Mihir

Pre-Trip:

1.   How do you feel about the upcoming trip?
I feel really excited and enthusiastic about my potential learning experiences in this Penang Trip.

2.   3 Things that I am looking forward to

      I am looking forward to how an Observatory actually looks like.

      I am looking forward to spending quality time together with peers, engaging in intellectual discussions about the subject, Astronomy.

      I am looking forward to experience hands-on Astronomical activities. 

3.   3 things I hope to learn from Penang

      I hope to learn how to read the constellations directly from the sky with the naked eye.

      I hope to learn how to read complicated star charts.

      I hope to learn how a telescope works and clear misconceptions about it. 

4.   3 things I hope to learn from my friends

      I hope to learn how to work together to achieve a goal effectively.

      I hope to learn, from my friends, how to face uncomfortable situations and deal with it. 

      I hope to learn, from my friends, how to be more respectful and friendly towards everyone, especially towards my own friends and generally anyone and everyone. 

5.   3 things I hope to learn about myself

      I hope to learn, about myself, the amount of discipline I have. 

      I hope to learn, about myself, how responsible I actually am. 

      I hope to learn, about myself, how willing I am to place myself out of my own comfort zone. 

6.   3 challenges I give myself

      I challenge myself to be daring and adventurous in experiencing new stuff, such as Astronomical gazing at night, reading star charts, doing new things in general etc.

      I challenge myself to be extremely disciplined and organized in whatever I do, especially since I am overseas.

      I challenge myself to treat everyone around me with care and concern.

7.   What are my expectations of Penang?

My expectations of Penang are mainly towards a high development of the sciences (including highly-qualified and experienced personnel) who are able to guide us in our learning of Astronomy.    

Day 1:

Daily Reflections:

The most important event that happened for me today was the learning experience I had, putting what I learnt (though short) the star chart reading skills into practice by actually looking into the telescope and locating various constellations. I really didn’t understand how to read star charts at first, and I was even really intimidated by it at first. I learn best when I am calm and not stressed too much; although I know I have to learn to work under pressure, and when we were being taught how to read a star-chart, I think I learnt very well because I was put under no certain sort of pressure, although I still have to learn how to handle pressure. Moreover, I still maintain that placing myself out of my comfort zone is beneficial to myself for my own learning. I also like to consider others points of view because they may have a different solution / opinion that may work better for the task at hand, or just maybe provide a further insight into the task at hand. In the future I would like to divulge even further into various topics, especially into Physics and Astrophysics.

Day 2:

Daily Reflections:

The most important event that happened for me today was the Science and Tech exhibit viewing @ Tech Dome. One of the things that surprised me was the wide array of exhibitions ranging from so many different topics, from Physics to Biology to Robotics to more Technology. I really admire the amount of effort put in by the staff there, as well as the teachers, to give us students a proper learning experience. the My point of view is these applied hands-on experience are the best way for a student (or anyone) to learn about a particular topic. I like to consider others' points of view because they may have important points that contribute to an overall improved learning experience (for e.g. debating on the uses of a particular science invention). In the future I would like to learn more about these Physics / Bio / Sci / Tech concepts at a deeper extent so as to deepen my own understanding and applicational-thinking of various concepts. 

Day 3:

Daily Reflections:

The most important event that happened today was the visit to the Heng Ee sch observatory. One of the things that surprised me was the high cost of telescopes and astronomical equipment in general. I really admired the way the Heng Ee students made the effort to stay late into the evening and welcome us with open arms into their sch. My point of view still remains that these hands on, in real life experiences, are the best way to learn more about astronomy or any other topic. I hope i can learn to step outside of my comfort zone and learn new topics and concepts as i go along. 

Day 4:

Daily Reflections:

The most important event that happened to me today was the cultural experience at Chew Jetty. One of the things that surprised me waa the immense culture and historical importance behind UNESCO heritage sites such as Penang, and in it Chew Jetty. I really admire the way Mr Norman made the full effort to make us understand about the history behind Penang, such as the spice trade and the Malaysian-Chinese families emigration. My point of view is that cross-cultural understanding holds utmost importance for us, students when visiting any place, especially a UNESCO heritage site like Penang. I like to consider others point of view, in thid case about culture, because it may deepen not only mine, but everyone's cultural and historical understanding as well as the rationale behind setting up Penang as a heritage site. In the future I would like to learn even more about the history of sites like Penang so that I can appreciate the culture there or other places even more