we promised the teachers to complete all assignments before returning to school just like the others are supposed to do. We want to let the other teachers know that despite us coming to UK for our Literature trip, we are still be able to prioritise our time and complete the important tasks assigned to us without any extended deadline. It is NOT easy, we are very tired every night, but we will...


Reporters of Day 3 of UK Trip:

Clarissa Tan, Melissa Woon and Astra Poon

Day 2 - Lake District and Wordsworth's Homes

Hi all! Today was Day Two of our trip. Time is passing really fast here as we continue to experience jet lag L We started off our day having breakfast in our very own room and right after that, our journey began J We had a pretty long ride (but it was nothing compared to the flight) down to William Wordsworth’s home, Dove Cottage, where he used to stay initially. Although the rooms are small and dim, it was cosy because the fire place did provide sufficient warmth. The ceilings are also very low! It’s amazing how they are able to preserve the ancient furniture till today. We had quality time at the Museum, which displays portraits and the remains (like hair and diary) of the Wordsworth’s family. Due to increase of family members in Wordsworth’s family, they shifted out after eight years to a newer home in Rydal Mount, which we visited later on in the day. We caught a glimpse of the cemetery where the bodies of William Wordsworth and his family laid. We had a nice picnic in the cold, munching on satisfying home-made bread. It felt like a “timeless zone” because people were moving at a slow pace. We then moved on to a what-seems-like a more modern home of Wordsworth (Rydal Mount). It was owned by the desendants of Wordsworth and it was indeed brighter, bigger and more spacious. The contrast was indeed obvious. The scenery at his garden was breathtaking! We could totally relate to how Wordsworth was feeling at that point of time. It was scenic, calm and extremely inspirational. Some of us rolled down the hill and it was pretty fun J We dissected a poem by Wordsworth, I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud, at the top of the garden and took everything in with our mind’s eye. It was definitely amazing to appraise and appreciate a poem in the very setting in which it was written... We ended the day with local English food at a pub with excessively sweet desserts. Don’t worry mummys, the home-sickness has not kicked in yet.

Reporters of Day 2 of UK Trip:

Seet Linyan, Tan Yong Wei and Joy Ling

Day 1 - Singapore to Colombo to Dubai to Manchester

The date that we had all been eagerly counting down to had finally arrived! Countless hours of shopping for clothes has amounted to this! WE WERE FINALLY GOING TO UK!!!

Half-filled with adrenaline and sleepiness, we boarded the aeroplane @ 12.25am. Little did we know what we were up against. We arrived at Colombo 3 hours later, and due to some airport delays, we took off 1.5 hours later. Before we could finally settle into our much-needed deep sleep, we were abruptly awoken to find ourselves in Dubai. We could not celebrate just yet but had to endure another long and strenuous 6 hour flight before we could reach our destination, UK.

As we emerged from the airport, we were greeted by a cooling 7 C air blast. Breathing in our first breath of the fresh UK air, we wondered what awaited us in the wonderful country of UK. We could see ‘smoke’ streaming from our mouths as the girls screamed in excitement. Huddling close with our jackets, we moved onto our bus.

We loaded our luggage into the coach and started our journey to the Lake District, stopping halfway at a services station to get some ‘supplies’. Many of us bought little confectionaries, like chocolate and gum. Ee Liang bought a KFC meal, which he shared with his peers in a desperate attempt to finish the food within the time limit. Sadly, we had to throw away our remaining Pepsi L On another note, Yong Wei bought this “MIRACLE water’ which changed the faces of those who tasted it, the splendour in which each drop was savoured by the unexpecting-students.

Hard to describe by words, this poem was written to try and express the “awesome-ness” of the Volvic.

Miracle water

The miracle water in which every drop,
Is savoured by my fiery tongue;
The wisp of its very essence,
Is bought forth by the effervescence.

By : Sim Ee Liang

During the coach ride, we could see some of our friends suffering from motion sickness, due to the coach ride paired with the jet-lag earlier, which turned out to be not such a good combination. Our body clocks couldn’t adjust to the time difference which resulted in many students being dead beat during a perfectly normal afternoon day in UK. Our tour guide, Angela Cheong, out of the kindness and goodness of her heart, took us for a boat ride, as a token of appreciation to us being able to keep to the time schedule on time. The 45-minute boat ride was along the longest, widest and deepest lake in the Lake District, Lake Windermere. This we found funny, as the word “mere” translates into lake. Therefore, the name was Lake Winder-lake. The boat ride gave us plenty of opportunities to fully utilize our cameras as we snapped away the picturesque scenery.

Then we were given 20 mins of free time to roam around the shops and buy some souvenirs. We found the most delicious ice-cream one could have tasted, natural and smooth. Sadly, we could not bring it back for our families to taste. And coincidentally, while we were on our way to the next destination, we saw the most indelible impression that completely destroyed the students’ appetites. They got to witness a swan in the process of “nature’s call”, which might explain the walkway that was beautified by the natural essence of the Queen’s Birds.

With most of us experiencing the horrendous effects of Jet-Lag, some unfortunately lost our appetites and consciousness. In spite of the tantalizing meat provided for dinner, (SIN time 1am snack) -- Ham, Chicken and Beef Roast -- complimented with Yorkshire pudding, the meal was satisfying to those who managed to finish it. We also managed to taste the yummy Apple Crumble and Triple-something with custard. Woots!

Leaving the tiredness aside, all of the students enjoyed themselves. All in all, the first day in UK was AWESOME!

Reporters for Day 1 in the UK,
Koh Feng, Liew Zhi Hao and Sim Ee Liang.

Preparing!

Hello!

We are preparing for our trip to UK now! :D


Love
Litties.