Day 3 was the first day of our visit to Tunku Kurshiah College for the school immersion programme. The school immersion trip with Tunku Kurshiah College, in Negeri Sembilan was really enriching for us as we had the opportunity to observe, compare and contrast our lifestyles and that of the Malaysian students. We definitely suffered from a culture shock from the first minute which we stepped into the gates of Tunku Kurshiah College. Upon arrival at the college, we realised that many of the facilities which we expected to see in the school grounds were absent, the living conditions were not as pristine as we had imagined it to be and some of the toilets were not functioning properly. However, it took us a while to realize that it was not the school which fell short of our expectations, but rather, that we had lost the true meaning of attending a school. We realised that the real existence of a school was not so that the students could admire the school facilities or for the students to regard it as a resort whereby studying comes as a package deal. We were inspired and awed by the students’ passion and spirit of wanting to excel in school, and the hospitality which they showered us with during the entire four days of immersion programme. Many of the students live in the dormitories, far away from their homeland, and yet their drive to excel remains strong and is evident through interaction with them, and the expectations which they set for themselves as students from the best girls’ school in Malaysia. Furthermore, it was also a wonder how the girls at Tunku Kurshiah College manage to juggle between their school work, school duties and other co-curricular activities which, to us, seem like a tall order with our already busy schedules every week. Through this experience, we learnt about independence and not to take things for granted and to appreciate the numerous luxuries which we are able to enjoy here in Singapore.
My buddy was AWESOME! Her name was Fatihah, and she was a senior by one year. It was touching how she was willing to leave her family, to travel all the way from Perak to Negeri Sembilan just to study in Tunku Kurshiah College, unlike us who have already started complaining about taking the MRT from Orchard to Jurong East. They realy understand the worth of education and treasure it so much that they are willing to sacrifice many things. Despite the strict rules, due to the fact that it is a boarding school, they still enjoy their education there, and have no signs of regret at all.
Apart from our observations and conversations with our buddies, we also went through some lessons in school, and the most memorable ones were definitely the pantun and dance lessons. Pantun is a form of Malay poem which has very melodious and unique intonations such as the stresses and the slurs, to further bring out the rhythm and beauty of what the pantun is trying to convey to the reader. The Malay dance which they taught us was somewhat familiar ground as we had done something very similar during the RSP camp which we took part in Victoria School. Unfortunately, we couldnt remember a single thing, except for the fact that we had done that dance before. So after learning and practising the dance steps, it was show time, and we were actually quite good at it after all.
A treasure hunt at Seremban lake gardens was one of the games and activities which we went through. Although the drizzle tore our map and caused our activity sheet to slightly disintegrate, we still "braved the storms" and completed the entire course. Of course, my team came in ans CHAMPIONS! receiving a huge hamper as our prize. :D
6:48 PM
Cherie Seah Xinyi
Rafflesian; Tarbetian; RSP-ian; handbells Ex-CO
ONEOHNINE-er
TWOOHNINE-er
Bearing the scholarship of RSP, I thrive
to learn, to realise, to connect. Southeast Asia is bonded, not only by ASEAN, but it's the railways which connect us.
ATTN: PLEASE READ FROM THE OLDEST POST!!! THANK YOU
THERE IS A STORYLINE TO FOLLOW
