Day 8 - Singapore (26 July 2019)
What a way to end our final day in Singapore! We rounded out both our school and cultural experiences today with our educational visits, and I appreciated learning about new aspects of the school culture in Singapore.
We learned that they have 800 students and 36 staff members at the school. The students all have 44 lessons a week, and each one is 30 minutes long. Twenty-two of them are academic and the other half are religious classes. They only accept 70 new P1 students per year, which is enough to fill two classes.
Our next station was learning about their drums and Silat martial arts demonstrations. The students did all of the presentations, and they were fantastic! They also invited us to participate after their demonstrations.
My group rotated to a religious class, where we learned about Tayamum (Tay-uhm-uhm).The instruction was in a smart classroom that had IPads. We needed to remove our shoes to enter the classroom. I asked if all classrooms had the same protocol, but evidently it was just for the smart classroom.
I had the chance to talk with a teacher as we walked down the four flights of stairs. I asked where they wash before their prayers, that they do together as a school. She pointed to an area right inside the entrance, which I hadn’t seen as we walked in.
We were shown into a sort of conference room for some ‘light snacks.’ It is great trying all kinds of food that I would probably never pick out on my own.
After the reception, we gathered for a group picture. I was interested to note that the male students interacted jovially with the group, while the female students all remained quietly in the background. So, I asked permission to take a picture with them, and a few agreed.
We had a lunch break at Clarke Quay (Clark Key), but because we had eaten st the school, several of us chose to go on a boat ride of the bay instead. We waited about 10 minutes before our boat departed.
From Clarke Quay, we loaded up on the bus and drove over to a tutoring center. Since the center was so small, half of us went inside, while the other half went on a tour of the neighborhood with Jeremy, an amazing local teacher. Jeremy’s wife, Julie, is a tutor at the center.
When we walked out, one of the other Global Ed Allies participants had bought the fruit, durian, and offered for me to try it. The fruit smelled differently than it tasted. It was a strong, dirty sock/onion smell. But the taste and texture were a little like a sweetly strange guacamole. The taste is not bad, but the after taste lingers like a bad ex that just will not give up. For. Hours.
We sat down for a few minutes and I asked Jeremy all sorts of questions about Singaporean life.
We walked over to a bakery, and got to see all of the interesting treats they sell there.
After a few more shops and interesting things to peruse, we got back on the bus to head over to a barbecue.
The satay was so delicious! I’m pretty sure I could drink the thick peanut sauce.
As a group, we headed over to the Gardens by the Bay garden rhapsody light show. Tami, Loni, and I had seen part of it from a distance the night we stayed at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. However, this time we sat right under the trees. It was impressive! They sync the lights to the music, and it was definitely enjoyable.
Singapore surprised me. I didn’t really know what to anticipate, but I was surprised by its swirl of cultures, languages, religions, education, and experiences. I have a lot more to learn, but was pleasantly surprised by all of my experiences here with fabulous people!
We started out the day going to Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al - Islamiah school. It’s one of six Muslim schools in Singapore. It was a sneak peek into the culture of a religion I know very little about. They were extremely welcoming and happy to share their culture, religion, and academics with our group.
We learned that they have 800 students and 36 staff members at the school. The students all have 44 lessons a week, and each one is 30 minutes long. Twenty-two of them are academic and the other half are religious classes. They only accept 70 new P1 students per year, which is enough to fill two classes.
After our informational presentation in the auditorium, we were broken into groups to rotate through the different cultural experiences.
My group started with the calligraphy. It was fascinating to learn they have a club which teaches them how to form their letters. I also learned that one dot in a sentence indicates a letter, while two dots indicate a word. As a leftie, I think it would be lovely to not have ink smears on your hand at the end of the day too!
Our next station was learning about their drums and Silat martial arts demonstrations. The students did all of the presentations, and they were fantastic! They also invited us to participate after their demonstrations.
My group rotated to a religious class, where we learned about Tayamum (Tay-uhm-uhm).The instruction was in a smart classroom that had IPads. We needed to remove our shoes to enter the classroom. I asked if all classrooms had the same protocol, but evidently it was just for the smart classroom.
It was fascinating to learn about something completely new to me. I knew that they washed with water before their prayers. However, Tayamum is the ritual cleansing with soil. I was grateful for the glimpse into this part of the Muslim religion.
I had the chance to talk with a teacher as we walked down the four flights of stairs. I asked where they wash before their prayers, that they do together as a school. She pointed to an area right inside the entrance, which I hadn’t seen as we walked in.
We were shown into a sort of conference room for some ‘light snacks.’ It is great trying all kinds of food that I would probably never pick out on my own.
After the reception, we gathered for a group picture. I was interested to note that the male students interacted jovially with the group, while the female students all remained quietly in the background. So, I asked permission to take a picture with them, and a few agreed.
We had a lunch break at Clarke Quay (Clark Key), but because we had eaten st the school, several of us chose to go on a boat ride of the bay instead. We waited about 10 minutes before our boat departed.
It was beautiful, although a little humid, to cruise the bay! Gratefully, we sat under the covered part of the boat.
From Clarke Quay, we loaded up on the bus and drove over to a tutoring center. Since the center was so small, half of us went inside, while the other half went on a tour of the neighborhood with Jeremy, an amazing local teacher. Jeremy’s wife, Julie, is a tutor at the center.
It seems like these students don’t really have a break from studying. She said probably 80% of students receive tutoring. They have four weeks total in the year with a one-week break, but the whole rest of the time, they’re studying. In her words, ‘Maybe Singapore is over teaching their children’. It was another interesting glimpse into the school system there.
When we walked out, one of the other Global Ed Allies participants had bought the fruit, durian, and offered for me to try it. The fruit smelled differently than it tasted. It was a strong, dirty sock/onion smell. But the taste and texture were a little like a sweetly strange guacamole. The taste is not bad, but the after taste lingers like a bad ex that just will not give up. For. Hours.
I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood shops and food center.
The first thing that I tried was Milo. It tasted like hot chocolate, but served with ice in a pouch with a straw sticking out.
We sat down for a few minutes and I asked Jeremy all sorts of questions about Singaporean life.
We walked over to a bakery, and got to see all of the interesting treats they sell there.
I bought a waffle that was green from pandan (still not sure what it is). I was going to order it with chocolate, but the guy behind me in line said peanut butter was better, so I switched my order. It was delicious, so I shared it with everyone.
After a few more shops and interesting things to peruse, we got back on the bus to head over to a barbecue.
The satay was so delicious! I’m pretty sure I could drink the thick peanut sauce.
As a group, we headed over to the Gardens by the Bay garden rhapsody light show. Tami, Loni, and I had seen part of it from a distance the night we stayed at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. However, this time we sat right under the trees. It was impressive! They sync the lights to the music, and it was definitely enjoyable.
Singapore surprised me. I didn’t really know what to anticipate, but I was surprised by its swirl of cultures, languages, religions, education, and experiences. I have a lot more to learn, but was pleasantly surprised by all of my experiences here with fabulous people!
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