Cultural Orientation Tour for New International Students

Sixty-three new International students and 14 International Student Committee (ISC) members joined a Cultural Orientation outing on 19 January, organised by the ISC, with the help of seven parent volunteers, the ISPCC and one member from the HVMC.

This outing aims to expose new international students to some places around Singapore and this is particularly helpful for international students who are new to Singapore. The students are put into groups of 8 to 10 and led by a member from the ISC with the supervision of an adult volunteer.

After a simple breakfast of packed sandwiches and Milo drink, the ISC leaders conducted a 30-minute session of ice-breaker games for their group members. This is to enable them to get to know their group members better so that they could help to look out for one another during the outing.

The programme of the outing was as follows:

• 10:30–11:30am: Visit the National Library (Exhibition on Advertising in Singapore)
• 11:30–2:00pm: Visit Chinatown and Lunch in Chinatown (Free & Easy)
• 2:00–3:15pm: Visit Little India (Pongal Festival Activities, Handicraft & Food tasting)

Overall, the outing, a student-led initiative of the ISC members, was a great success and we look forward to host the next batch of new international students in our upcoming Singapore Cultural Orientation Tour 2 in July!

Student Reflections

“ On 19 January, my friends and I went on a trip around Singapore. We started our voyage from Singapore National Library then to Chinatown and finally Little India.

At Singapore National Library, we were in a group full of FIB students and were led by our leader Prai, a very active person. Going to the maze-like library made me feel like the trip was not worth going. But our fun and informative leader (Prai) explained everything so well. From feeling sleepy, I became more energetic because her revitalised my group members’ our body and rejuvenated our mind. She also brought us to Chinatown and we strolled through the food stalls. I can remember the different scents from the various stores. We ate together as a group and had an enjoyable time, discussing about our day and the library. Afterwards, we went to Little India. Prai took us to the Heritage Museum where we found traditional food and souvenirs that can be purchased. Then we sauntered into the markets and the Golden Temple. We had most fun there.

At least for me, I had the best time – from waking up feeling lazy, I felt happy and smiled a lot wider by the end of the day. Overall, our leader was very helpful and we had a lot of fun during our very first Orientation Outing.

Thank you Prai 🙂 “

Ang Briandley, 4 TKK

“ The Singapore Cultural Orientation outing on 19 January 2019 was filled with fun. It was attended by 86 people, assisted by 7 parent volunteers and 1 HVMC member, and the ISPCC. Though we did not go to many places, we got to know the culture of Singapore. Lucas explained the cultural contents to us well and the contents were also helpful. It was a nice experience and I would like to recommend this activity to new international students too. “

Baik Jongha Harry, 4 SVM

“ On 19 January, our school’s International Student Committee (14 members) organised a Singapore tour for new International students with the help of the ISPCC, a few parent volunteers and one member of HVMC. They planned for us to visit three main attractions, which were the National Library, Chinatown and Little India respectively. Early in the morning, I set out to school and met the students at the canteen. Before we (the students) headed for the library, we played a fun ice-breaking game with our peers. The activity itself didn’t require much interactions among peers, but the humorous response of other students helped us to form an intimate and immediate relationship with each other.

We then headed for the first course, which was the library. To be completely candid, we took quick glances at the library and socialised there. Then, we went to an exhibition in the library concerning the history of Singapore advertisements. The Year 6 leaders told us to pay close attention to the exhibition because it would provide us valuable information that may be useful in the future. Our group of Year 4s ended up following our whimsical natures, taking selfies and giggling at every single Singaporean models that appeared in past advertisements. Although I can only recall elusive information about the history of adverts, it was still meaningful, for closer bonds were established among our peers.

We then ate lunch in Chinatown, and went to Little India to walk for an hour or two. After the Singapore tour, I got closer with members of my group and felt a closer connection with ACS (International). “

Jongwon Yang (John), 4 Oldham