An exchange program experience

 Abel Chan, F.4F (1)

In Hong Kong, students are generally quite good at English, especially reading and grammar, but they are not really good at speaking.  Why do I say that, you might ask. The reason is an experience I had while on an exchange program held by our school, the aim of which was to let students discuss more about global issues, and also to provide them with an opportunity to practise their oral skills with people from different countries.   

Mostly we were talking about national education.  As we know, although Hong Kong is an international, multi-cultural city, there is no area of the SAR curriculum that deals with national education, or comparative education. Therefore students usually don’t have a clear idea about education in their own nation or other countries; such a situation may foster national stereotyping and even engender racism.  

In this program, there were people from Korea, Germany, mainland China and also The United States. They tried to share their experience of their own countries, and have fun with us.  We were given an introduction to education in their countries, and played fun games like rock-paper-scissors.  There was also group discussion.  

I strongly recommend students to think deeply about education.  Regarding national education, there are 4 phrases to define a nation. Power Distance (PDI), Individualism (IDV), Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) and Masculinity (MAS). These 4 phrases encapsulate how the people of a nation or country live. For example, Hong Kong is a place with high power distance or masculinity but low uncertainty avoidance and individualism.  That basically means Hong Kong people like to stick to rules and be less different from their friends, as that could lead to a lot of pressure on individuals.

In my view, all students enjoyed these sessions.  However, some students couldn’t really take part in them, as they were too shy to take the first step.  Learning English may be a basic element of the curriculum in Hong Kong schools, but have we considered whether lessons go far enough in allowing students to communicate with foreign people?  In fact, Hong Kong students have fewer problems with grammar or reading as I have mentioned, but they find it difficult to express themselves verbally, in a discussion.  

Because there is a lack of practice in this area, students always need to think about their grammar before they start speaking, which is why they often miss the chance to contribute and have low self-esteem in such situations.  After that a student might lose interest in English.  

So, my suggestion is for our school to provide some lessons dedicated solely to conversation and discussion, where there is only dialogue in English between students and their English teacher but no homework.  This would lead to a more relaxed approach to learning the spoken language, and allow students to feel more confident when speaking English.

                                       

If I had 7 days left living in the world

BY 5D Chow Lok Hang Jonathan

God created this wonderful world in seven days.  I think I could do something remarkable in my last seven days too.

Only seven days left?  No, you are wrong to think of it like that. In fact, I STILL HAVE seven days.  I would make a Bucket List for myself... before I kicked the bucket!  I would make the best use of the time and try to make those days the most wonderful moments in my life, and so leave this world without any regrets. In those seven days, I would meet the people that I most care about, hate most, and try doing things that I have always longed to do.

There are many things I want to do before my life ends. Life is full of hope and miracles; in a way it’s sad to know that I only have seven days left, but I would set myself goals to achieve in the time I had left. To live, instead of to escape. Have I found JOY in my life and has my life created JOY in the lives of others？These questions will be the last ones in my life; I hope I can find the right answers.

I would not waste a second in those seven days. I would hope to make the best use of time left to do the things that I want to do. I should thank God that I STILL have seven days for that.

The first thing that I would do is to catch up with my good friends. I would invite them to my house and have a farewell party. I would hope I could meet all of them and share the happiness of being friends with them in my life. I would spend a whole day with them, recalling the memories of when we met, and share their hopes and dream.  I would hope they would have good memories of me.

Secondly, I would visit the people who I hate most. Maybe you think I am crazy to say that. Why should I visit them? They once did something really bad to me - why should I visit them at the end of my life?  For revenge?  No, this is all about forgiving. “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:26.  Hatred is painful indeed.  Perhaps they did something bad to me, but I don’t think I should continue to hate them anymore as I knowingly approach death.  All of us do bad things in the course of our lives, so why not forgive them?  If I carry the hatred to heaven, I will not be happy and free.  When I forgive them, they will feel relief too.

Life is too short. There are lots of things I want to do in my life but not many that I can achieve now. In the last seven days of my life, I may not be able to do something really big, like travel around the world, but if I needed to choose, I would do some crazy things which I have never done in my life, such as bungee jump, get drunk, spend all my money and party until my last morning without any regret.

At the end of the seventh day, I would stay in bed, and have my family and best friends around me, singing to me. That would help me leave this world peacefully, for the next.

This is the way I would spend the last seven days of my life.  I hope I could go without any regret.  Life is full of surprises!

If I had 7 days left living in the world

By 5D Li Wing Kei, Monica

Many people are afraid of death because they think they haven't done enough amazing things in their lives, and feel they still have so many things they want to do. If I had only seven days left to live, I would use my remaining time effectively. I would try to create  unforgettable memories for those close to me with my love, and then leave this world without regret.

Firstly, I think love is the most essential factor in my life. Without love, I would not be happy even if I were a billionaire. Therefore, if I had seven days left to live I would spend time with my family and friends, since we always focus on our studies or careers in our daily life, so we have closer relationships with our work than our families.  This would also be the right time to escape from modern city life and explore the beauty of nature. I would go hiking with my family and friends for relaxation and spiritual renewal. Without any electronic devices we could refresh our minds, and breathe in fresh air.  It would be a rare chance for us to find happiness in nature instead of thinking of our wealth and other mundane matters. I am sure hiking would be a great way for us to be happy together.

Secondly, I would secretly make an album for my family. I would compile photos taken when we travelled around the world.  Also, I would write something beside the photos to express my love and thanks for their care. I hope they would treat this album as a treasure and remember my smiles and the time they spent with me. I don’t want them to be upset because of my death. I would want to let them know my life was beautiful, since their love and care filled it with happiness. I would want them to feel that we were together even after I had left this world, and that they therefore did not need to miss me.

Last but not least, I would donate all my savings to charity. It would be useless for me to keep my money when I had left this world.  Although I don’t admire rich people who donate millions of dollars for show and just to avoid taxes, I would want to make the little contribution to the world that I could, and help people in need.  This would be the best and most meaningful way to use my money. I would hope my little contribution could improve the lives of some and help them have a better future.

Life is never too short if we have lived joyfully. The value of life is not built on how much we have, but how much love we have had - and given. If I had seven days left to live in this world, I would not feel bitter, but grasp my last chance to enjoy life with those I love. I would smile and say goodbye to the beautiful world I have been privileged to spend time in, and wait until the day I would meet my family and friends again one day, in the hereafter. 

35th Anniversary Kick-off Ceremony

             bY 3E Wong Sum Wing Dorothy

Last month, our school held the 35^th Anniversary Kick-off Ceremony. Students of Form three to six attended the ceremony.

First, our school supervisor, the principal, some teachers and some members from the SA, held a ribbon cutting ceremony. Each of them held a part of the ribbon with colourful ballons. Then, the students showed a video in which all students had taken part in. It was the count-down video. They invited some teachers and students to say ‘Happy Birthday To VC!’ They even found a popular singer for the video. She was a student in our school in the past.

After that, the performances of the Kick-off Ceremony started. All of them were in a story about truth and friendship told by an old man to her daughter. We had a shadow puppet show. The show was about a war in ancient China. The students used traditional Chinese musical instruments to play the music. The show looked very professional too.The story was quite funny and interesting.

Then, the dance club performed a jazz dance. At first, they danced with some blub lights smoothly. The atmosphere was peaceful and silent. Then, the music changed to a Christmas song. The dancing started to get faster and more joyfully. Finally, they performed to the pop song from a Korean pop star, PSY. They got lots of claps because of that song!

Next, the campus TV played a stop motion animation acted by the Form five and six students. It was about two boys who changed themselves into a car for a fight. The video were made from many photos. Then, using the computer, the photos were joined together in the timeline to form a video. It took a lot of time to take photos and produce the video although it just lasted a few minutes. It was the highlight in the ceremony too. They got many howls and claps. The participants looked delighted and interested.

Finally, the school choir performed some songs and the parents and guests started to leave the hall.

This Kick-off Ceremony was a great success. It didn’t just to celebrate our school’s birthday, it also gave a chance for students to show off their talents.