Let's Celebrate!

Showing posts with label training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label training. Show all posts

Extra Training Session

4:05 PM by Kh



How many more days till our trip? (I realised that I am starting to get jittery and asking this question more and more as the date edges closer!)


Are you excited?

Are you nervous?

Or are you totally indifferent about this whole trip?

Well our last training took place at a very interesting location called "The Creek". It took me such a long time to find this place, even though I reached the correct building because I took the stairs and the first door I saw said "Utility Room" and the other was unlabelled. I thought I went to the wrong place! In the end, I had to call Shi Ting for help. (I called her twice just to get to this mysterious location.)

Finally, I found the lobby and took the lift up to the second storey. Surprising, the lift actually knew my name! "Miss Lee", it called out, as the doors opened. (That was rather creepy initially but I was later informed that it was simply announcing the name of the level and it was only a coincidence that it sounded like "Miss Lee".)

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Well, even though it was called "The Creek", it was not a creek a all. (What a disappointment!)

Beside "The Creek" were other rooms with similarly interesting names such as "The Hive", "The Deep Blue" and "The Cove".

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Well, it was already 9am so where is everyone? (Those who were late each owe me $3 okay? Except Cai Ping and Yuhau who came a while later and were so nice and bought me Milo! Thank you!) Poor me thought that I was either 1) was so blur as to venture into the wrong location despite clear instructions from Shi Ting, 2) remembered the wrong meeting time. If you saw my Tweets, you will know that I was in NTU since 7 plus am.

Slowly but surely, everyone else started arriving.




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Ecoventure Booklet

We started off with some administrative matters - the distribution of our beautiful Ecoventure booklet! So else designed it but the very talented Shi Ting from the Reporters Team! =)

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We went through some important pages in the booklet. Don't forget to bookmark those pages!

Eco-Exhibition Presentation

Following that was the presentation. "Again?", you might ask. Well, not everyone has presented yet! In addition, for us, this is an extremely important segment of our Vietnam trip this year as it involves a sharing of our knowledge with other like-minded, environmentally-conscious university students there. After all, this is Earthlink.

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Later in the day, Cindy dropped by for a visit again to see how we were doing. Oh wait, who is that beside Cindy?

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Malik

It seems that we'll be having a new friend on our trip with us! Let's all welcome him warmly to our group!

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There's no need to be too formal with us. We're all a very friendly bunch of people! ^^

Cultural Performance

"Cultural performance" - the two words alone are sufficient to start a throbbing headache. No offence to Cai Ping and Kenneth though, I know that they both worked very hard on this. We can all tell by the very good show put together by them - highly entertaining and extremely amusing. The students in Vietnam will definitely enjoy it too!

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Therefore, both the Programmers Team and the Reporters Team have to work hard too! (We ARE working very hard, aren't we all! It's just that our talents lie elsewhere, like writing lame blog entries for example. XD)

Here's the Programmers Team and their Bollywood dance. Or rather, their attempt at Bollywood dancing. Just try not to fall over!

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Here's our team at our attempts. Please give us some support!

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Weird host, Kenneth, terrorising our two Malay friends, Siti and Aminah. Give them a break and don't start scaring them away! Otherwise, we're not going to have any performance from them!

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Left: Yan Xin practising her "Five Stones" skills. We'll be introducing the game to our Vietnamese friends. =)

Right: Jun Wei giving it a try as well. What huge hands! It probably gives him some advantage. Not a fair game this is, is it?

Miscellaneous

As it was the last time we would be meeting before the actual day of departure, everyone was busy tying up the loose ends.

Here's everyone busy at work and me, busy brainstorming for new ideas for our performance plus taking photos of course!

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It is heartening to see everyone working so hard, right Wan Ying? Don't you feel glad to have all of us here! XD

Random

Till Saturday, when we meet again, here's some photos for you to enjoy that I took in NIE while I was on my way out. Please accept them as my apologies for leaving earlier as my dad was waiting already. ^^'

We may be heading off to another country but don't forget that Singapore is beautiful too. =)

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Opps... Wrong photo! It's not what you think it is!

So anyway...

Take care and start packing! GO TEAM ECOVENTURE!

Apologies if I've missed out anyone in the photo!

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Training Session 3

12:37 AM by Kh
It's the third training session and Wan Ying's back! (Phew!) How many weeks has it been already? The countdown is telling us we're getting closer and closer to our trip with the passing of each day.

What new Vietnamese words did we learn?
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We all had fun during the Vietnamese Language lesson but do you still remember what we were taught?

Here's a quick recap of the useful phrases we learnt for use during class:
  • dung len - stand up
  • ngoi xuong - sit down
  • doc lai - read again
  • dung thanh vong tron - stand in a circle
  • im lang - keep silent
  • chu y - pay attention
  • cam on - thank you
  • xin loi - sorry
Q & A with Cindy

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Cindy came by later in the day to give us a briefing plus to answer some queries. I had listed below some things you might want to take note.

(A) Flight Details

What time is our flight?
1510hrs (5 June 2010; This Sat!)

What time should we meet, and where?
Meet 1300 @ Budget Terminal (to be safe, be there by 1245)

What time will we arrive in Singapore for the return flight?
2305 (18 June 2010) ; 0055 (21 June 2010); 1725 (22 June 2010); 1550 (26 June 2010)
What is the limit for our luggage?
15kg (check-in); 7kg (hand-carry)
But please keep your check-in bag at 13kg, our group items are seeking refuge in your bag!

(B) Exhibition Details

Where are we holding our forum and exhibition?
Forum @ Auditorium; Exhibition in tentage (just outside the Auditorium)

What is the dress code?
Ecoventure T-shirt (will be given out this Weds), Jeans, covered shoes

(C) At Gia Bac Village


What are the major problems faced by the village?
  1. low income
  2. low emphasis on education
  3. environmental degradation
What exactly will we be doing for the FLITCH project?
Planting trees - taking from the environment, returning to the environment
  1. Clear land
  2. Dig holes
  3. Plant
  4. Water
  5. Build fence
What should I wear?
No short shorts (no puns intended =P) and therefore no FBTs. Expect to wear long pants every day as both planting trees and teaching requires long pants to be worn. (Track pants will suffice)

What to do with my soiled clothes?
Clothes can be washed everyday if you would like - subject to the amount of spare time we have and how hardworking / energetic you are at the end of the day.

How many toilets are there?
2 (or 3, depending on the circumstances)

How is the lighting like?
No street lights - remember to bring torch along!

How is the weather like on the Highlands?
It can range from approximately 21 deg C (night) to 35 deg C (afternoon)

What facilities are there?
Convenience store available (just opposite our room), only 1 desktop with internet at the village (try not to use it though)

What am I eating there?
Meals will be prepared for us, water provided but bring along your own bottles to fill them up, do not drink directly from taps

Can I charge my hp / laptops?
Yes, it'll require 2 flat vertical pins (220V)

How much money should I bring?
Recommended amount of money to bring: S$100 worth should be sufficient for those who are not extending their trip (food, accommodation and transport are provided for).

What must I NOT forget?
Universal travel adapter, long sleeved shirt (planting), malaria pills, photocopy of passport, Indemnity form, Sleeping Bag
Important things to note:
  • Always verify information given with Harry
  • Keep your cash separately


Eco-Exhibition

More presentations from our friends for the eco-exhibition. Were you listening attentively? There was much to learn from it!
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Kenneth was supposed to be giving a model example of how a presentation should be like. So, did you all get sufficient tips?

Remember the 5 things that Wan Ying highlighted:
  1. Able to explain all jargons
  2. Balanced view
  3. Relate to Singapore and other countries
  4. Personal take
  5. Flow and coherence
And to that, add a brilliant smile, I'll say!

See you all next Wednesday!
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Training Session 2

1:51 AM by Kh
The days flew by and it was soon the second training session. However, something was not right. Where is Wan Ying, our leader? She was no where in sight but it was not because she forgot about us. She had to go on a course. We can't wait for you to be back!

Dear Team

Greetings for a good Saturday! I hope all of you are well and good amidst all the preparation for eco-exhibition, eco-forum, English Teaching, cultural performance, and the upcoming carnival!

I am much delighted to see each one of you so driven towards your roles and duties -- Leaders doing their best to co-ordinate, those on I.A. finding time amidst their busy schedule, and Cai Ping trying your best to catch up with us. Do share with us your Shanghai experienc, yeah?

I am very apologetic for being unable to join you all this weekend for the training and carnival@Sengkang. But I do believe this serves as a good opportunity for you all to take up leadership roles as they are all inborn in each of you.

For today’s training session, we will embark on a journey of deeper thinking as well as ways to structure our personal learning goals. I am sure the coordinators give you a good insight into them.

Thank you for all your efforts – for the preparation, for your plentiful contacts, for your publicity and everything little thing. As a team, every piece of your contribution is essential for our project to be successful. I now pass the time to the various coordinators to facilitate the session. Happy learning, and do help me to catch up on Vietnamese 201 yeah!

Cool Greetings from Wan Ying (hope the air-con’s running!)

So the few of us, the chosen ones, were left with the huge responsibility of facilitating the day's training. However, it did not take us long to realise that Wan Ying was irreplaceable. (Please do not leave us alone again!) The schedule ran a little late as we started off with the first item of the day, Vietnamese Learning.

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So do you still remember what we learnt? We learnt how to say the numbers. Here's a recap of how to say 0 - 10:

0 - khong
1 - mot
2 - hai
3 - ba
4 - bon
5 - nam
6 - sau
7 - bay
8 - tam
9 - chin
10 - muoi

Our teachers, Truc and Harry would be proud if you went through the numbers without having to refer to your notes.

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Following that, I gave a short presentation about Conservation in Vietnam. Some of the government's efforts includes:
  • Setting aside protected areas
  • Controlling illegal wildlife trade
  • Collaborating with neighbours (cross-border) on conservation and dealing with illegal wildlife trade
  • Setting up the roles of Forest Rangers
  • Ecotourism
  • Restoration of degraded areas
  • Reforestation
  • Education to raise awareness
  • Community involvement
  • Environmental protection planning
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(That's me in my green YOG shirt, having rushed over from my YOG training without even having my lunch first.)

Following that, we proceeded to discuss whether "Environmental protection is all talk but no action, especially amongst the youth". Everyone was divided on that notion and we ended up with three main opinions, "Yes", "No" and "Maybe". The discussion was a fruitful one and everyone presented their views and ideas on the topic with much earnestness. However, everyone agreed that it is possible to see some actions being carried out. Take this YEP trip for example!

After which, I went on to discuss the photo-essay everyone is expected to come up with at the end of the trip. Basically, according to Wikipedia, a photo-essay is a set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer. Everyone was divided into two teams, Group A and B. Group A (Hong Yuen and Jun Wei) is in charge of creating a documentation list and map drawing. Group B (everyone else) is in charge of doing a photo-essay based on a topic they had come up with.

For the Eco-exhibition, we were glad to have Rei, the VP (external) of Earthlink drop by to give us some advice. Having been a participant of Ecoventure 2009, he was just the one we needed. There he is, the guy in the white shirt.

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Then, it was time for the Teachers Team to get up on stage. They presented their idea for the cultural performance through a light-hearted demonstration. It was a showcase of Chinese culture and traditions.

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The performances for the two other major races in Singapore, Malay and Indian were out-sourced to the rest of us. (Oh no - why!) The Reporters Team will be doing Malay and the Programmers Team, Indian.

They also went on to give a more detailed introduction to their ideas for the English teaching at Gia Bac. Each learning was reinforced through the use of interesting games that will hopefully help the students remember the vocabulary learnt better.

There was barely enough time by then but it was not the end of the day's training yet!

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Mr Ronnie Chew demonstrated to us how to solder the caps together to make the gifts we'll be bring to Gia Bac for the students. We aim to make 80 of these, such that each student will get one each. However, this mean that we will require 1120 bottle caps! Are we able to achieve that amount in the short time before we leave Singapore? With everyone's help, it can become a possibility!

~~

Editor's Note:
As of now, we've made less than half the number we require so we need your support! Please do pass your unwanted bottles to us!
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Training Session 1

10:26 PM by Kh

Last Saturday, we had our first Ecoventure training session. The atmosphere at the start was rather quiet and tensed, probably because everyone was busy rushing through last minute discussions and going through their presentations. (Presentations always make me nervous!)
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In a while, the training session commenced with our hopes and fears regarding the training sessions. We were supposed to come up with tangible items for the list. Here's what we came up with:
Hopes and Fears
    • Basic Vietnamese (H)
    • Wrong Pronunciation (F)
    • Feedbacks on Presentation (H)
    • Communication of wrong information (F)
    • Better understanding of the content stated in the exhibition panels (H)
    • Proactive in Ecoventure-related activities (H)
    • To learn more about the Vietnamese Culture (H)
    • Team Building (H)
    • To have a good collaboration between Ecoventure participants and the foreign organizations (H)
    • Absenteeism for training sessions (F)
    • Good Preparation (H)
    • Behind Schedule (F)
Following that, we discussed some rules and regulations for the training.

Training – Motto & Rules
Purpose: To create an ideal learning environment
Rules:
  1. To be punctual
  2. Be open-minded
  3. Maximum contribution by everyone
  4. English-speaking environment
  5. Speak up, especially if you face difficulties
  6. Be updated on the progress of our preparation
Penalties: Cook for everyone (Cool huh?)
Most unfortunately, I was appointed the heavy task of noting down the people who violate the rules, cute as I thought the penalty was.
We also went through various terms during the session. Recall the UN and its 6 principal organs, what NGO stands for, what is service learning etc.
I quote the most memorable lines from that day that caught my attention, "I serve you in order that I may learn from you. You accept my service in order that you may teach me" (Principle of Reciprocity, Timonthy Stanton, 1992).
When we came to learning the Vietnamese from our friends, Harry and Truc, the atmosphere finally lightened up. A foreign language sounds well, just really foreign! Despite that, we were able to catch snippets that sounded like Chinese and dialect, much to our amusement and the peals of laughter chased away all the initial tensions that lurked in the room.

Here's a recap. Do you still remember what we had learnt?

Xin Chao! Bạn/em/anh/chị tên là gì? (what’s your name?)
Mình tên là …. (My name is…)
Bạn bao nhiêu tuổi? (How old are you?)
Mình 21 tuổi. ( I’m 21 years old.)
Bạn đến từ nước nào? (where are you from?)
Mình đến từ Singapore/ Malaysia. ( I’m from Singapore/Malaysia.)
Rất vui được gặp bạn! (Nice to meet you!)
Hẹn gặp lại bạn vào ngày mai! (See you tomorrow!)
It is always fun to learn a new language, don't you think?
After that, the teaching team presented their ideas for discussion and feedback. More details can be read from the "Updates" tab.

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Then came the brief presentations for the eco-forum and eco-exhibition.

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There was not enough time for me to present my part on writing a photo-essay though. Perhaps it'll be for another time then or I could upload my slides and everyone do your own e-learning!

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