Cultural Exchange Programme with Convent of Holy Infant Jesus Secondary School in Singapore (13-20 July 2024)

This past summer, six of us Secondary 1 girls were chosen to participate in a valuable exchange program with the Convent of Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ) Secondary School students in Singapore. This was the first exchange programme for every one of us so it was indeed a remarkably eye-opening experience. Over the week, we got a glimpse of what it is like to live in Singapore while staying with our respective host families and immersing ourselves in an unfamiliar culture, experiencing the dynamic city. Also, going to school with our buddies allowed us to get to know more about local Singaporean schools, which had a somewhat similar system to our school. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to meet other students from CHIJ, which was a great opportunity for us to develop long-lasting multinational friendships, enhance our communication skills with people from different countries, and help us to be nurtured as individuals.

Before the exchange, we were extremely excited and began preparing for the upcoming trip. We communicated with our friends in advance, discussed potential places to visit in Singapore, and gained a general understanding of their weekly schedules. Upon our arrival at the Singapore airport, our host families warmly welcomed us at the arrival hall, marking the beginning of our exchange experience in Singapore.

Over the weekend, we visited various attractions and tried different restaurants for food and entertainment. Each of us stopped by famous tourist spots, including the Merlion, Universal Studios, Gardens by the Bay, Orchard Road, and more. It was extraordinary to see in person what we had only heard about or seen on television. The days passed by quickly as we had an amazing time there. 

One thing we realized during the trip is that the Singapore culture is quite different from the culture in Hong Kong. Singapore is a city with many different ethnic groups, consisting mainly of Chinese, Malaysian, and Indian groups. As a result, you can often hear different languages being spoken around Singapore when you walk on the streets. In addition, food in Singapore is relatively more strongly flavoured than that in Hong Kong. Singaporeans enjoy seasoned food like satay and bak kut teh which have a distinct flavor. I enjoyed tasting famous local dishes such as the Hainanese chicken rice, a dish often found in Hong Kong.

At CHIJ, assembly starts at 7:30 a.m. each day, so we had to wake up relatively earlier in the morning to get to school by 7:15 a.m. to prepare for lessons. There is a well-equipped canteen facility that our school doesn't have, providing a diverse range of culinary options, such as Japanese, Chinese, Thai, and Western delicacies. This wide variety of affordable and delicious food made it quite challenging to choose what to eat each day.

Besides the canteen, the lessons at CHIJ were also a bit different than ours. For example, they had mother tongue language lessons, where students had to learn either Chinese, Malay, or Tamil; and drama lessons, where they had to script and act out a play at the end of the year according to the topic they had chosen. Overall, I think that the lessons at CHIJ are equally enjoyable as the lessons in DGS and are a very memorable part of our exchange program. 

Personally, the most unforgettable part of CHIJ for me is the people I met there. I was really nervous at first because I had no experience with foreign students from other countries and didn’t know what to expect. But to my surprise, on the first day I joined my buddy’s class, her classmates were already so welcoming and enthusiastic towards me — a newcomer and stranger. They eagerly introduced themselves and treated me with so much kindness and affability that I blended into them instantly, soon helping me get to know more about them and eventually develop friendships with a few of them.

After an eventful week full of fascinating outings, lessons at CHIJ, meeting a lot of transnational students, and developing valuable friendships in the process, our journey in Singapore came to an end.

During this trip, we experienced Singapore culture thoroughly and fully indulged ourselves when attempting something new, making the most out of whatever came our way. Thanks must be given to Mrs Lau and Mrs Lee, the headmistresses of both schools; Mrs RL Wong, the teacher in charge; and Mr K Cheung, the teacher who accompanied us during this trip, for giving us this precious, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Without their guidance and support, this trip would not have been possible. Lastly, we would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our respective buddies and host families for treating us with great warmth and hospitality throughout the entire trip, and accompanying us to explore and dive into the culture of Singapore. We look forward to our buddies’ visits to Hong Kong next year.