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Faith_Megan__National Hualien Commercial High School_Dec 3rd

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Faith_Megan__National Hualien Commercial High School_Dec 3rd

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We started off the day by visiting Taroko National Park! We walked 3km to enjoy the picturesque view as well as burn out the calories gained from so much food everyday :) The water was really clear and pretty !!! What really inspired us was the paths that were carved for us to walk up the mountains because I believe that it's difficult and dangerous for them to build such a long pathway with all those falling rocks...
Next up, we visited National Hualien Commercial High School ! They were humble and nice ! Something different about them is that they are more hyper than the girls at Jingmei High ! Their facilities were not s great as those in Jingmei but they were still able to adapt to the environment and learn music together ! it was a really enjoyable exchange with them and we certainly can't wait to perform with them soon !

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Today, we went to Taroko National Park after our breakfast. Unfortunately, our friend Nhi and Zhi Hao couldn’t join us as they fall sick. However, as wished, it was not raining and so hot that everyone took off their hoodies or jackets. As we walked in the park, we could see the amazing scenery of emerald coloured river and mountains. We couldn’t really see that kind of scenery in Singapore, and as we walk more, the environment became cooler as well. We all managed 1.5km walking, and bought some stuff at the temporary souvenir store.

After lunch, we went to National Hualien Commercial High School for the immersion programme. There was a welcoming dance for us, which we appreciated a lot. We then proceeded to be welcomed by a speech by their Principal, then went on to sectionals to practice together, learning things from each other as we went along. Then, we had a session of eating and interacting, where we got to know our Taiwanese counterparts better all while enjoying the snacks they had provided.

We really enjoyed the walk along the Taroko National Park, taking in the sights and escaping from the busy city sights in Singapore. We also learnt a lot at the National Hualien Commercial High School.

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No words could describe the beauty of Taroko Natiaonal Park, it gave new meaning to the word breath-taking. The blue-green still water that contrasted with the white rapids were truly a sight to behold. This clear water, undoubtedly fresh air, and clear skies are some of the things that we cannot possibly dream to enjoy back in Singapore, and that is why we find it most intriguing. On the whole, it is not possible to compare with certainty both of the bands as the two exchanges lasted very different lengths, with the Taipei school having to perform with us shortly after our first rehearsal together. However, it was obvious that the Hualien school's students were much more experienced in their musical skills than that of the Taipei students. Their practice routines were also more structured, with more time allocated to sectionals than combined band.

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Our visit to Taroko National Park was undoubtedly one of the most unforgettable moments of the trip. The natural scenery was incredibly beautiful, with the flowing waterfalls and the rock formations. We also walked 3km, which was definitely useful, given the amount of food we've consumed so far!

Then, we went to the National Hualien Commercial High School. After having sectionals, the students offered to take us on a tour of their school, and we were undoubtedly amazed by the large size of their gardens! We also learnt that they really enjoyed taking photos, and they taught us tips and tricks to take good selfies and group photos. This was extremely entertaining and the ice was broken immediately!

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Taroko National Park was a park that was filled with scenes that can not be found in Singapore. It was filled with green nature and mountains and even clean blue water. Unlike Singapore without any notable mountains, Taiwan is filled with mountains that make it possible for people to enjoy mountain climbing. While we did not climb a mountain, we were able to take a path around it and it was refreshing change from the busy city life of Singapore. It was remarkable how Taiwanese were able to preserve the nature in such a good condition. Natinal Hualien Commerical High School was different as it had much larger space. It was probably due to the fact that land is cheaper in the province area. The students there were able to associate with us to make us feel at home while showing different aspect of the Taiwanese life such as eating raw starch for as snack.

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Nhi_Jermaine_Zi Xuan_ Hualien Day 5_3rd Dec

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Nhi_Jermaine_Zi Xuan_ Hualien Day 5_3rd Dec

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This is our 5th day in Taiwan. As compared to Taipei, Hualian is more peaceful and slow paced, unlike Taipei, which is a urbanized city. In the morning we when to the Taroko National Park. As we walk through the trail, we could see mountains and rivers, needless to say the scenery was stunning! Along the way wr talkef to friends and took many photos. Even thought the trail was not very long, but we truly enjoyed the walk. Later in the day, we went to the National Hualien Commercial High School for exchange. They warmly welcomed us with a aboriginal dance by the schools dance club. Afterwards with had sectionals there band members. After some interactions, we realised at that they are really friendly! They all very willing to listen to us and at the same time shared their stories and experiences. In the short 3hrs, we learnt a lot from them and forge memorable friendships.

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Li Zhong: The scenery at Taroko National Park left me speechless. The moment we descended from a bridge onto the trail, the immediately noticeable fact was the clear blue river flowing out and into the ocean, with rocks of all sizes strewn on the river side. The trail was on the side of a hill, snaking until it reached a dead end where rocks littered river. The path towards the end was full of natural formations, like overhang stone which had water dripping from, and rocks formed a gateway for hikers of the trail to walk through. The most inspiring part was the river, which was formed after many many years of erosion and inspires me to continue persisting through live’s hardships.

National Hualien Commercial High School jumped right into the sectionals, without much for self-introduction (although some was done anyway), while the Taipei school was focusing on getting to know the other party better and making new friends.

Zhi Hao: On this day, I was sick (*Insert incredibly sad emoji*). I had missed an opportunity to meet new Taiwanese friends, and have a band exchange, meeting more horn players whom I could interact with and learn from (*Insert puppy face*). Greenery and all the natural greenery in Taiwan, with large hills and forests, was something that was pretty rare in Singapore, and from what we have had the privilege of seeing on our trip so far, it was something not worth to be missed. It was a bit frustrating to not have been able to experience the same with my bandmates (*Insert kitten face*).

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Today we went to visit the Taroko National Park. Instantly we saw the beautiful and scenery of the park. The flowing water in colours of blue and green and we can just see how clear it was. the view showed us the pinnacle of beauty. The air was fresh and clean, we could even see some of the damage left by the typhoon. As we walk down the creak, it was so inspiring as everything was just so fresh and it sparks creativity and joy within us. As a group we talked and took pictures, had an amazing time bonding. This gave us the opportunity to also appreciate the atmosphere of nature. Exemplifying.

Next we went to the National Hualien Commercial High School. The people there as usual, were all very friendly and nice. And one difference we noticed was that they really love to take pictures. Though it started out awkward at first for us and our section mates it then became less awkward as the ice was broken. In the end, we met new friends and got to play wonderful music with them during out sectionals time.

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Lance:
1. The scenery at the park was stunning and breathtaking. The river was so crystal clear and the beauty of the gorge was unlike anything I have ever seen before.

2. One aspect of difference would be that the Hualien school mostly provided vocational training like polytechnics or ITE in Singapore whereas the Taipei school is like JC in Singapore where they provide more knowledge based education. Another difference is that the hospitality provided where the Jing Mei school was more warm and friendly than the Hualien school.

Ryan:
*Day 5*

1. The most inspiring aspect was the streams in the park. It was an area untouched by man,  leaving it's waters crystal clear, with no signs of pollution. Such beautiful natural scenery is almost impossible to find in Singapore, where land is scarce and the coasts are usually polluted.

2. The Hualien school seemed to be more competitive and focused on results when compared to the Taipei school which seemed to focus on enhancing the person's ability to think and be creative.

The students in the Hualien school seemed to contain many cliques between students, which made it hard to talk to them since they would be talking with their cliques. However the students in the Taipei school were more friendly and willing to talk to you.

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Huiwen_Zixi_National Hualien Commercial High School_Dec 3rd

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Huiwen_Zixi_National Hualien Commercial High School_Dec 3rd

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1. The water was so clean and blue! The flowing water sound was really nice to hear and it was very soothing and calm. The whole trail was so calm and peaceful and this really allowed me to calm myself after the hectic year. The air there felt really clean too so it definitely did us good.

2. The students were really shy and kept more to themselves and as compared to the Taipei school, their school was a lot less updated with the newest equipment (their chairs were kinda short HAHA). In terms of their playing, they were able to play quite well and we really learnt a lot about their school and their band and hope to have a full combined performance with them.

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Xavier_Zi Tao_National Hualien Commercial High School Exchange

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Xavier_Zi Tao_National Hualien Commercial High School Exchange

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The scenery at Taroko National Park was something people living in highly urbanized cities like Singapore would rarely get to see. It was something that was majestic yet peaceful at the same time. It presented us with another side of the world that we rarely come in contact with, the natural world. The aspect we were most impressed with was the cleanliness. Despite the thousands of tourists whom visit the National Park ever year, not a single trace of rubbish was found on our visit there. The place was very, very clean. It was something to be admired by Singaporeans especially, where our rivers themselves have floating blobs of rubbish on them, turning green with impurities.
As for the exchange later in the day, we were greeted with a warm welcome, together with an aboriginal dance presented by the schools own students, upon arrival. But once we stepped in, we could immediately tell the difference between the school and the one in Taipei. This school is clearly not as rich as Jingmei. The buildings were dirty, run-down, and resembled a factory more than it resembled a school where students spent most their day in. Immediately, we felt really lucky to have such a beautiful college campus like TJ to study in, to spend our days in. The people at this school were also really shy, as compared to those in Jingmei, and were less willing to socialize. Nevertheless, with time, we were able to talk to each other and form friendships.

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We started off the day visiting the taroko national park, which had beautiful and absolutely stunning scenery. We walked this approximately 3Km long trail, enjoying the beautiful scenery and taking photos. The pathway was filled with small pebbles and stones and it was a relatively tricky road to navigate through. After which, we went to the national hualien commercial high school and did our musical exchange there. The students there were much friendlier and easy going as compared to the first school, however in terms of experience and facilities, they were lacking it and were not as prepared as compared to the first school. However even so, we had a blast there and definitely enjoyed ourselves. Can't wait to have a combined practice with them!

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Caiheng_Anjali_National Hualien Commercial High School _Dec 3rd

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Caiheng_Anjali_National Hualien Commercial High School _Dec 3rd

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Caiheng
1 The blue and green color of the river was amazing. And I like the splashing of water over the river stones. The sun shined on the water surface and the air was so clean and smoothing. The mountain water dripped down also helped to keep the place cool and pleasant. The shape of the mountains and the river impressed me the most.
2 The people in huashang were even more friendly and easygoing than jingmei students maybe they were from a girl guy school so it was less awkward.

Anjali
1. The scenery was really peaceful, I will never forget it. I felt really grateful to visit such a peaceful place. After a year full of uncertainty and moving into a new environment, the trip to trail made me feel at peace, it was like healing to the burnt heart, my heart was put at peace, it was a healing trip. Non-Band people should be jealous to not be given the opportunity to not attend such a healing trip.

2. They wore make up HAHA that was the most drastic difference i saw. They played their clarinets with lipsticks on, which made their reeds red/pink (how cool, not sure if their saliva that comes out of the instrument would also be red/pink). It was harder for me to interact with this school, basically because they didnt speak much English. But they were more outgoing, there were a few girls who took pictures with me just because i was an exotic creature there LMAO. The girls there were really girlie compared to Jing Mei (Im not sure if this is because of the presence of guys in their school). But they were cool! I also found this tomboy who looked like and idol and i took a picture with her. I thought she would be the outgoing type but she was so shy how cute!! she said bye to me personally when were leaving awww we were awkward but it was a really cute interaction between us!!!

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Venedict_Keith_National Hualien Commercial High School _Dec 3rd

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Venedict_Keith_National Hualien Commercial High School _Dec 3rd

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We started off the day visiting Taroko National Park, where we walked on a long trail of approximately 3km filled with awe-inspiring scenery from the mountains and river around us. We took many photos and breathed in the fresh air of East Taiwan. We also learnt more about the National Park, about the huge amount of effort put into carving out each and every pathway for us to walk through, which really inspired us! Afterwards, we went on to National Hualien Commercial High School, where we had sectionals together with the students. Here, as compared to the students at Taipei Jing Mei Girls High School, the students were less friendly but more humble and open to learning new things. There, they were extremely short on equipment and did not have as good of facilities as Taipei Jing Mei Girls High School. However, the students here were able to make-do with these setbacks and were able to still play extremely well, having little to no difficulty in learning the pieces they were allocated. We learnt a lot from them and we cannot wait to have a combined performance together with them!

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1)Describe the natural scenery you saw at Taroko National Park. Which aspect of it was most inspiring to you?

2) How does the National Hualien Commercial High School differ from the Taipei school?