Learning Experiences

Our 3 day Malacca trip was packed with many activities, performances, tours and learning opportunities. It may have been tiring, having to reach school at 6:30am or arriving at school only at 7pm, weathering the sun and the rain and walking for hours on end, but we pulled through and it proved to be worth it.

However, during these 3 days, we have learnt a lot from everything that was planned for us. This trip was memorable not only for the fun we had together but also the insightful experiences we have gained.

Day 1

Our first stop was to a Malay Science school, MOZAC. We arrived at MOZAC after 5 hours on the bus, hoping that it would be a very interesting experience, and we were not let down. The performances and activities they had planned for us (dance, games and music) was varied and engaging. It was also extremely enriching - for most of us, this was the first time we had a chance to interact with Malay students (even more so, one in a foreign country) since Nanyang is a Chinese school.

The trip to MOZAC really made me realise how different we are from the students in Malacca. We are constantly on our smart devices whereas they play five stones and hopscotch (and are fabulously good at it) which made me feel a little embarrassed, especially when we were pretty bad at those games. But in all I think the most fun part was the exchange of cultural performances. Even then you could tell they put in more effort than us, as we were all just singing and moving awkwardly around!

After waving goodbye to our newfound friends from MOZAC, we headed for dinner and then to an introduction to a Peranakan wedding. First, a man crossdressed as a Nyonya went upstage, which may have put some of us off. However, the information presented was fascinating and it was also presented in a hilarious and riveting way. Learning about the culture of the Peranakans was something not many of us had done before, even though there were Perankans in Singapore (there is one in our class, in fact!).

The programmes that left the deepest impact on me were the ones related to the Peranakan culture. Being a Nyonya myself, I do know quite a bit of my own culture. Going through the performance on the first night was interesting as the marriage traditions were not something I knew well about before. I was even more intrigued when we visited the Baba and Nonya Museum. I had previously been to the one in Penang so I expected both museums to be very similar. In terms of architecture and decorations, they were indeed similar but the way the tour guide had brought us around and explained everything in such detail was very different. I was very impressed by her fluency in describing the main pieces of furniture as well as the other highlights in the museum. 

We ended off the day rather desperate for sleep (even though quite a number had taken a nap in the bus on the way here), and it was with great relief that we headed back to our rooms for a well-deserved break, but silently anticipating what was in store for us for the rest of the trip.

Day 2

Day 2 was our Big Day Out, and we were allowed to visit anywhere we liked to, so long we made it to the 2 museums in time for the tours. We chose to visit St Paul's Church and Jonker Street, both of which proved to be an invaluable experience. The museums we toured, Cheng Ho Museum and the Baba and Nyonya House Museum were both very engaging and enriching.

I enjoyed Day 2's Big Day Out very much as it is quite unusual for teachers to drop the reins and let us wander about ourselves, especially when it came to overseas trips. This allowed us to explore the places we wanted to, giving us more say in what we saw and experienced in Malacca. For example, we used some of our time talking to people in shops and on the streets and learnt more about the people in Malacca on a more personal level, which we usually do not have the time for.

 I loved learning about the culture in Malacca, specifically about the Peranakans. Ever since a few years back when I watched the drama "The Little Nonya" and went to a Peranakan museum in Singapore, I was intrigued by their culture, practices and food. Going to the Nonya and Baba Museum was an interesting and unique experience for me. What set it apart from other museums was that it was an actual Peranakan home, with its furniture, clothing and even cutlery and crockery intact. We could go up close to it and imagine what it was like to be living as a Peranakan in those days. I was even more excited when I realized that the museum was the set of the movie!

After our Big Day Out, we had about an hour and a half to prepare for Malacca Evening which was held after dinner. From Malacca Evening, we learnt a lot more about Malacca from our peers and also benefited from preparing our own presentation about what we learnt as well, for we had to process the random facts and quotes scribbled down hastily on notepads into something comprehensive and informative.

Day 3

Many of us woke up with the sudden realisation that this fun trip was going to be over - too soon, perhaps. After checking out from the hotel, we headed off to a kampong, where we visited a rubber plantation, a palm oil plantation, paddy fields and learnt to play traditional games.

Through this experience, I have gained insight on a different way of life, one simpler yet more interesting than our hectic, fast-paced lifestyle here in Singapore. The traditional games we were taught have brought me back to the days when the internet and smart devices didn't exist, and children had to be creative and come up with such ways to entertain themselves.

What I enjoyed the most was the Padi fields. Ignoring the mud, I concentrated on the ground to avoid tripping, and stopped to look at the green fields of Padi plants. This made me feel at peace, and the process was like a form of meditation. Being in a natural environment and concentrating like that enabled me to forget my worries and other thoughts.  

After lunch and a trip to a local produce shop, it was time to say bid goodbye to Malaysia. Overall, it was a very beneficial trip filled with interesting experiences and a lot of knowledge was gained.

Being in Malaysia was totally different from Singapore. It was indeed more rundown than Singapore, but I enjoyed that aspect of it. In Singapore, everywhere you went, you were in the city and you only saw buildings with patches of trees, as if they were tamed. In Malacca, the ruins of the A Famosa ruins were part of St. Paul's Hill, and the lively river ran along the roads and Jonker Street.