My trip to Kyoto was an extremely memorable experience. I went along with 7 others from our school. We did not really know each other at the start but throughout the trip, our relationships developed and we got to know each other much better! I was very thankful that I had the opportunity to mingle with students from many different countries.

The Ritsumeikan Super Science Fair 2009 had approximately 30 participating schools and was held mainly at Ritsumeikan High School as well as the University, which provided us with comfortable accomodation. The fair gave us the opportunity to expand future networks and to learn from each other through interaction and the exchange of ideas. One of the main messages I took away from the fair was to ‘heal the world’ by cooperating with people from different places and sharing our knowledge to make the world a better place.

There were many highlights during the trip and I felt that the events were arranged such that participants were able to experience not only on sharing their research but were also able to understand and appreciate the Japanese Culture. We had 2 dedicated buddies who made us feel at home upon our arrival at the University. They brought us around shopping as well and ensured that we were well taken care of throughout, making our trip very pleasant. We were also provided with good food and were able to taste the different types of Japanese food.

As part of an introduction to Japan and to the Japanese Culture, we had a series of activities – tea ceremony, traditional Japanese games, traditional Japanese instrument, Sumo wrestling, sightseeing at kiyomizu temple and a cultural performance on what fisherman do when they go fishing by students from Ritsumeikan High School.

It was a very enriching experience. The students themselves shared with us about their Japanese culture, which is something they are proud of and are enthusiastic to teach us about their many activities. Personally, I enjoyed this part of the trip the most, where we were given the chance to experience their different activities. For instance, we were able to try out Sumo Wrestling and to play the Japanese instrument to the tune of ‘Sakura’.

The trip to the kiyomizu temple was also an enjoyable experience. Although it was raining when we went, we were provided with an umbrella each to carry on with our journey around the temple. We broke up into small groups and were allowed to move around on our own. The walk was an enjoyable one as we managed to interact with the other Japanese students as well. Upon ending the tour around the temple, we went shopping where the shops along the road sold many traditional Japanese goods such as the wooden comb, the sword and there were even stalls which helped you carve your names onto chops.

With regards to the presentation of our research projects and the talks, we had events such as the Science World, the project presentations, poster presentation, the science zone and even an industrial tour. During this time, we observed the different ways of presenting and the type of research everyone had. I noticed that the Japanese students usually started with simple projects which concerned their environment or what they are passionate about as compared to the projects we brought over which required a higher level of understanding. I actually enjoyed the idea of going back to the basics and understanding from scratch before developing a tough research project.

During the Science World, I joined the program on artificial intelligence. We were given the opportunity to play around with robots. This got me interested in the mechanism behind how it worked and we managed to interact with the speaker and discussed about artificial intelligence in our society and how it may develop in the future.

As for the science zone, we were split into groups of 4, mixed with students from different countries. Within the short amount of time we had, we were supposed to build a solar boat while being provided just with a Styrofoam board, penknife and a solar panel connected to a motor. It was really fun having discussion with students from different countries whom we had not interacted with before. Thankfully I had a group which was open to ideas and we enjoyed our time building the solar boat. However, the race of all the solar boats could not be conducted successfully due to the sudden change in weather. We still managed to observe the different solar boats though and learnt from each other’s strengths. We were also given a lecture on how the solar panel worked.

Throughout the whole trip, there were quite a few long bus journeys. To me, I felt that this was a crucial component as this was the time where we could interact with the many different students and discuss about any topic or understand about their country. Also, to inject more fun into the bus rides, the Japanese students played games with us. I feel that it is small insignificant events like these which will allow me to understand more about the effort and enthusiasm placed into organizing such a large-scaled event.

Before I went for this trip, my main objective was just to share my research project with the students and learn more about what they have been working on as well. I also hoped to make new friends and share some of Singapore’s as well as our school’s information (especially SIMC 2010) with them and leave them with a good impression such that they would want to visit our country.

After the trip, I think I achieved my primary objectives and much more that I did not expect. First and foremost, the friendships forged were not temporary. Although it was just a short 7 day period and some of us only knew each other on the last few days, we still managed to interact much and are still keeping in touch with one another. Secondly, I managed to learn about the importance of punctuality. Back in Singapore, I am actually a person who is pretty particular about events falling into schedule and for people to be punctual. However, many people are not able to meet this requirement, even in our daily lives. Thus, I was glad to learn that the Japanese are very punctual people and it would be something that I would hold on more to. Also, the Japanese treat respect as a very important characteristic and is something I believe I would bring back to the local context and share with my peers. Their hospitality is also largely admirable. Besides that, I was able to learn about organizing events and coming up with backup plans. This is something I can apply when planning for activities back here. The manner in which the events are carried out is very organized and is something which should be learnt. Most importantly, they put the welfare of the participants in first priority. For instance at the temple, although it started raining, they were prepared and provided us with umbrellas to allow us to still be able to continue with our activity. These small acts would allow people to understand more about the effort put into carrying out an event. I would definitely recommend my juniors to go for this trip and acquire this valuable experience. There is just so much to enjoy and learn from at the same time. These are experiences we would not acquire in the classroom.

This overseas experience allowed me to know that I am able to be independent and take care of myself as well as help my peers even though we are away from home. It also allowed me to understand that I am able to interact well with people I am not familiar with. I had feedback from my buddy that I actually made her and some others feel very easy to be around! This trip allowed me to boost my confidence and be daring to share ideas and present in front of others.

During the trip, the most memorable highlight for me would be the day of the closing ceremony because it made me feel the importance of accepting and embracing each other. We put aside all differences, regardless of where we were from during the cultural performance and closing ceremony, just fully interacting and enjoying the moment together, with a common objective to help ‘heal the world’. This created such a strong impression because it is something I feel is lacking in today’s fast-paced society back home where competition is so strong and people seem to have lost track of what they are doing at times.

Suddenly, everything just hit me. Is it wrong standing up for something right?

He taught me that life is not only about doing things right, but also about making wrong things seem right.

He taught me how important authority and power are in life.

He taught me how essential split personalities are.

He taught me feelings get you nowhere.

He taught me not to bestow trust on others.

He taught me so much more.

Is life really this cruel?

Is it not important to have values any longer?

Or is it just you?

You, using your authority, to push others down.

Don’t forget, what goes around, comes around.