Day 8: Scenic Hinterland Tour (Last day for reflections)

Msg from the teachers:
Parents, please take note that this will be our last day of reflections as we will be checking out of the hotel tomorrow morning and will not be able to have internet access by then.

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Today we went for a scenic hinterland tour and our coach captain was a  friendly japanese guy. He was very accomodating as he brought us to surfer's paradise even though it was not part of the itinerary. We were not allowed to get down because at this point in time, the "schoolies" were around. Schoolies refer to students who have just graduated from high school and they are free to roam around. They converge in surfers' paradise and may be rather messy and chaotic if we do get down. So we just passed by the beach in the bus and admire the waves from the bus.

Amazingly the waves were very large and it could be dangerous for swimming due to the large waves. In addition, the guide told us about the story of him spotting a great white shark in the waters along surfer' paradise. Swimming areas along surfers paradise is stipulated by a red and yellow flag.

We also went along the border of Queensland and New South Wales. We could tell the difference from one side and the other by the road signs - in Queensland, pedesterian crossings were clearly marked while in NSW, it was rather unclear. We also went to Point Danger - where Captain Cook (founder of Australia) noted that this position along the coast was dangerous due to the rocks and positioned a lighthouse to mark the position to alert approaching ships.

We then proceeded to Tropical Fruit World where we were given a chance to taste different types of tropical fruits like exotic dragonfruit (red and yellow varieties); black, white and yellow sapote; star apples and bananas. Yellow sapotes tasted like sweet potatoes or pumpkins, while black sapotes tasted like chocolates. Star apples tasted like our local chiku! We bought a whole lot of stuff like macadamia nuts, fruit jams (like mango and mulberries) and dried fruits! We were told about the natural benefits of the various types of fruits - and that Papayas have superb healing properties beside just clearing our bowels.

From there, we went on to the Springbrook National Park - a subtropical rainforest where we saw the Natural Bridge. We were also told that there are glow worms in Springbrook National Park - but the population of glow worms are decreasing at an alarming rate because of human activities. Humans smoke, and deforestation caused the glow worms to decrease.

What's more, the guide told us about the identify milk cows and beef cows as we pass by herds of cows in our bus. Milk cows don't have their calves with them while beef cows are allowed to have their calves with them.

We also went to see Antartic Breech Trees and a waterfall.

Unfortunately, internet connection is running out. We can't elaborate more... we will update later when we get back...

More photos will be added later!

Day 7: Mathematical Modelling Challenge

We are Group Two, consisting of Amalina, Adabel Tan, Grayce Yeo and Eunice Huang.

We woke up at 6am to get ready and make our breakfast for the day, which was sausages and omelettes. The night before, we bought gifts for our mentors during the Challenge. However, when we left the room, we almost forgot about the gifts, so we had to make the others wait for us while we go back up to the room to get them.

We then boarded the bus at 8.15am to Griffith University for the final day of the Mathematical Modelling Challenge.We were split up into the same groups as yesterday and continued working on our activity about the hull of the boat.

Compared to yesterday, we felt less awkward and we could share our opinions more openly. Hence we feel that we worked quite well and efficiently with our groups and had a really enjoyable time preparing for our final presentation. During the preparation for the presentation, we had to use softwares like Delftship (virtually builds models of ships) and Loggerpro (creates graph or tables which involves at least two factors). Most of us used Loggerpro as we had some experience with using it during the first three days at A.B. Paterson College. However, majority of us did not use Delftship as it involves complicated diagrams. Even though the teachers showed us a tutorial video for the software, nothing much was taught and hence we had no idea how to use it, and had to experiment on our own.

After sharing our ideas on how we want the boat to be like, we moulded out the plasticine onto a wooden block to form the shape of the boat. We then brought the model to the vacuum machine to melt a piece of plastic over our mould. This forms our boat! After that, we had to test out our boat with weights which acted as a ballast in the trough.

Since some of our boats did not manage to reach our expectations, we had to brainstorm possible solutions to improve our design. All in all, we made at least two prototypes per group. Thankfully, our final prototype was successful and we could start collecting our data and putting it together for our presentation.

Personally, our group feels that through the presentation, we were able to understand better what we had been doing. Therefore we felt that the activity was beneficial to us as well as the aim of this trip.

Although it was our first year taking part in this Mathematical Modelling Challenge, Sarah’s challenge group managed to achieve first in their class. It was a proud moment for us Cedarians as well as the teachers because she won herself a highly advanced graphic calculator.

After the prize presentation, we boarded the bus and headed off to Marina Mirage for our cruise cum dinner. We feel that the dinner was pretty challenging as we had to rush for the food because everyone was very hungry and it ran out very quickly. The food hardly travelled away from the counter because everyone was walking towards it instead of waiting for the waitresses to serve them.

In the cruise ship, we managed to view the night city lights and admire the ripples in the water. The wind was soothing and refreshing. We interacted with the students from other schools and took pictures with them. While waiting for the food to be ready, we drank a variety of soft drinks

At the end of the cruise, we had to part with the students from the other schools. Since it was the last time we would see them and we had strong emotional bonds, we felt really somber and took our last pictures with them. Some of us even exchanged contacts so as to cherish the memories together.

Over these five days, we have learnt that Mathematics can be applied any and everywhere in our daily lives. Travelling in a car already has so many aspects that involve Mathematics such as, prediction of our petrol consumption, price of it, and even the time taken to travel from one place to another.

Eunice's group

Amalina's group



Grayce's and Adabel's group



Day 6: Mathematical Modelling Challenge




Us at Griffith University




Briefing before the challenge

We are Group 1 and it consists of Sarah Ng, Ong Yong Xin, Vanessa Kerk and Tan Zhi Han.

Today is the first day of the real challenge and each of us are divided into different groups. Sarah and Zhi Han are divided into groups that would be designing a hull of a boat, wheresas, Vanessa would be doing on Mega Whoosh and Yong Xin would be doing on the Barbie Bungy.

Zhi Han:
My group was given the task of designing a boat and investigate how the shape of the hull affects how it moves through the water. Designing the boat hull was not as easy as we did not really know the structure of the boat, but after studying the notes provided and much discussion, we decided on the desired hull and started designing and moulding the shape of the boat hull. The aim of our experiment was to be able to make the boat balance and move on the water  in a trough propelled by a deflating balloon. It was not as easy as expected as our boat was slightly bigger and heavier. However, my group cooperated well and were able to design and make a boat hull that was able to work better and travel around 50+ cm. Although it was not a great distance, we were satisfied that it was able to succeed. As it still wasn't the best, we would still continue working together tomorrow and improve its design so that we would be able to make the boat move further and hopefully win the challenge.^^



Our hull!

Testing of the boat in the trough

Sarah:
My group was assigned the task of designing a hull for a boat. At the start, my group members and I were quite awkward with each other we kept a lot of comments to ourselves. However, as time goes by, we stepped out of our comfort zones and started to speak up.

We decided to make a house boat first. However, due to the slow speed of the house boat, the idea was rejected as it would not meet the objectives of this task. In the end, we decided to make a round bottom, displacement hull. This boat would not only be stable but it would move at a relatively fast speed with little energy required.

We split the work up among ourselves with Brian doing the design of our hull on the laptop with an interesting programme. Michelle, Maxine and I were making the model of the boat using a block of wood and playdough. By lunch, the computed design and the model itself was completed.


Perfecting the hull

After lunch, we used a machine to turn our model into a plastic mould. So far, the boat is stable on the water. However, the balloon that would propel the boat forward has yet to be completed. But tomorrow, we would definitely finish our model and our powerpoint and it would definitely be successful and hopefully we would win this challenge and win the graphic calculator! (:

Yong Xin:
Today my group was assigned to make a model of the Barbie Bungy and using our prototype, we were supposed to drop it from a height of approximately 5.07m from the ground. The aim of the experiment is to find out which group's prototype was nearest from the ground upon its first drop. Initially, when I was working with my new group mates, everybody seemed to have their own ideas of how we could create the model.

Firstly, we had the problem of how we could fill the balloon. From my point of view, I felt that we should be filling the balloon with partially air and water. However, when I expressed my views and my ideas to the entire group, one of my group members opposed strongly because she felt that her idea of filling the entire balloon with water would be a better one.

Secondly, we also had a debate on how we should be tying the rubberbands to support the balloon to make it a more reliable model. Over lunch, I actually showed the model to a professor and asked him how I could improve on the model. After having a glance at the model, he immediately said that there was a need to change the way on how we were tying the rubber bands and I agreed with his explanation and his suggestion of improving the model. After a short discussion with the professor, I immediately approached my group mates to share with them what I had in mind. However, the same group mate opposed my idea once again because she felt that there was no need to improve the model anymore and there was no time. Because of that, I decided to conduct an experiment on the suggestion so as to improve the model further. After lunch time, I managed to produce concrete evidence of my idea being a better one and after much explanation and elaboration, the group mate finally relented.



Yong Xin deep in discussion with the professor



Measuring the drop of the bungy


Before the day ended, we managed to work as a group and produce a model which was satisfactory (model was 2cm from the ground when dropped from a height of 5.07m) and hopefully, we would be able to work better tomorrow for a better presentation and hopefully, win the graphic calculator. :)

Vanessa:
The Megawoosh task was to prove whether the video was real or a fake. We also had to do up a poster and we had to make a model which would enable our marble travel the furthest. We learnt to look at the problem as a big picture instead of data that was analysed critically. I also learnt to speak proper english. Because when I spoke to them with the Singaporean accent. They didn't get what I was saying, so I had to pronounce properly and phrase my sentences properly.


Experimenting with the track

After the modelling challenge, we went back to our apartment to wash up and headed to Robina Shopping Centre to do some late night shopping - something that can only happen on Thursday. Although this was only a shopping trip, we managed to bond together as a group and learn many new points. As time was limited, we constantly reminded each other to hurry up a little if we spent too much time in a particular shop. We also compromised with each other by waiting patiently for each other even if it wasn't the shop that one of us wanted to go to. Overall, we bonded together even more with each other through this trip and we enjoyed each other's company greatly and had a lot of fun together.

Day 5: Mathematical Modelling Forum



Briefing for the presentation



Vanessa during her presentation



Thinking hard during the Math Quiz before dinner



Teamwork during the Math Quiz

Dinner! Aussie-styled grilled food

Hello! We had lots of fun today. Firstly, we had a modelling forum today and we used our data collected from yesterday to prepare powerpoint slides. Then we had to present them in front of the other groups.

Tanya:
Today we had a modelling forum and we had already been split into different groups/classes before hand. Hence, we got to mingle with students from other schools and we also had students from the ABPC.

Firstly, we used the data collected from Movie World yesterday to prepare powerpoint slides. We had to come up with a problem involving our ride chosen. Our group chose to work on the acceleration rate and G-force involved in our ride. We also researched on human body stats and on the G-forces. Through this, i learnt about the new chapter of velocity and acceleration.

Secondly, we worked together in our groups to make good presentations on our data collected. For example, we learnt about velocity, acceleration rate and speed. We made many graphs using the data. For our group, we used the data collected from the ride we went on which is Batwing Space Shot. It goes vertically upwards and downwards pretty fast. The data collected from the calculators were then put into our slides.

And we then finally presented our findings to the other groups. We also had a maths quiz where we split into groups again. We had to work together to answer many maths questions. It was thrilling(:



Tanya in discussion with her group during the Maths Quiz

Then we had a lecture by a 17-year old mathematician after the modelling forum. He gave us information about the human brain, newton's laws and engineering. Finally we had a western BBQ dinner which was very delicious(:

Qianyu:)
Today was very exciting! (: We were discussing in our groups, about the data we collected at Movieworld. For the powerpoint slides, we collated the data focusing on the ride Lethal Weapon, calculating the speed/acceleration of the coaster.

My group members included See Ying from NAS as well as Yuan An from RGS. I felt that teamwork was very important in collating the powerpoint slides, like distributing the tasks. It was a unique experience for me and enabled me to look at situations in another perspective (coming up with questions, limitations, assumptions etc). During the 5-minute presentation to share our data/thoughts with the other students, I learnt that confidence and clarity were also very important because we had to achieve our best;)

The Math trivia event came next, where we grouped into different 'animals', I was in 'Lion'. It was very thrilling and fun, working with others from schools such as TPJC and A.B Paterson, we made many new friends and we co-operated working out the word problems.



Qianyu discussing with her group during the Maths Quiz



In conclusion, I really enjoyed today's activities and learnt much from the programmes. It was both exciting and educational :D

Sherilyn :
Today was quite interesting. In the morning, when we were in our groups in the class, we chatted about yesterday, when we were in Movie World. We were laughing about the fun rides and I felt that we were more bonded.

Just before lunch and after lunch, we worked on the powerpoint and the data that we collected yesterday. we had to use the graphic calculator while analysing the graphs. I learnt that we apply Math in many things.

Sherilyn preparing the powerpoint presentation

We worked together within the groups and prepared a powerpoint. After all the preparing, we had to present to two classes. It was a good experience as we had to present to people from the A.B.Paterson  and to other students from Singapore. We listened to other presentations done by other groups and learnt that we had lots to improve on.

After that, we had an activity called the Math Trivia. We were grouped into different groups and had to compete with other groups against time to do a Math quiz. I found they grouped us very interestingly with animal names. I was in the group called ' Kangaroo'. We had lots of fun answering the questions and it was very trilling.

Lastly, before dinner, we had a talk by a 17 year old mathematician.

Looking forward to the Mathematics Challenge and Dream World :D

Roshini-
I found that today's programme was very interesting as we could apply mathematics to real life situations. I learnt about several new concepts such as velocity and acceleration. As I grasped the concepts quickly, I could help my teammates in pin-pointing tiny details in our graphs which we had to change. Moreover, I could also relate the concepts to real-life applications. Our question was about the highest accelerations and we can use this information when designing rides to prevent injuries and to warn about potential dangers. I had fun working with different people. We have to adapt quickly to new situations. I felt very proud of my group's presentation as we had to overcome several problems such as plotting a wrong graph.

Roshini in her group preparing for the presentation

The Maths trivia quiz was extremely fun as we got to solve a lot of questions while we enjoyed ourselves at the same time. I realised that Maths also had fun elements and is not boring.

We also had lectures by guest lecturers and it was very informative. I am looking forward to the Modelling Challenge to get to know new people. :D

Priscilla :
I have learnt to think critically about real life problems and making it into a maths question. At first, we did our task based on Lethal Weapon and the question we posed was on the acceleration of the ride. However, we realized that we were unable to find out the results as the data collector recorded data every 0.01 seconds and the ride lasted for approximately 50 seconds and hence it would have taken very long for us to record the data. We tried to take a few values to draw the graph but it was not accurate. Thus, we changed our question to finding out the height of the tower of Batwing Space Shot. My group found the height of the Batwing Space Shot by Pythagoras Theorem. We used the Clinometer app on the iPhone to measure the distance from the tower, afterwhich we have to add the height of the person holding the clinometer as the angle from the eye and the angle from the floor is different. We got to learnt from one another as all of us have different ideas and perspectives.
 

Priscilla discussing with her group during the Maths Quiz

We managed to work together as a team and get our results which were quite accurate. We split our work evenly and managed to finish our presentation in time. After the presentation, we had a math trivia event where we were split up into different groups. We get to solve questions of different difficulties together as a team. It was quite enjoyable as it feels satisfying to be able to solve the questions.

We had a talk by a 17 years old student who was giving us a talk on brainwaves. It was inspiring as it was rare to see a 17 years old student to be doing his degree. After the talk, we had a wonderful dinner and dessert baked by the students in the college. (:

Day 4: Data Collection at Warner Brothers Movie World

Us! Outside Movie World!

Strapping on the dataloggers for data collection!

 

We are Group 3 consisting of Clarice (Leader), Nadia, Kai Qi and Sandy.



Us doing our reflections for the evening!

Today we went to MOVIE WORLD... to collect data for the modelling forum. The probe was able to detect the distance moved in the x-y-z planes. We were all divided into different groups in our classes and hence we all faced different kind of difficulties and working methods. We had to pick a group member to wear the vest which held the calculators and probes.  In Sandy's group, she volunteered to wear the vest whereas KaiQi's group chose the person with suitable size to wear the vest properly as the person wearing it had to wear the vest tightly and securely.

In Sandy's group, she was the one wearing the vest to collect data. She had difficulties collecting data and even went onto the rides several times to ensure that the data is accurately stored. The calculators were hard to handle as it was a different model from the one we used in school.

For Nadia's group, all her group members and the A.B. Paterson students helped out set up the calcuators when carrying out the experments since her group was quite unfamiliar with the graphic calculators. With much teamwork, courage and perseverance, they managed to collect and store accurate data by going on the rides, even the scary rides such as the Lethal Weapon. :)) For Clarice's group, we appointed the A.B. Paterson pupil to  do the data collecting as he was most familiar with the devices.

After our data collection, we joined our fellow Cedarians for more rides. Some of the Cedarians went to the kiddy roller coaster, and this was somewhat like a warm-up roller coaster ride for Cedarians like Kai Qi who has never been on a roller coaster. Other Cedarians, like Grayce, were beside Kai Qi to comfort her and giver her moral support. It helped Kai Qi relax and she was more mentally prepared for the more challenging rides.

Today it was mostly more about fun than actual modelling because we only collected data for a few of the rides and we were allowed to roam around freely for the rest of the day. We had a great time and good fun at Movie World.



Marilyn Monroe touched us!!!!!



Scooby Dooby doo where are you?

Adabel on the Batwing Spaceshot



All-Star Parade Show


Later on in the night, we ate at Top One Chinese Restaurant. It was very close to our hearts as it was the first time we had nice warm soup going down our throats. Yum yum. We have noticed that the few meals that were catered were all Chinese food. This shows that A.B. Paterson were very considerate and took into consideration that we might not be used to the food here and its mega portions. It was a very satisfying meal and we can now go to sleep with a smile on our faces.


yum

 

Yum yum



Tune in for more of our exciting encounters!! XOXO

Day 3: Mathematical Modelling Forum

We are Group Two, consisting of Grayce Yeo, Amalina, Eunice Huang and Adabel Tan. (Y)

We planned the night before to wake up earlier to cook our breakfast because we did not have enough time to prepare the day before. We had even planned our menu for the rest of the week, for example, noodles, bread and TASTY soup. We have also allocated manpower such that everybody contributed to the household chores and nobody would just be lolling around while the others are doing work. We improved OVERNIGHT!!!!!

Arriving at A.B. Paterson College

A.B. Paterson College

We went to A.B. Paterson College after breakfast and one of the speakers posted a question to us. The scenario was:
A man was wearing a mask while waiting at home. Someone is coming. What is happening? (Yes or No questions could be asked.)
Many people assumed that the scenario was related to some fancy dress theme or fencing and that the home was a house. When in actual fact, the scenario refers to the game of baseball, where the man was a catcher, wearing a mask while waiting at the home base. The other man was the batter at third base running towards home.

This illustrated the importance of making the right assumptions. We cannot think in one direction but put our heads together to think of other possiblities and from different points of view.

We were also introduced to the fundamentals of Mathematical Modelling as shown in the photo below.
It is a skill and a habit that improves with practice.


Mathematical Modelling Process

One of the notice boards in class yay!

After the lecture by Mr Peter Galbraih from University of Queensland on Mathematical Modelling, we were then broken up into various classes, where we were made to socialise with students from other schools, which include Dunman High, Raffles Girls', Ngee Ann and the A.B. Paterson students. Some of us found it difficult to mingle with the other group members initially but we managed to get to know each other better through icebreaker games. Since other students from other schools have learnt different things, we found that we could learn more things from them through the group discussions and interaction.

The Australian students were very open and friendly, allowing us to feel more comfortable while interacting with them. This reminds us of how we should welcome the foreign visitors coming to our school in Singapore. We feel that we should also welcome them in a more friendly way.

Another interesting fact about the A.B. Paterson College is that the students have to learn Japanese and Spanish as a second language. Some of the students found it stressful but personally we find that it is a useful skill that we can use and even further develop in the future.

There was a local student by the name of Rachel Lee whom we ALL met because she was confident and courageous enough to approach all of us by herself, as well as introduced herself and chatted with us throughout the day. She also brought us on a tour through the whole school. We should definitely learn to be more self confident and willing to step out of our comfort zone to welcome guests and make new friends.


The 3m deep swimming pool where the students have to dive in.

Towards the end of the day, we could have a choice between swimming and basketball but we did not have swimming gear with us so we had to choose basketball. Despite the fact that basketball was offered initially, the teachers at A.B. Paterson willingly set up other games for us, like volleyball, badminton and captains' ball to accomodate to our needs. We really appreciate their hospitality.


YUMMY DESSERT for dinner!! :)

In addition, we noticed that the food that they catered for us were mainly Asian cuisine with rice. They were trying to cater to our taste and our habits. We should similarly extend such hospitality to our foreign guests when they visit us.

Day 2: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary . Reflection

All of us, ouside the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

We are members of Group 1 which includes Ong Yong Xin, Tan Zhi Han, Sarah Ng and Vanessa Kerk.

Us!

In the morning, there was confusion about the bus services. It was a case of miscommunication, so we had to rush in 10 minutes to prepare everything and board the bus. We had to work quickly within a short time limit and prioritise well. We also had to split the work up (like making breakfast and preparing for the trip) to ensure that we won't be late. However, through this unexpected event, we learnt that we had to work as a group and to constantly remind each other. We had to sacrifice our shower time and a better breakfast. However, through this unexpected event, we learnt that we have to be more considerate and do things for others. We cannot be calculative because we are living in the same apartment and we're not living alone.

The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is similar to the Singapore Zoo. We saw many types of animals, e.g. Koalas, Kangaroos, nocturnal animals and venomous snakes. We also saw a lot of flora and fauna. There was a very wide variety which cannot be found in Singapore. The animals were not caged, the kangaroos and some lizards and birds were free to roam around and interact with the visitors. We were very close to the lizard and got a big shock when we noticed it was there. It helped make us feel closer to nature. However, in Singapore we are more cautious and do not let the animals roam around. The Wildlife Sanctuary also put up interesting facts, what the animals eat and their habitat to educate the public. We fed the kangaroos and they could really eat a lot, eating cup after cup. Some of them didn't have an ear or the ear had been chipped. Maybe they fought with each other or it was amputated. In the Wildlife Sanctuary, the Kangaroos were able to roam around freely probably because the species are not endangered.

Some of the informative posters put up in the Wildlife Sanctuary

We learned from the visit that the koalas were being endangered, due to loss of their habitat because of human activities. The posters put up were very informative and the information presented was not repeated. They also have a notice board to raise awareness about smuggling endangered birds, with pictures to educate the public. With awareness, the public can report the smugglers and the endangered species would not become extinct. They also educate the visitors for example, by informing them that hollows are disappearing and why. These hollows are very important as they are important for the nesting of native birds and animals. 

Generally we find that the Australians are very mindful of their environment and they educate their public well. The information presented is also succinct and clear. They raise awareness about their native species, how these animals contribute to the delicate balance of the eco-system and why are they important. This is probably why Australia is very strict on their quarantine checks certain products like food, wood and soil as foreign elements may harm their native eco-system and it cannot be controlled.

We also realized that Australians are very conscious of their environment. They will use paper bags and cardboard boxes to contain their products. We should do the same in Singapore. We were encouraged to get our own green bags and be more environmentally friendly. In the Wildlife Sanctuary, visitors were also encouraged to purchase their eco-bag to promote environmental conservation and proceeds from the  sale of the bags go to charity.

We also went for the Green Challenge which include high rope challenges like ropes, planks and the flying fox. We think that it's an eye opener as it challenges us to go beyond our physical limits. Even if we would like to stop in the middle of the course, we still had to press on to complete it so that we can get off. We also learnt how to be patient because there could only be 3 people on one platform and 2 people on the games and 1 person on the flying fox. We had to wait for our turn and encourage the person on the activity by giving support and advice to press on. Encouraging the heart is a very important factor as it is very difficult to help friends that are stuck in the middle of the course. The participant in the course had to try to complete the course with the advice and the encouragement of her peers. Some of us may be afraid of heights, but had managed to overcome their fear and complete the Green course (the simplest course). We think that completing the course can be compared to life. You can't stop halfway, but you must carry on despite difficulties. When you encounter problems, you'll have to solve them yourself with the advice and help from others around.   

On the Green Challenge

We also recalled this incident that happened along the high ropes course. The parents of a young boy were behind Yong Xin. But they asked her to allow them to do the flying fox first so that they can be near their son to help him should he encounter difficulties. Yong Xin found it very heart-warming as the father seemed very strict with the boy when giving him many instructions at the beginning of the course. Howeve through this incident, the love the parent has for his child is apparent. We think that this is the sae for our own parents. Our parents may be strict and naggy but they mean well, and deep down they actually love us. We are always at the forefront of their minds.

In the evening, we went shopping for groceries. We were only allowed to send two members of the group out to shop. We chose Yong Xin, the main 'chef' and Sarah who was the group leader. While Yong Xin and Sarah went out, Vanessa and Zhi Han were left in the apartment. However, they used their time wisely by doing household chores like cleaning up and boiling water. After dinner, we combined the washing of our dishes in the dishwasher with our peers next door to save water and dish washing detergent. It's good because we are being eco-friendly and we are supporting and helping each other.

We also noticed that Sarah and Zhi Han started to diligently account for their expenditures by noting down all their expenses for the day and calculating how much money they had for the rest of the trip. This planning prevented them from overspending as they will be more conscious about how much money they spent.

Day 1: Harbour Town Shopping Outlet . Reflection

At Changi Airport

We are Group 4, consisting of group members Roshini, Priscilla, Qian Yu, Tanya and Sherilyn.

At the Harbour Town Outlet

During the flight from Singapore to Brisbane, there was a video provided by Emirates on declaration of items brought to Australia and we learnt that honest declaration of certain products (like food, plants, soil and wood) is important - honesty and personal integrity are paramount. Though we were unsure about the answers to be filled, we had to be honest and declare all food items brought it (even instant noodles!) as Australia is serious about protecting its people and agricultural industry.

For many of us, it was the first time filling up declaration forms on our own and we realized that we had to be independent and handle situations efficiently so as to take care of ourselves. What we were unsure of, we had to seek clarifications with our teachers. In addition, we had to explain clearly when asked and queried by the immigration officials when our baggage was subjected to checks.

After we checked into Blue Waters Apartment, we organized ourselves and made sure that the keys were in safe hands.

Blue Waters Apartment

In the living room of our apartments

Working in the kitchen of our apartment

In one of the bedrooms of our apartment

During the stay in Brisbane, we also had to purchase groceries for our meals as some of our meals are not provided.

We had McDonalds for breakfast when we first arrived but we realized that having a meal outside for all meals will be costly. When we heard that Harbour Town Outlet has a supermarket, we decided to purchase groceries so that we can prepare our meals in our apartments.

We had to work together and compromise to decide on the purchase of certain necessities and groceries. While we shopped at the supermarket, we have different tastes and preferences so we had to come to a decision and compromise so that everyone's needs were met ( for some of our members are vegetarians; while some of them could not consume spicy food). In addition, when we selected the food for the breakfast and dinner, we had to consider the nutritional content of the foods - bearing in mind our Home Econs lessons from school.

Budgeting was an important consideration when we make purchases as we had to make sure we have enough money to last us for the rest of the trip.

During the tour at Harbour Town Shopping Outlet, we also bonded and got to know each other better as we had to move in our groups and look out for one another.  

We also realized that the Australian service staff were also exceptionally friendly in serving the customers. They greeted customers sincerely and offered help voluntarily. This excellent service helps us feel very warm and welcomed. We feel that the Singapore service sector can work on helping customers feel comfortable and welcomed.