This is the Life..

The classroom

Panoramic view of the classroom

Day 2 (4th June) : Lesson on Academic Writing, City Tour and Punting

Breakfast at The Acorn Guest House                         

                                           Outside Acorn Guest House and Hamilton Lodge

Lesson 1: Academic Writing Skills

The Castle, Chesterton Towers

Our very first day in the Reach Cambridge program began at approximately 8.45 am as we arrived at the Chesterton Towers, otherwise known as the Castle. The Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge and it even has the oldest door! The Castle comprises of two levels. The first being the classroom and the second, offices and toilets. Despite giving off a sense of history to its visitors, the Castle is well equipped with modern chairs, tables and a heater providing a very conducive environment for learning.                                                
                           

Our lecturer: John O' Conner Gomez PhD

We also met our instructor for English, John Conner, who gave us a warm welcome and a brief overview of the topics we are going to learn in this program. His method of teaching is very enriching and interactive and his friendly manner makes us feel comfortable enough to ask questions and learn more. 

The lesson began with the reading of an article about undergraduates in UK having problems with academic writing. We learnt to identify the various characteristics that can be found in essays and analyzed how that particular article was persuasive, precise and clear. We further increased our understanding by comparing the differences in Lab reports and History writing. For example, Lab reports are mainly informative, where the facts and experimental results speak for themselves, whereas history writing has an air of persuasiveness about it when presenting the facts.

Lesson in The Castle

After a short break, we return to discuss George Orwell’s introduction on his essay of whether the English language is inherently decadent or not. Using his introduction, we sharpened our skills in identifying good characteristics a good introduction should have. Thereafter, we learnt a few rules regarding academic writing: always using the active form instead of the passive, and never use hyperbole. Also, John gave us two ‘Golden Rules’ we have to follow which are: less is always better, and think carefully when choosing words. As the three hours breezed by, we learnt important skills and information that we can use for discursive writing and argumentative writing back in school. We also learnt how the skills we are learning to develop in school is of great importance helping in our progress up the academic ladder to be more critical writers who are focused and concise. Lastly we ended of with an activity to simplify and condense complicated sentences, into simpler ones which definitely helped sharpen our skills in summary.

- Ahmad (VS)

Cambridge City Tour

25 min walk from The Castle to the City

The tour around the Cambridge city centre gave us more information about some of the colleges around the area. We got to know more about the tradition and the rules within colleges, such as formal dinners that is set on certain frequencies that varies with each college. We got to know more of the rich history behind each college when we went around seeing each college. One example was Queen’s college, which was founded by two Queens because the first queen lost the favor of the people and was unfortunately killed, and then the following queen stepped in and re-established the Queen’s college.

Cambridge City Tour

This tour was really fun and informative throughout the whole tour as our guide, Mr Daniel Strange, was really friendly and interactive, letting us try to answer his questions although we don’t really know the answer. He would even joke with us by stating random facts only to mention that he had made them all up. That was his way of informing us how they are many false facts, myths and urban legends that have been exaggerated and spread around just to make the facts more interesting.

Cambridge City Tour

The colleges in Cambridge are scattered all over, with the whole city being one giant network of both colleges, shops and houses, due to the different eras in which the colleges are built. This system is in great contrast to how the universities are in Singapore. Back home, our universities are more contained with various faculty buildings within the same compound. Students go from one faculty to another on shuttle buses whereas the main mode of transport for the students in Cambridge is the bicycle.

It was also interesting to see how the university caters to the cycling culture by providing space to park bicycles and also ramps so cyclists can push their bikes up and down the stairs.

Trinity College, Cambridge University

I feel that these scattered facilities bring out a unique vibrancy in the city, as students studying in Cambridge will be able to explore their surroundings and have more freedom to roam around the streets.

The locals feel very proud of being able to study in Cambridge, which I think it is because they feel a sense of belonging to the rich and prestigious history of their beautiful university town.

-Dylan Tan (VS)

Punting

Punting with a view of the Newton Bridge
(a.k.a The 'Mathematical' Bridge)

The punting was a great end to the tour. It was very relaxing to wind-down on the boat to digest the day’s new experiences. But of course, the punting itself was a new experience for most of us. To propel the boat forward the punter has to drive the stick all the way down into the mud and literally push the boat forward. We were amazed by the punters’ stamina to keep propelling us for about half an hour. The punters themselves were interesting as they ranged from male to female and college students to adults. They were friendly and kept us engaged with lots of fun facts, urban legends and even celebrity gossip on how members of the Royal family spent their days as students at Cambridge University.

They were also knowledgeable as they could explain to us the history of each college and famous landmarks we passed.

Beautiful architecture of the various colleges 

The people on the other punts were very interesting as well. They ranged from residents and students having a relaxing time, to tourists who were equally fascinated by the beautiful architecture and laissez-faire atmosphere of the place. The passengers seemed to be thrilled as they snapped photos of the passing colleges and occasional ducks. There were many different kinds of passengers as well including students, like us, and elderly. Some even took over the punter for an enjoyable experience. It was interesting to note how the students, despite the pressures of being in an elite university, could afford the time to relax by the banks and have an enjoyable time with their friends.

Personally, I felt it was a perfect experience to settle down and reflect on what we have learnt today and what we are all excited about in the days to come. We also treasured the novel feel of punting, as it was truly a rare experience.

-Lokkesh (VS)

Dinner at The Tivoli

Day 1 (3rd June): Reflections by Li Yuan, Jasmine and Ue Tsz (CGSS)

It is the first time that I'm visiting the UK. But the uniqueness of this country struck me as soon as we boarded the bus headed for our destination, Cambridge. On our way, we passed by many lush grass meadows surrounded by little wooden fences - a sight that is rarely seen in Singapore. Some of them had pretty flower bushes around too, making the area look even more enchanting.



As we drove further, we came across many old-European styled houses. Most of them were probably a few decades old, but they'd definitely not lost their charm. It is also rather amazing that this country is able to 'preserve' these houses so well, and some were also creatively fashioned into pretty little boutiques and  restaurants. I have always loved the sight of old European houses in movies but seeing it in real life was definately an extremely charming and unique experience.


Lastly, the people in UK have also left a really good impression on me. We were greeted by warm smiles at the airport immigration, and the friendly lady officer definately did a great job welcoming us. Although it was a simple gesture, it's still a big 'plus point' for me.


It has only been our first day in the UK, but it has definately been enough to form some good impressions of the place.

- Li Yuan (CGS)

Singapore was a former colony of Britain therefore I was not surprised to see many similarities between Singapore and London. The transport system, and the tall buildings beside the airport all reminded me very much of Singapore.

One of the prominent differences however is of course, the weather. Today's weather was really 'teeth-chatteringly' cold and it really made me appreciate Singapore's 'summertime'. Usually in Singapore we don't shove out hands into pockets, but having experienced one of the colder days of summer here, I can now understand why actors in autumn or winter moviescapes always have their hands in their pockets!

The people here are also more open and seemingly more friendly. In that sense, Asians are different from Westerners, for we usually tend to be more reserved when regarding foreigners.

All in all, I feel that what we've seen and experienced today was just a small peek into England, so I'm looking forward to gaining more insights tomorrow!

- Jasmine (CGS)

Singapore is a tropical country, where the temperature is constantly above 25 degreees. However, many of us do not appreciate it as we feel that we do not have a chance to experience the four other seasons, especially winter. It is currently summer in Cambridge, but the temperature seems as if it is currently winter. Upon landing, most of us were only wearing T-shirts and jackets. As we waited outside our accomodation, our teeth clattered uncontrollably. We couldn't help but laugh at ourselves as it was a really funny sight. 


I think we are incredibly blessed in Singapore and we should be thankful for its wonderful tropical climate instead of grumbling about not being able to enjoy winter.

- Ue Tsz (CGS)

Day 1 photos

 Group shot at Changi Airport Terminal 3 

 Group shot with Parents

 Journey to Cambridge (2hrs from London, Heathrow)

 VS boys outside the Acorn Guest House 

 A balanced meal

The healthier choice

 Welcome briefing by Reach Cambridge

 Dessert: Belgian Waffles with Ice Cream

Our Reach Cambridge hosts, Jenny and Dan. 

Pre-Trip Reflections

Pre-Trip Safety Briefing

The students were given a pre-trip safety briefing to give them a clearer idea of the potential risks involved, what to do to prevent them and how to act in difficult situations. They also took the opportunity to get to know one another by playing some simple ice-breakers.