Simran

Pre-Trip Reflections @Changi Airport:

1.   How do you feel about the upcoming trip?

I am extremely excited as I never actually went for a legit star-gazing experience!

2.   3 Things that I am looking forward to

- Star-gazing

- Visiting The Top

- Penang Street Art

3.   3 things I hope to learn from Penang

- Star-gazing

- Physics

- Penang culture

4.   3 things I hope to learn from my friends

- More about the sky

- How to order good food in a new place

- Teamwork

5.   3 things I hope to learn about myself

- Independance

- Adaptibility

- Interest to learn new things

6.   3 challenges I give myself

- To make new friends and be more social

- To learn more about Penang and how life works there

- To get more intrigued in star-gazing

7.   What are my expectations of Penang?

- Pretty country-side

- Good food

- Cheap souveniers

Day 1:

The most important event that happened for me today was star-gazing! One of the things that surprised me was how 29 February (leap year) didn't affect the stars positioning and stuff! What I have learnt today reminds me about last time I went to a place where I looked up and the sky was filled with so many stars and it looked so insanely pretty!! I have reconsidered my views on stars. I like to consider others points of view because some of my friends in this GCP have actually researched and know a lot about star-gazing related stuff. I have to think more deeply about stars!

When I read over my journal reflections I am surprised at how my thinking has changed because I used to think stars were just something to look and romantically gaze at... but there's so much more to it than just that! There's stuff like solar eclipse and constellations, etc!!

Day 2:

The most important event that happened for me today was the tech dome experience i had at The Top where i got to experience so many hands-on activities and learn more deeply about the science and mainly physics behind so many everyday stuff! One of the things that surprised me was the G-Drop I got to experience and how it was like a mini roller coaster except without much machines involved! Something I have found out about myself is that i don't get easily terrified from heights! I believe that science should not just be limited to textbooks and classrooms and instead it should be expanded to outside there to get first-hand knowledge which beats any stuff you memorise from the textbooks to learn! I would never have thought about making a ball go in different directions through pipes just due to the difference in the direction of the wind! That's so cool! In the future I would like to go to more such science centres! 

When I read over my journal reflections I am surprised at how my thinking has changed because i went out of my comfort zone to learn and apply science to more everyday-life applications:)


Day 3:

The most important event that happened for me today was rock-climbing!! Something I would like to find more about is the physics behind rock-climbing. Something I have found out about myself is I tend to look at obstaces differently like for instance I took the rock-climbing activity as an opportunity for me to learn more about how to easily be able to climb up the rocks with logical planning and strategy which will improve with practice! I have reconsidered that different rocks should be climbed differently like some require more hand strength whereas others require more leg strength or both. I like to consider others points of view because some of my friends found it a piece of cake to reach the top whereas others found it a challenge to be able to climb up with ease. In the future I would like to do more rock-climbing!

When I read over my journal reflections I am surprised at how my thinking has changed because I realised even problems/obstacles could be viewed differently!


Day 4:

The most important event that happened for me today was visiting the chocolate & coffee museum. There, I got to learn more about the different chocolates & coffee, its history, the process of producing good chocolate & coffee and how it affects your health, positively and negatively. One of the things that surprised me was there was such a thing called chill chocolate! Wow! Something I have found out about myself is that I just love chocolates for I have a sweat tooth! I have reconsidered my taste in chocolate and thought about trying newer flavours. I like to consider others points of view because despite the fact that I disliked the chilli chocolate and some others, there were some of my friends who loved it a lot! Lastly, I hope I can learn to make chocolate in the future!

When I read over my journal reflections I am surprised at how my thinking has changed because I got to know more about chocolates that I personally never knew existed!