HCI Beijing Satellite Campus

By Benjamin Goh

转眼间，我们回到新加坡已经快一个星期了。表面上，大家看起来已经适应回新加坡的生活了，但我们心里则是多么的空虚，多么的想念那六个星期在北京的生活。我记得当我们到了北京机场准备飞回来的时候，我心里突然浮起一种依依不舍的感觉，差点儿撕掉自己的机票。脑海里也顿时想起了六星期前到北京的时候，所看到的，所听到的，一幕一幕地闪现出来。我表面上虽然没有掉眼泪，但我心里却已经哭得自己仿佛要被自己的泪水淹没了。就这样，我们从北京飞回来了，六个星期，也就这样过了。还记得到北京的时候，天气还非常之冷。大家都急着把自己的围巾啊，手套等等拿了出来保暖。同学之间有的认识，有的不认识，感觉上有点兴奋，有点怕。这可是我们大部分人第一次离家那么长的一段时间，而我就是其中之一。当天，我的脑里不知为什么，非常担心。我担心家人，担心朋友，担心自己。。。从机场到北师大二附中大概有45分钟吧？看见自己将会就读六个星期的学校，我外国念书的旅程开始了。从我踏进校园的那一时刻，就已经是我人生中最大挑战的开始–不跟父母住在一起，多过十天。我们必须适应北京念书的生活，适应他们的课程，体操，生活习惯，食物等等。想起来好可怕，但过了那六个星期，我们反而想要多以此机会让我们再次的适应。我们甚至想在新加坡有同样的课程，体操，但。。。行吗？然后我们在第三个星期正式进班。第一天我们还没“热身”，感觉特别怪。我们的班长虽然很热心招待我们，其他同学却不怎么理会我们。也许考试快到了，他们急着复习，没时间和我们交流。但从第二天开始，我们开始有些话讲了。不瞒你说，在我来北京之前，常常有人跟我说，中国人是满骄傲的。与他们交流着一个星期，或应该说六个星期，我完全不同意。这些同学们非常热情，他们能与你谈话，只要你愿意。最出乎我的预料的是他们的集中能力，他们的纪律。比起新加坡学生，他们用工得多，对老师的尊敬也等多。老师走出门，学生们仍然是静静地读自己的书。老师教他们分组讨论，他们确确实实是在讨论。就光这点，我非常佩服中国学生们。我们呢，包括我在内，还不知道什么叫做“饿”。。。在北京的六个星期，要把所有的经过都写在这是不可能的，所有在北京得到的经验是不胜枚举的。毛毛，成都美食，皮萨自助餐，煎饼，太平饺子馆，金五星，学校零食卡，巴士与地铁上的你推我挤，大方杀价。。。美好的北京回忆。度过这六个星期，我真的获益不浅，认识了很多新朋友，也增长了不少人生知识。但好的东西总有一点会消失，六个星期也总有一天会结束。。。睁开眼睛，我已不再北京了。要是给我多一次选择，我绝对再次选择到北京卫星校园，参加这项交流活动。

六个星期，我们来到了北京，感受到了新环境，参观了许多文化遗产和奇观。六个星期，我们接触了新的同伴，无论是北京人还是新加坡人，都成为我们生活中的伙伴。六个星期，经历非凡。记得刚开始，在我们踏足北京的头一天，除了不适应环境、分不清东南西北以外，同学之间也互不相识，大家都带着一片好奇心，来到了中国的古都。

现在，我们成为了好哥们儿，逛了北京大大小小的街道和胡同，感触到了这里深深的文化色彩和浓厚的历史。

本星期，将是我们在北京待的最后几个日子了。

在习惯了北京的生活，吃惯了这里的食物，听惯了这里的课，要回去的确是有点儿舍不得。不想离开这里的学校、这里的同学和老师们、这里的春天、这里的宿舍 … 在新加坡实在是感受不到。

虽然，我们也许在某一些地方停留得太短暂了，或者因为时间紧凑而无法来得及参观，但是，我们的足迹将遗留在我们走过的地方，我们的回忆将遍布它们。其他的地方，以后还能再来。其他的事，以后也能再做。

然而，家还是得回，路还是得走，学习，还是得继续。只希望，以后的卫星校园能组织更多活动，并延长浸入活动的时间，让将来的同学们能够有更多的机会和北京的师生交流和沟通。

北京，我会再来的。

By Lim Yu Hao

It’s the last week of our Beijing Satellite Campus Trip already. 5 weeks have passed in the flash of an eye. I still have fond memories of the days that were, but we all know that we will have to leave this place very, very soon.

Looking back on the past 5 weeks, I feel, I have gained much from my experience here. One of the most important things I feel I have gained is added independence. What I mean is that I felt I was already independent before I came to BSC, living in boarding school and being a councillor, but then here independence was taken to a whole new level. Everything had to be planned by ourselves, the 3 meals of a day, the trips planned during the weekends… without independence, the trip wouldn’t have been fun itself, I realised, thus I feel this BSC experience really beefed my independence.

Of course, there was the knowledge gained from going around the historical places in Beijing. After all, Beijing is the culture base of China. Visiting all the famous places I once only saw in pictures, the Great Wall of China, Gu Gong, Tian Tan…it really is a cool experience to see all these historical monuments, marvelling at their brilliant architecture, their sheer beauty, while understanding the history behind the construction of the grand buildings.

But above all, I have gained the most in the social aspect of friends. Being the only guy from the 3S class to come during this batch, I in fact knew only 1 or 2 of the people here before I came to Beijing. But now, nearing the end of the trip, I can proudly say I know all the secondary 3s and most of the secondary 4s also. This Beijing Trip really gave me a great chance, meeting all these wonderful people, the nice people around the Beijing school and around Beijing itself, the caring teachers and above all, these wonderful classmates…

The Hwa Chong Beijing experience is indeed what it is said to be: one not to be missed one. I hope this did not have to end so soon, but as the saying goes, all good things have to come to an end, so ya…in the end I guess this trip has to end too, but for sure I can say, I have benefited much from the trip and if I have another chance to go on it again, I’ll take up the opportunity without hesitation.

               Our stay here in Beijing is nearing its end, as we hastily try to make the last few days more worthwhile and meaningful – which means finishing up our shopping and visiting the places we have not been before. Since most of the tests and 论文 are over, I guess we can breathe again and take in more of Beijing’s sceneries. Last week (5^th week), we visited a high school in 天津, called 南开中学. What struck me most about our visit there would be how similar that school was to Hwa Chong, not only in terms of the buildings but also the rich history they have.Hwa Chong has 91 years of history while NanKai also has a 100 over years of history. NanKai groomed the first Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China while Hwa Chong produced the first Elected President of Singapore. While NanKai preserved their first classroom block to become the memorial for Mr. Zhou Enlai, Hwa Chong has also build the OTC-SALT center in the name of Mr. Ong Teng Cheong. This shows how capable both schools are at producing leaders of their nations and how much effort they put in to ensure the later generations attain even better results.When looking around the campus, most of the buildings and classroom looked old in design but were very well maintained. Just like in Hwa Chong, both schools find it important to keep the original look so as to remind us of our past and history. Somehow, simply walking around the school gave me a close feeling about the school, as if I may have been there before. The students were friendly and of course brilliant when it came to sharing their views in lessons. 天坛was also a magnificent sight where we got to see where the Emperors used to pray to the gods. We were told that the whole place was the size of about 5 故宫 (if I didn’t remember wrongly) which is really huge! We saw many locals gathering there to dance, play cards and even play “chapteh”. As I spend my last few days of this trip in Beijing, I start thinking about what I have see and done in China, and how I have grown as a person in these few weeks abroad. Now that I know Beijing a little better, I may even think about returning here myself and explore more of this ancient city.

五个星期说久不久，说短不短。

眼看六个星期的北京生活要告一段落，即将告别北京这个古色古香的城市。 这几个星期的生活是一个很特别的经验。

城市的魔力

这座古城充满了文化的气息。浓浓的有点让人喘不过气来。我认为，北京有着她独特的魅力。有些地方让人感觉来到了繁华纽约都市，有些地方让人享受巴西热情，有些地方让体验巴黎浪漫，有些地方让人感受大自然的宁静。不管是哪路边摊的叫卖声，还是那热情的店员费劲三寸不烂之舌，为了让你买它的东西。这一切一切都让北京变得更加动人、美丽。

爱，在空气中弥漫

没错，万物复生，燕子归巢的春季，也难免让人心痒痒的，渴望一场轰轰烈烈的爱情。高高的太阳似乎格外炎热，人们也慢慢退去厚厚的冬装，今年的春天似乎来得特别晚。但是到处 还是可以看到热恋中的小情侣在街上散步，在公园里漫游。不止年轻的小情侣，一些老夫老妻也都出来，逛逛动物园，爬香山。校园里也是如此。处于青春期的青少年，不知是崇拜高尚的爱情，还是充满了好奇心。这个嘛，还要问问烁斐。哈哈

课堂观察

花了一个多星期的时间进行课堂观察。在高二班上课还蛮有趣的，应该说是新鲜感吧。毕竟和我习惯的上课方式是种改变。这里的学生很热情，也很团结。还记得那个班因为是文科班，所以男生偏少，女生实力强大，男生也只有接受被支配的命运。但是没有人抱怨。 我老是觉得他们都逗趣。所以那几天我每天都在哈哈大笑。

这段生活，我会很留恋。

By Si Rui 

有一个说法：“不到长城非好汉，没吃小吃真遗憾。” 第一部分早在第三的星期做到了，剩下的是吃老北京的小吃。其实，我一到北京，根本都不懂有什么小吃是北京的特色。但是，幸好，在我们去植物园那天，还有我们每天早上上的文化课，我对北京小吃有了一定的认识。现在，我知道北京的小吃又艾窝窝、稻香村、驴打滚儿… 但在我留下来的印象最深刻的是豆汁儿和焦圈。于是，我下定决心，在北京的六个月里喝到豆汁儿，吃到胶卷。老师在介绍那两个小吃食，也说了他们是北京人的身份证，如果是真的北京人，喝了一杯豆汁儿，会再要一杯。这句话使我想了很久，一杯豆汁儿怎么能证明一个人是否是北京人？到王府井后，我走到了王府井小吃街，希望能品尝到北京的豆汁儿和焦圈。逛了老半天，我终于找到了一家卖豆汁儿和焦圈的点。于是，我二话不说，把钱挖出来，买了一份。我不知道的是，我终于找到答案了。一闻到豆汁儿的味道，就像伊德在腐烂的鱿鱼似的，十分难闻。可是，这时我找了四个星期的成果，我当然把它喝了。喝起来，也是很难喝，实在受不了。我买的时候是打包的，把他带活了宿舍，把我的房间和走廊加了一帧臭味。现在，我明白了，为什么豆汁儿能当作北京人的身份证。他的味道对我来说，是个酷刑，对北京认识他们的骄傲。各地各种各样的小吃，都是独特的，都带出来他们本地的特色。

By Nicholas Goh

Five weeks in Beijing have passed unknowingly very swiftly. The arduous learning journey that we experienced was composited with a mixture of feelings and thoughts, but was filled with many take- away’s which are life- changing and knowledgeable. Lessons have been learnt whether by knowledge or ideologically. We have been immersed in the rich culture here, increasing our contextual knowledge of the culture of modern day China. Some of which one can only obtain in a particular way when he faces obstacles and hurdles, and have to overcome it by depending on himself. These were one of the many things we have been learning in Beijing these few weeks and it has since been a very enriching one. However, good days never last and our learning journey in BSC will be reaching its end in a short time to come.

Since we touched down in the airport of Beijing, we had been treated with the culture here and well as the mouth- watering delicacies. Being able to experience the culture here was actually an eye opener for us. As we were being immersed in it, the rich culture had provided us with the sufficient exposure to increase our knowledge about the wide variety of cultures in the world. In addition, the delicacies here had also helped us to understand the cultures here better, not forgetting that it had also provided us with a good gourmet experience.

The past week had made me understand not only Beijing as a whole, but also to other parts of China such as Tianjin as well as other sectors in the educational syllabus, such as physics. On Tuesday, we took a long bus ride all the way to the state of Tianjin. Just like Beijing, Tianjin was one of the more developed states in China. Skyscrapers towered over the city and activities combed the streets, carving a lively impression of the city. Over there, we were immersed in the lessons of the school, further increasing our understanding of the educational system in China. Following that, we visited a museum which showcased the vibrant history of the state, exhibiting brilliant artifacts which were preserved for many years. That is not all; we also went to the food street and culture streets where we were able to purchase the local products there, bringing them back to share we our families our treasured memories here.

On the following Wednesday, we went to two renowned temples in Beijing: the Lama and Confucius Temples. Here, we were enthralled by the importance of these structures in the religious society of Beijing. In the temples also contain various artifacts and structures which help us to understand the history of these religions. It also showed to us how religion plays a part in a country of such a rich number of religions.

Finally on Saturday, we visited the particle accelerator located at the far end of Beijing. Here, we got to understand more about the science behind atoms and electrons, as well as the scientific explanation behind their existence. We were also enlightened on how the accelerator harnesses the energy created by accelerating these particles at completely tremendous speeds, to power machines. Furthermore, the technology behind these sciences were also used to create better technological systems which already plays an important role in communication within countries and would serve more important purposes in the years to come.

All in all, the past week had certainly been an enriching one for me and allowed me to obtain better understandings in both culture and science in China.

By Max Chu Yuan

Five down, one to go. In a blink of an eye, five weeks have past in Beijing. In a week’s time, all of us would be back at home, in the company of our friends and family, leaving this place behind, not knowing when we will ever return. This week, week five, has been one of a roller coaster ride (literally) for me, with many ups and downs along the way. So to ask me to blog about this week, is already a challenge on its own. With so much to tell, where should I begin? Thus, like most tales, I think I’ll start from the very beginning.

The previous week, week four, was a very busy week for all of us. Everyone was stressed out by the tests that were being thrown at us and brain juices were circulating throughout the dormitory all week long. On the first day of week five, we had completed all our tests and we could finally experience Beijing, without any worries or stress. On Tuesday, we went on our first “stress-free” field trip to Tianjin. I was quite excited to get out and experience Tianjin, without that voice at the back of my head screaming, “Study! Study! Study!” This trip to Tianjin was the second time I had been to Tianjin. As I looked around the beautiful city, I noticed that a lot had changed in Tianjin since my trip there 5 years ago, with all the roads and buildings looking much more beautiful then they did before. The highlight of the trip was actually the opportunity to be able to immerse with the Tianjin high school, which I had not done before. I was quite disappointed that we only got to immerse with the school for one period and I would have enjoyed a longer stay with the students as I felt that an opportunity as golden as that should not have been cut short. After the immersion, it was off to shopping in Tianjin, followed by a sumptuous meal of dumplings for dinner.

School was pretty normal from Wednesday to Friday. The only difference was that people were starting to realize that their time at Beijing is starting to come to an end. This sudden realization hit me rather hard as I was enjoying my time here so much. I shuddered at the thought of having to return to ordinary school life back home. This Saturday and Sunday, being the last weekend of our trip, I wanted to make it count. So, on Saturday, I went to Xidan to shop and to enjoy the last few opportunities I have to experience Beijing. Xidan was really crowded and there were loads of stuff to buy. I shopped a lot there and even went for a movie with my friends. Now that’s what I call a weekend! The next day, Yang Long, Darren and I went to the well-known “Happy Valley Amusement Park” to relieve ourselves from all the stress we encountered the previous weeks, kick back and just have a pure day of fun and enjoyment. We were very lucky as the park was relatively empty that day and we managed to hop onto many rides, without the hassle of having to queue up for ages. We took many photos with the cool exhibits and overall, our money (160 RMB for the entrance fee) was definitely worth it!

As someone once said, “Time waits for no man.” In a flash, week five is over and we are approaching our final 5 days here in Beijing. What I hope to do on this last five days is to make every moment last, have a blast, and just forget about all the unhappiness and stress encountered on this trip. Now, who’s with me?

By Phang Jun Yu

On Tuesday, we went to Tianjin for a class immersion into one of Tianjin’s schools. Upon arriving in Tianjin, a completely different scene from what we had been looking at for 4 weeks greeted our eyes. The tall skyscrapers, Western-styled architectures in Tianjin were completely different from the alleys and flats of Beijing. Many of our classmates could be heard exclaiming that they wished there was a “Tianjin Satellite Campus” instead.  As we made our way into 食品街, we found shops selling a wide variety of food, ranging from live eels to giant lollipops to pig intestines. The whole of Tianjin food culture was practically crammed into that small market. While we were simultaneously disgusted and yet interested by the food being sold, the wide array of delicacies was more than enough for us to buy back home for our families.

After that, we went to Tianjin’s 文化街and saw the different historical and cultural relics of Tianjin. There were clay dolls, Chinese paintings, and basically all sort of items that showed how culturally deep and diverse Tianjin was. However, the most interesting highlight of the trip was a shop in which a skilled Chinese painter painted out your name on a scroll for 30 rmb. It was exceptional as the names were not painted with usual brush or calligraphy strokes, instead the names were made with rainbow colored brushes, and the strokes usually consisted of Chinese animals, such as phoenixes, dragons, peacocks and so forth. The ribbon like movements of his hands entranced us all and brought us to the realization that such a deep and ancient art culture could still exist and be found today.

After the field trip, I realized that it was not the complex buildings or advanced shopping malls that made a place. It was the people, and the culture and history they bring to a place. Therefore for Tianjin, the part I will always remember about it is the culture and actions of the people we have seen, and not the glamour or fashion a place contains.

By Shi Tian

北京卫星学校的第四个星期可说是我们最紧张的一个星期，除了平常的郊游之外，还外加了三个考试，真是狼狈不堪。然而，这个星期的外游与其他星期的一样充满意义。
星期二的郊游我们来到了圆明园与颐和园。一走进圆明园，就被震撼了，圆明园在门外看上去是那么的壮观，完美体现了中西文化的结合。同时，它也展现出了清朝鼎盛时期的辉煌。然而，在圆明园内走了那么一下下，却渐渐的发现圆明园中的建筑物已被英法联军毁坏的程度。几乎所有的建筑物没有一样是完整的，而大部分的也都完全看不出原状。
看着圆明园惨不忍睹的形象，我不仅领悟到了一点。不管一个人以往有多么成功，一时的失误将非常容易地导致他的衰落，就如清朝是如何在短短的两百年不到内从世界的一大强国成为一个常被他国侵略的半封建半殖民地社会。为了避免一时的失误，我们不得不时时保持警惕。
同时，在颐和园中，我也尝试到了北京的一种传统食物-老北京冰激凌。它虽然质量较低，然而却与其他的冰激凌不同的是，它清凉爽口。因为老北京冰激凌的与众不同，我连着一口气吃了四支，到现在还是回味无穷。这便是我北京卫星学校第四个星期的感