When we finally reached Taiwan, we met our tour guide called Wei-ge. He talked a lot to us on the bus about the different scenic spots of Taiwan and our schedule as well. His knowledge of Taiwan was a lot. We reached our hotel, which was called Paradise Hotel, and checked in. It was already night by then. We had planned to go to Ximending, a famous shopping street in Taiwan, but it was raining heavily. It caused us to postpone the trip to another day. Thus, we simply stayed in our hotel rooms and did our own things. Then, we rested for the day.

The next day, we all woke up. Each of our rooms had 4 people in it. The room was extremely small. I shared with Wei Ting, Jia Xin and Victoriette. We were all complaining about how small the room was. We had to bear with it for 5 days! However, as we couldn't change, we had to make do with it. Our group were early birds and we got up the earliest. By the time we finished our breakfast and went up to our room again, there was still nobody going downstairs to eat breakfast. We just whiled the time away while in our room watching Korean dramas.(It was nice!) Then, we proceeded to Taipei Municipal Fuxing Senior High School. The school was neat! What I liked most was the art gallery. It was filled with works of art. The one I liked most is just on the right side.

We went to their presentation area, and listened to them play. It was good. The way they performed made me enraptured. However, as the number of guzhengs were less than we thought, only 3 of us were able to perform. As it was too sudden, I could feel the nervousness they had. Although they did make a few mistakes, it was considered good as they were able to remain composed. I am not sure I would be able to do that. When it came to the single performance, Hui Ho, came on stage and performed. However, she did not finish her performance, as she started crying. The teacher immediately asked her to rest and explained to the rest to understand as she did not expect to perform here as she was supposed to perform at the last exchange they had in Taiwan before leaving. She was all right again soon, and our teachers gave gifts to the taiwan school, as a form of recognition.

After that, we went to Tang Ming guzheng association. They gave us an introduction of the association and the type of guzhengs they play. We did not perform as theit type of guzheng did not suit us, and I do not think we would be able to adapt to it that fast. So, we only sat down and watched them play. After that, we were allowed to go and interact with the guzheng they had more closely. I tried playing and it was quite fun. It was not as bad as i thought. We got to experience different guzhengs. I think it exposed us to broader knowledge, and about other countries' culture as well.

We went to Toucheng Leisure Farm, which we would be staying overnight. Our expectations were not high, as it was a farm located deep in the woods. However, to our surprise, the farm's surroundings appealed to us. When we entered the rooms, we all screamed out loud. The surroundings were amazing! Our expectations were low as we thought the farm would have not up to satisfaction rooms. It was surprising for us. It was a pity that we could only stay there for a night, before we went back to the first hotel, whose rooms were small. We felt blessed that at least we could stay there for a day. We made the famous Kong Ming Deng, and wrote our wishes on it. Then, we let it off into the sky. It was extremely satisfying for us, to see our own lantern being let off. After that, we retired back to our rooms.

On the 3rd day, we spent the day at the farm. We took a nature walk around the farm, and learnt about different species of plants and their uses. Some plants such as mint, and a plant that could act as a mosquito repellent, were commonly used in Singapore. We saw different kinds of flowers too. They were nice. Halfway through the walk, there was a shack there and the farm guide asked us to stop. It turned out to be the place where we learned to boil sweet potatoes by forming a kiln, and then putting the sweet potatoes in it. It was hard work when we had to dig the soil. We got to bring them back to eat. Then, we went to the animal farm, where we could feed the goats long stalks of grass. I could feel their strength as they pulled at the grass I gave them. Then, we approached the rice paddy field, where we learnt the process of how the rice we normally eat was planted. It was a fruitful experience for us. It taught us how hard the farmers worked to give us rice and we should learn to appreciate it, rather than wasting food.

After that, we went to a factory to make our own T-shirts. There was also a choice to
make a bag. I chose to make a bag. We could collect different types of leaves from the shelves to make our own leaf prints on our creations. It was quite fun for us. After this activity, we finally left the farm to go to another place called Senkeng Toufu Street. Then, we went up a mountain to go to the place called Wufengqi waterfall. It was the best place that I had ever been. Although I was panting by the time I got up, it was extremely rewarding to see the waterfall looming up before us. We were standing so close till I could feel the spray on me by the waterfall. When I dipped my feet in the water, it was ice cold! However, I think the water must be clean as the water was clear and I could find no source of pollution. It was natural. We made our way down after that. We were all tired by then. Lastly, we went to the eslite bookstore in Taiwan. Some of us who didn't like reading went shopping instead, as the bookstore was located in Ximending. Then, we made our own way back to the hotel and got our room keys. Then, lights off!

On the 4th day, we went to this place called Jiufen. It was a street that sold different types of things that was exclusively Taiwan things. I could find a lot of souvenirs there, and the best part was they were cute and cheap. I bought quite a few things as well. Next we went to Danshui Old Street which was another shopping street filled with things as well. I did not buy anything there as I had already bought enough of the things in Jiufen. So, I just walked about with my friends. Then, Yehliu Geoleogical park was our next destination. It was breezing cold there and there was a woman selling raincoats to us. At first I rejected her as i had my umbrella. But seeing all my friends had bought, I also followed and it turned out to be of real use. A lot of umbrellas were bent over by the strong wind, and it was lucky that I did not take out my umbrella as I was using my raincoat. So, I felt quite good and relaxed as the wind really made me comfy. We explored the different destinations. There was a lot of different scenic spots. They were all either made by weathering or erosion. I took a lot of photos. I could really experience the taste of geography there.

Lastly, we went to Shihlin Night Market. There was only food sold there, and besides we had to eat our dinner there. So, I bought a bowl of noodles there. It was rather nice. After a long walk about there, our group boarded the bus. We waited for the rest and set off back to the hotel. Then, we rested for the day.

On the 5th day, we went to the Taipei Martyrs' Shrine in the morning. It was a place where Taiwan had its soldiers for national service just like we do in Singapore. They had placed 2 soldiers at the entrance. Their job was to just stand still there till their shift ended. They couldn't even move their bodies, except that I saw them blinking their eyes a few times. It was really tough for them. I think that we couldn't even stand staying still for a minute, let alone almost the whole day. Then, suddenly there was a march of soldiers. We all ran over to look. They acted like professionals. Even their boots made the loudest sound. I was impressed. From this experience, I learned that if one is determined and strong, anything can be accomplished. For example, the soldiers could stand there for the whole day.

After that, we went to the famous Taipei 101. It was amazing! The lift that took us up to the 85th floor was so fast that until I felt that it was no different from taking an airplane. My head was buzzing by the time we got up. Luckily, it wore off soon. We took an audio guide and went about the place. It was superb! We could see the whole view of Taiwan from up there. It was breathtaking. Of course we wasted no time in taking photos. The cars down there seemed like models. I could even spot a few people which looked like black dots from up there.

After taking loads of pictures, we went inside further. It was cool too. They had pasted 4 posters of the mascots of Taipei 101. They were red, gold, silver and black. My friend said I was most like red, while she was gold. Red meant being lucky, gold meant fortune, silver being clever, and black being cool.We went further in and saw diffferent types of crystals and how pearls were made and other stuff. Then after that we all gathered and went to this place called Wufen Pu for more shopping, as the girls were all wanting to shop more. The things there were much cheaper than Ximending. Then after that, we went back to the hotel.

It was the last day, the 6th day. We had to go to this university called Chinese Culture University to make our last exchange before we returned to Singapore. We changed into school uniform and brought along our performance dresses to change into when we were there. It was a very good school, so we were all feeling nervous. The guzhengs thankfully was similar to ours, just that it had 5 more strings than ours. I practised and changed. Then, we were ready to perform.

I was so nervous that I felt my hands were shaking even before I entered the stage. I calmed myself down and went in. Overall, I did forget some parts and made quite a few mistakes. I was glad to escape when the tune ended. Through this experience, I felt my determination to play well increase. It was nerve-wracking to perform, but at least I had learned not to panic that much as it would only affect my performance. We should actually be in a relaxed mood through a performance. I learned the most in this exchange.

Overall, the whole team did well to me, as they were quite composed.They made extremely few mistakes, and I was impressed by the way they played. After this whole thing, we went back to the hotel to manage our things and got ready to leave the hotel. We had a last go at Ximending before we left. I did not buy much things there, just a necklace and a bracelet. We also bought a keychain for a friend, who was most unfortunately unable to come as she was ill. Then, we ran back to our meeting place, to set off for the airport.

After quite a long waiting time, our flight was finally arriving. I said goodbye to Taiwan for the last time, and our tour guide. Then, we boarded the plane.

After a few hours, all of us were tired. By that time, we were reaching Singapore. I was glad once again to see Singapore. It was late night by then. We finally got off the plane and went straight forward to see our parents. I said goodbye to Kenny and our teachers-in-charge. Then, I went home.

Generally, I think the team's bonding spirit has definitely increased. A lot of things happened while in Taiwan, and I think that has strengthened our bond. I hope that we can cooperate even better in the near future. Personally, I have also learned quite a few values myself. Lastly, I hope through this trip, I can play better and in the future, use this as a skill to improve myself and get a better job.

Teng Chu Yan 3B