Xiamen, China trip...

came back on Sunday evening. tired out, really. but i was really happy that the kids learnt useful stuff over there. i will try to write out a rather brief, or maybe some parts more detailed, account of the whole trip.

27th, day 1

met up with the kids at the airport ard 6plus in the morning. most, if not all, parents were there to send them off. most of them were going overseas 1st time without the company of their families. after the plane took off, some of them began to "ooooh- wahhhhhh" at the in-the-sky scenery. after touch-down, we proceeded to 鼓浪屿, an off shore island which is famous for its antique pianos owned by famous musicians. it was quite hilly, have to walk up and down slopes. there is this 菽庄花园 and 钢琴博物馆, which i mentioned earlier. along the way i started taking pictures of the road signs on the island. sudden interest. haaa... after that we proceed back to mainland to a restaurant for dinner. after that, we check in to Xiamen City hotel, and lights off at 2200hrs sharp. most of them fell asleep after unpacking and a good hot bath.

28th, day 2

morning call at 6.45am, and breakfast followed at 7.30am. got on the coach and proceeded to 群惠小学, which is about 20min ride from the hotel. the kids were separated into different Pri 5 classes to attend lessons while the teachers went for a meeting with their school's Principal. their 1 period is 40min, which after that they will have a 10min toilet break. the local kids will go home for lunch and come back to school for lessons at ard 2.30pm.
the local kids really observed their discipline in class. when the teacher talks, there's only 1 voice. and they raised their hands keenly, waiting to answer the questions, and the way they greet the teacher, their voices can bring the whole building down. some of our kids mentioned during lunch that WE really needed to learn from them, the discipline and everything.

we came back after lunch to attend ink painting lessons, 水墨画. after that we went to Overseas Chinese Musuem. there are lots of the miniature ships, which showed how the Chinese came to SEA and other parts of the world.

we were told that tonight the school will be celebrating their Children's Day, and will bring out the theme on Beijing Olympics, but there was a sad note on what happened in Sichuan following the major earthquake weeks ago. the local TV station was down to shoot the whole celebration! we were on TV! after that on our way back to hotel, our kids mentioned the local kids were very vibrant in their performances, and they were very patriotic. i saw some of them and their teachers were trying to hold back tears when a teacher from the affected area in Sichuan was invited to give a speech. i, too, was emotionally affected.

29th, day 3

morning call and breakfast as usual, followed by going over to 群惠小学 for 2nd day's lesson, which is also our last day here. our kids and theirs exchange souvenirs and gifts before lunchtime and my 'dear' Jackson got a bagful of them.. haha... mischievous kids always got the most attention, don't they? lunch as usual at a nearby restaurant, and we came back for Handicraft lessons. the kids were very interested in doing origami, and folded many during the lesson.

it's time to say goodbye, and we had some group photos with their individual classes, and 1 of our boys was like mobbed by their female classmates... haaaa...

after that, we went to shop at 1 of the biggest bookshop in Xiamen (i guess). there were 5 storeys full of books and IT gadgets. imagine 1 floor was the size of Taka's Kinokuniya. (maybe i was exaggerating) the kids return to our meeting place at the ground floor after buying their books and we proceed to have our dinner...

30th, day 4

today breakfast slightly earlier than usual, as we had to take a 1hr plus ride to Jimei village to 集美小学 to attend the morning lessons. the village had a more modern look than i thought it to be. but the facilities are about the same as earlier school we went to. the kids were more rowdy here, to be honest. it did not leave a deep impression as the previous school did on the kids. lunchtime, we walked over to the nearby affiliated secondary school canteen to have our meal.

after that we went to visit Tan kah kee's former residence when he stayed in Xiamen. he's a overseas chinese philanthrophist who put his hard-earned money into building schools and hospitals at whichever country he went to. Jimei affiliated schools (from pre-school to Uni are all Jimei!) were set up due to his financial help... after this we decided to drop by his tomb which was near a park besides the sea. suddenly it began to rain, and it was such a heavy downpour. we had no choice but to stop our sightseeing and proceed back to the hotel to have a change of clothes and get ready for dinner. we dropped by the Tea-house to buy some tea and we were introduced to the different kinds of tea that the country grew and export to other countries. Bought some brands of tea, and the kids got a pee-pee clay doll (really lol). i got a couple too.

after dinner, we were brought to 中山路 to shop. the guide told us its equivalent to our Orchard rd, but its seems more likes Chinatown, Smith street. sigh.. got some bargain buys, so i shall not complain so much.. haha..

to be continued... yet again...