JC Immersion

The seven-day experience in National Junior College is still so fresh in my mind. Although I had to get up before dawn, although I was really exhausted after every PE class, although some technical terms about gene recombination or benzene drove me crazy, the JC immersion program was fabulous. I got much more than I expected before.

Entering the classroom, I realized that JC in Singapore is quite different from senior high school in China. There are only around 20 students in one class while 50 or more students in China. And when they have their English classes, they go into different classrooms. In addition, lectures, which we seldom have in China, are a common sight in Singapore. Students attend the lectures to learn the new knowledge and have classes to ask more detailed questions. Besides listening carefully to the teacher and taking notes, Singaporean students have more opportunities to give presentations. And I found it interesting that JC students have only five subjects but they can choose their own CCA course. I think that it is more flexible and to discover students’ talents.

Their PE class is the most terrible but interesting class I have ever had. What I am worried about is 2.4 kilometer’s run, which our tutor told us before. I am good at PE, but I just cannot imagine what would have happened if I had had 2.4 km run or even more. Luckily, it was raining heavily outside when we had PE class, so we ran back and forth and did sit-ups as well in the gym. My buddy told me that PE class was a nightmare in Singapore and she was always the last one. And in JC, they have to wear uniforms everyday and change into sports suits when they have PE classes. It seems a good idea to wear sports suits only in PE classes; otherwise it must be very uncomfortable wearing a wet shirt.

Most importantly, I had a new friend, my buddy, Mabel. Her skin is kind of dark so that I thought at the first sight that she was Malaysian. We both like Korean popular music and dance and Thai soap operas. We have never been tired of talking about our favorite things. She said she wanted to go to another country to learn cooking and have her owe restaurant in the future. Well, it is a pity that we should have chances to become classmates in NUS next year. After the JC immersion, she even invited me to play badminton and introduced the surrounding environment and the best and cheapest shops to me.

In my opinion, Singaporean students have colorful and enjoyable JC life. I really appreciate MOE and NJC to organize this fantastic program which I thought meaningless before. At the moment, I am full of energy and happiness, because I get more familiar to this country and consider it as my second home.

My English Learning Experience in Singapore

Although language learning is important and necessary, the process can be very boring. Just like water, it is tasteless but we have to appreciate the importance of it. However, I am not aware that it has been two months since the first time I have attended the English class in Singapore. How time flies!

English learning experience in Singapore is quite memorable. I could still remember how terrible I felt after finishing my first comprehension paper. No multiple choices. No True or False. The points of answers are like butterflies, which are always beyond your grasp when pursued. I think I understand the main idea. But when it comes to some specific questions, my mind goes blank and I don’t know how to express my understanding. Another difficulty is paraphrasing. I feel that it’s much tougher to answer questions using my own words. I always find out the original sentence in certain paragraph, then wonder what I can do next. Should I change the order of words? Should I change the word with a similar word?

On the other hand, English classes in Singapore are somewhat different from those in China. In China, I studied in Xiamen foreign language school which is considered one of the best schools in teaching English. We have special English textbooks, various oral presentations and foreign language singing competitions. In spite of interesting activities using English, the English classes are fairly boring. English teachers always taught what we could learn on our own and asked us to take notes written on the blackboard. While in Singapore, tutors teach something more useful, such as how to write different kinds of essays. And also, we have more spare time to study in what we are lacking in. SSR, which we didn’t have in class before, is really helpful in reading and comprehension skills.

The more differences between classes in Singapore and those in China, the more efforts we should make. Complaining doesn’t make sense at all! What I am actually thinking about is how to get accustomed to the English classes in Singapore as soon as possible and finally lead to improvements. I have been reading novels in English, and I realize that English is not as hard as I thought. I also started to do some O-level comprehension papers as a tutor recommended us. In addition, I have been studying on the internet as well, because there are always many resources we need. It is difficult to see improvements. But I believe practice makes perfect.

Learning English is not a burden to me. I am willing to learn because I think it will be more convenient to speak in English, especial in a multi-ethnic country like Singapore. Though I will meet various obstacles while learning English here, I believe I am capable to solve them and I will bounce back whenever I lose.