Moelc Page

The MSP3 students embarking on a journey through the beauty of Malay culture heritage with grace by trying on the Malay traditional clothes - the Baju Melayu for the guys and Baju Kurung for the gals.

4 of our JC students went on a study trip to Takayama, Japan from 25 Nov to 8 Dec 2023 under the Language Elective Programme (LEP). Let's find out what they experienced there!

(Read the Japanese versions on the department notice boards at both campuses too!)

Days 13 and 14, Spanish H2 JC 1 Granada Memories

Hoy fue el último día de nuestro viaje de inmersión. Visitamos la Alhambra, incluso el Generalife, los palacios y los jardines majestuosos, y aprendimos mucho sobre la rica historia de esta ciudad antigua. En particular, nos fascinaba mucho la leyenda del Cípres de la Sultana, que trata del romance extramatrimonial de la sultana y la envidia y el enfado resultante del sultán. Otra característica llamativa de la arquitectura de la Alhambra que sintetiza la historia riquísima de Granada son las extensiones y reconstrucciones que eran representativas de cada cambio de régimen cada vez que los soberanos y dinastías trataron de usar la Alhambra para asombrar e intimidar súbditos y enviados visitantes. Terminar la visita final del viaje nos dejó con un sentido agridulce, y tuvimos la tarde libre para almorzar, descansar y empacar para el viaje de vuelta.

Today was the last day of our immersion trip. We visited the Alhambra, including the Generalife, the palace and the majestic gardens, and we learnt a lot about the rich history of this old city. In particular, we were fascinated by the legend of the Sultana’s Cypress, which was about the extramarital romance of the sultana, and the resulting envy and fury of the sultan. Another striking feature of Alhambra's architecture that encapsulated Granada's rich history was the intricate extensions and reconstructions that characterised each regime change as each new ruler and dynasty sought to use the Alhambra to awe and intimidate subjects and visiting envoys. Ending the final visit of our trip left us with a bittersweet feeling, and we had the afternoon to have lunch, rest, and pack for the return flight.

For our Sec 4 students looking on, join H2 Spanish in 2024 and experience the magnificience of Granada Espana for yourself! Lo mejor está por llegar!

Our students in Germany
visited the cities of Eisenach, Weimar and Wetzlar.
On Day 11, the students visited the Wartburg Castle, a UNESCO world heritage site.

The group then continued their excursion to Weimar, where they learned about the significance of the historical buildings in the town.

After spending a night in the Jugendherberge (youth hostel), our students visited the Buchenwald Memorial, a reminder of the cruel wartime past.

The next day, our students visited Wetzlar and learned about its eclectic mix of architectural styles, and the Lottehaus, where famous German writer Goethe got his inspiration and wrote ‘Die Leiden des the famous Werthers’ (The Sorrows of Young Werther). Our students will spend this precious weekend with their host families before their trip back home.

Day 12, Spanish JC1 H2 Immersion in Granada..

Hoy participamos en un recorrido del Albaicín, el barrio árabe de la ciudad de Granada. La mayoría de los hogares en el Albaicín se llaman "carmens", que son casas con jardines hermosos y plantas como naranjos y limoneros para ahuyentar los mosquitos en el verano. También pasamos por la Carrera del Darro, que se considera uno de los caminos más románticos de España, junto a que hay un río pequeña. Además, hay una vista maravillosa de la Alhambra por un lado y de edificios históricos por el otro. Aunque es feriado y las calles estaban llenas de gente, la atmósfera era encantadora y disfrutamos mucho del recorrido.

Today, our uphill climb took us through the neighbourhood of Albaicín, the Arab quarter of Granada. Most of the houses in Albaicín are “carmens”, houses with beautiful gardens and plants, such as lemons and oranges to repel mosquitoes in the summer. We also walked along Carrera del Darro, which is considered one of the most romantic roads in Spain, with a small river running alongside it and views of the Alhambra on one side and historical buildings on the other. While the streets were very crowded as today is a national holiday, the Constitution Day, marking the birth of democratic Spain after the death of Franco, the dictator, the atmosphere was lovely and we enjoyed our 6km tour. We admired the Christmas lightup after while savouring our healthy pre-dinner snack of llaollao.

Day 11, Spanish JC1 H2 Making Memories in Granada

Hoy tuvimos un recorrido al Palacio de Quinta Alegre, donde se puede organizar exposiciones y eventos, en la Avenida de Cervantes. Curiosamente, aunque es un palacete, nadie vive allí, pero en el pasado, vivía la familia de Rodriguéz-Acosta. Cenadores que proveen sombra forman parte de los jardines hermosísimos. Desde el nivel superior del palacete, hay una vista maravillosa del Albaicín y se puede apreciar la magnificencia de la catedral. Entonces, caminamos por la Calle de las Bombas, donde se construyó una locomotora (que aún está allí hoy en día) para una fábrica azucarera. Nos relajamos mucho por el camino tranquilo.

Today, we toured el Palacio de Quinta Alegre at la Avenida de Cervantes, which can be booked for organising exhibitions and events. Curiously, despite it being a mansion, nobody lives there presently. In the past, it was home to the Rodriguéz-Acosta family. Arbours that provide shade form a part of the lush gardens. From the highest level of the mansion, we had a breathtaking view of the Albaicín, and could appreciate the magnificence of the Granada cathedral. Afterwards, we walked along la Calle de las Bombas, savoured the children's Christmas fair, had a spot of random football in the park with our profesor, and admired an old engine on display, remnants of the sugar factory that once enabled residents in that part of town to flourish. We enjoyed the tranquility of the walk today!

Day 8, Spanish JC1 H2 Granada Immersion

Summer heatwaves in southern parts of Spain are challenging traditional notions of tourism. To hear such echoes from the Granada Tourism Office during our visit today hit home once more the urgency of COP23 challenges, especially for our Singapore. Our students learnt about Granada's tourism transformation shifts followed by a tour of Granada City Hall. The evening ended happily with our students blissfully immersed at Liberal Babel, an old school independent bookstore.

Day 9, JC1 H2 Spanish Immersion in Andalusia.

Miles of frost-peppered olive trees, a morning pit stop at the old rainway station of Luque for crispy morning bread, al fresco tapas in sun-drenched Plaza de la Corredera, a 5-hour tour of the architectural magnificience of the Mosque-Cathedral, the grandeur of her Roman city walls, the floral surprises of her Jewish quarter and the gothic, moorish, renaissance atchitecture of Cordoba's cobble-stoned streets.

Day 8, Spanish JC1 H2 Immersion

On a gorgeous, sunny, freezing Saturday morning, students travelled north to Jaen to learn about olive oil production. They joureyed on to the ancient town of Baeza where Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic architecture sit side-by-side. As students listened to the guides, they prepared their homework travel vlog assignment.

Day 7 & 8 of the German SCIP in Giessen, Germany.

On our way to Frankfurt, the students stopped by in the countryside to play in the snow. The view of the snow-covered fields and houses along the way looked like scenes from a Märchen (fairy tale). It was truly magical.

In Frankfurt, the students had an interesting guided tour where they learned about the depiction of landscape through the various historical epochs. After the guided tour, the students drew inspiration from the paintings around them and did their own landscape drawings. The museum guides were pleasantly surprised by the different styles of the students' drawings.

The visit to the museum was followed by a walk along the Main river to the city center where the students enjoyed a leisurely afternoon soaking in the festivities at the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market).

The next day, all our students gave a presentation on Singapore and ended the presentation with a quiz. With the enthusiastic participation of the German students, we hope to have more students from the Herderschule join our German exchange programme in 2024. 😁

Next week, our students will go on a 2-day trip to Weimar. Look out for more news about our trip in this space 😃!

Day 7 Spanish JC1 H2 Granada Immersion

Our H2 students met 40 of 0their Spanish peers at IES Angel Ganivet, an ERASMUS plus trilingual school in Granada for a mutual sharing. Our students shared about Singapore and ASEAN in both English and Spanish, fielding questions fluently from their peers. Well done!