It is education out of the classroom, it is learning out of the textbook.

Intellectual

- learnt about the organisational system of community work (committees required, manpower allocation, physical & mental preparations)
I have personally participated in quite a few overseas school trips, but this is the first of its kind. One which has the aspect of community work. Through this trip, I have learnt how a community project functions, and what is expected of us as participants. Although our team face many constraints in the planning and execution part of the project, and much was possible only through assistance of our local guide, this trip showed us what was required of us. Willingness, effort, focus and initiative were certain qualities that were tested in the course of the trip. We also had to be flexible and make relevant and necessary changes to certain unexpected problems, and much did not work out as planned, so we basically had to work on the spot. This was really a recce trip, one which would be of great help if we consider to do more of such projects in the future

- exposed to culture and lifestyle of various minority groups
Vietnam is home to many different minority groups. This fact about the country actually appealed very much to me, as I have only seen these unique groups of people on television. Visits and homestay with the Giay, Hmong, Dao and Tay people were really enriching and fruitful. We got to see how they live, learn about their livelihood, eat what they eat and sleep in their settings. Their life is really simple, all they needed were basic facilities like beds and blankets, a bonfire, and a kitchen. There were no television, computers or elaborate furniture. Yet we could see they were satisfied and living a simple life. We also got to see how tourism has impacted these groups over the years. Due to donations of clothes by tourists, many of them stopped wearing their traditional clothing, a trend which could lead to loss of culture and heritage. Many children also drop out of school to sell souvenirs to tourists, as these were means of learning English, perhaps more effectively. The women also resort to persistent selling in order to earn a livelihood. Such alarming trends really set us thinking whether we are doing the country a favour or not as tourists.

- appreciated and understood part of the culture & heritage of Vietnam
What so interesting about Vietnam is their rich history. Thanks to the company of a history teacher, we received brief insights about the Vietnam War, how it started, its impact on the country and people, and how it finally ended. The visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum which kept the body of the prominent political figure also taught us why was the man was so respected by the entire population

Deliverables

- helped in basic needs of poorer Vietnamese families in villages within our means
I would say this aspect was successful only at a small scale. With our means and size (9 people) our impact was actually minimal. During our trekking, we distributed biscuits, stationery, medical supplies to schools and families in Ta Van, Giang Ta Chai, Xeo Trung Ho, Ban Ho and Su Pan. Such a small approach was greatly received by the locals, and we truly shared their joy.

- improved the schooling environment of a village school which did not have the means to
Our initial plan was to help the Sapa Town Primary School. But according to the guide, the school was actually quite well-to-do already, and another school in the Cat Cat village would deserve this help much more. Hence, we went down to the school he recommended. It was a pity we only spent 4 days in the school, or we could actually do much more. However, I personally was still quite pleased that we managed to repaint two classrooms and the external walls of the building, set up a mini English library and help clean up the school. Our actions were met with much gratitude from the school and students who kept treating us to tea and gave us many gifts despite the fact that they were not wealthy to begin with. I thought the 9 of us received much more than we gave.

- donated stationery, books and teaching materials to poorer schools
Prior to the trip, we have gathered numerous donations from friends, teachers and family. This included english books which were below primary 3 standard, simple stationery such as pencils, pens, erasers, chalks and sharpeners, and certain puzzles and card games. These were spread out and distributed to 6 schools: namely San Sa Ho 1 Primary and Secondary School (Cat Cat), Xeo Trung Ho Primary School, Ban Ho Primary School, Su Pan Primary School, Ban Tru Hoang Lien Primary School

- organised an activity day at a school for the children
This idea emerged during the course of the residential project, which is to organise a fun-filled event for the children in which we could share performances, play games with them, and distribute sweets to them

Emotional

- appreciated how fortunate we are to live with ample basic necessities
During the time we stayed overnight in Xeo Trung Ho, I was really surprised by how simple the house was. There was only a single light bulb in the living and bedroom, and this is probably powered by a self-constructed hydro generator. It dawn on me how rich (in material sense) we actually are, and yet we can demand for more. I felt that i had neglected a lot of things around me and had taken them for granted. Simple things like light, electricity, and the comfort of the sofa, i didnt realise their importance before, and a thought of regret and foolishness surfaced. Hopefully this experience has straightened my thoughts and i will change from now on

- realised how lucky we were to undergo such a programme
The entire experience was priceless. There were too many first times experienced here: biking overseas, trekking overseas, doing an overseas community project, riding motorcycles, etc etc etc! It was really something that simple touring or vacations cannot get us. It is education out of the classroom, it is learning out of the textbook. I would think such an opportunity is rare, especially at our level, and many people agree that we are so fortunate to be able to experience this at a young age. Thanks to mr khoo for making this possible and our parents for so willing allowing us to immerse into this learning experience.

Adversities

- language barriers
This was a major adversity faced by us in the course of the trip. This was because little Vietnamese people received English education and could only speak Vietnamese or their native language. Communication was a hard task, and this became evident especially when we are buying things and when we were in the school. We couldnt understand what the shopkeepers were trying to say and neither did they, so we had to use hand signs or write on a piece of paper. At the school, we could not interact with the children as they did not learn English in primary level. It was a pity as we rarely talked to the children. Fortunately, due to our English-Vietnamese speaking guide and teacher-in-charge played our translator and helped us to overcome the adversity

- cultural differences
Although we are both Asians, we already display great differences in culture. This is overcome by an open mind to receive differences. We cannot go there expecting them to behave or react like Singaporeans as these people have their own way of living. We should accept and learn to adapt to their lifestyle, what the chinese call ru xiang sui su (to learn their culture when you are in a foreign land)

- working in a foreign land, away from comfort zone
Many uncertainties about actual situation and background complexes and complicates the planning process. We had not personally been there prior to the trip, and have little idea of what the school there looks like, and what can be done. Yet planning had to continue. We just tried our best to do as much preparations as we could, bearing in mind all could change when we really got there. In Vietnam, we had to be dependent on our guide for the purchasing of painting materials and food, as we had no knowledge on or transport to where to get them. Thanks to our resourceful and self-initiated guide, the project was still able to run smoothly. We do owe it to him for the completion of our project.

Learnability

I took on this trip with the perception that we are just going there to help them, to teach them, not thinking that actually it can be a two-way thing. However, after being at the school, after trekking for 3 days, after meeting and getting to know the locals, I realise that there is actually more to learn from them than what we have to offer. I had been so myopic to think that we are superior to be the ones who are helping, yet this is not the case. Going to vietnam as widened my perceptions and taught me many things about life that i did not use to ponder upon. The trip has expanded my capacity for learning, and I learnt to approach everything I do with an open mind to receive knowledge, and to stand by humility as that is the only policy for wider learning

Posted by yk_han at 3:25 PM |

NYAA Entry - Overview for September 06 - Guitar

Participants: Boon Kiat, Calvin, Edmund, Jiawei, Joseph
Venue: Victoria School
Dates: 8^th, 20^th, 29^th Sept 2006

Each of us did our own research on basic information about guitars, and had a group sharing and discussion of our research findings:


Various parts of an electric and acoustic guitar as shown below respectively:

Reference source: http://www.guitarlessonworld.com/lessons/lesson1.htm

Body: The box provides an anchor for the neck and bridge and creates the playing surface for the right hand. On an acoustic/classical, the body includes the amplifying sound chamber that produces the guitar’s tone. On an electric, it consists of the housing for the bridge assembly and electronics (pickups as well as tone and volume controls).

Bridge: the metal (electric) or wooden (acoustic/classical) plate that anchors strings to the body.

Finger-board/Fret-board: A flat, planklike piece of wood that sits atop the neck, where you place your left-hand fingers to produce notes and chords. The finger-board is also known as the fret-board, because the frets are embedded in it.

Frets (in the context of guitars): Thin metal wires or bars running perpendicular to the strings that shorten the effective vibrating length of a string, enabling it to produce different pitches.

Head: The section that holds the tuners(hardware assembly) and provides a place for the manufacturer to display its logo.

Neck: The longs, club-like wooden piece that connects the head to the body.

Nut: A grooved silver of stiff nylon or other synthetic substance that stops the strings from vibrating beyond the neck. The strings pass through the grooves on their way to the tuners in the head. The nut is one of the two points at which the vibrating area of the string ends. (The other is the bridge.)

Output jack (electric only): The insertion point for the cord that connects the guitar to an amplifier or other electronic device.

Pickups (electric only): Bar-like magnets that create the electrical current, which the amplifier converts into musical sound.

Strings: The six metal (for electric and steel-string acoustic guitars) or 3 metal and 3 nylon (for classical guitars) wires that, drawn taut, produce the notes of the guitar. Although not strictly part of the actual guitar (you attach and remove them at will on top of the guitar), strings are an integral part of the whole system, and a guitar’s entire design and structure revolves around making the strings ring out with a joyful noise.

Tuners: Geared mechanisms that raise and lower the tension of the strings, drawing them to different pitches. The string wraps tightly around a post that sticks out through the top, or face, of the head. The post passes through to the back of the head, where gears connect it to a tuning key. Also, known as tuning machines, tuning pegs, tuning keys and tuning gears.


How Guitars work

String vibration and string length:
In a guitar, just like any instrument, the part that moves in regular, repeated motion to produce musical sound is the vibrating string. A string that is that the guitarist brings to a certain tension and then set in motion (by plucking action) produces a predictable sound – for example, the note A. If the guitarist tunes a string of his guitar to different tensions, he will get different tones. The greater the tension of a string, the higher the pitch.
Another way to change a string’s pitch is by shortening its effective vibrating length, and guitarists do so by fretting, which refers to pushing the string against the fret-board so that it vibrates only between the fingered fret (metal wire) and the bridge. This way, by moving the left hand up and down the neck (toward the bridge and the nut, respectively), the guitarist can change the pitches comfortably and easily.

Using both hands to make a sound:
The guitar normally requires two hands working together to create music. To play middle C on the guitar for example, the guitarist must take his left-hand index finger and fret the 2nd string (that is, press it down to the finger-board) at the first fret. This action, however, doesn’t itself produce a sound. He must then strike or pluck the 2nd string with his right hand to actually produce the note middle C audibly.


Frets and half-steps:
The smallest interval (unit of musical distance in pitch) of the musical scale is the half step. On the guitar, frets – the horizontal metal wires (or bars) that are embedded in the fret-board, running perpendicular to the strings – represent these half steps. To go up or down by half steps on a guitar means to move the left hand one fret at a time, higher or lower on the neck.


(With reference from Guitar for Dummies 2nd Edition)

Meeting Minutes for 29th December

NYAA

1.Residential Project

• Initiation of project begins with today's Fund raiser
• Basis of project is to provide a platform to aid other C.I.P project based on the personal experience gathered from the trip to Vietnam
• The project will require setting up a schedule for the C.I.P project and the schedule will depending on the target group i.e. the people undertaking the the C.I.P project
• We will seek to develop clientele in schools
• Hence this would provide a template for C.I.P in Vietam.
• A template for C.I.P trips to Vietnam would :

1. Make the prospect of such a trip less daunting
2. It would allow Vietnam to be a location ready for such projects as our trip to Vietnam had been a suitability assesment in which our personal experience would have contributed to the template
3. The template for C.I.P projects would be in the form of a portfolio completed as a proposal

2. Adventurous Journey

• Pulau Ubin cycling trip, kayakking( 1 star and 2 stars), and the life-saving course as preliminary training
• This ensures a minimum of at least 2 entries under preliminary training for the Adventurous Journey
• For the actual adventurous journey, the 2 days of biking and the immediate 3 days of trekking(according to planned itinery)
• Do Exploration segment consisting of :

1. Evaluating the circumstance of the people
2. Improving those circumstances

• Do a report and journalling to complete the exploration segement of the NYAA Gold.
• When journalling, always focus and link writing to the 2 parts of the exploration segment.

3. Service

• Service segment can be completed through leadership mentoring
• or Tutorial(academics) sessions

Post Trip Reflections

Pls share your post-trip reflections before the 3 Jan 07 in order to facilitate my compilation of a trip report. You can organise your sharing as IDEAL-ly as possible:

• Intellectual: What did you learn? Share something factual about the trip which has added to your knowledge-base.
• Deliverable: What did you do? Reflect about your contributions and accomplishments.
• Emotional: What did you experience? How do you feel about what you experience and saw? Can you recall any poignant images or lasting impressions?
• Adversity: What did you have to overcome? Were there any experiences and occasions that challenged your capacity for the unknown and unthinkable?
• Learnability: What have you discovered about yourself? Have you learned about the way you learn? What is your attitude towards learning? What is preventing you from learning as much as you CAN learn?
  

Most of us would have no problem performing a task if the task is fun and if we are interested. Beyond fun and interest, we can still find other reasons for motivation. Diligence, Duty and Dependability are also reasons why we must do what we must do.

NYAA Entry - Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training - Entry 1- Life-saving

NYAA Entry - Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training - Entry 1

Note to take when writing NYAA journal(must look through)

• Entry shall be in first person context and past tense.
• Please take careful note of grammatical error and spelling error especially for important information such as the name of a place etc.
• Please ensure that all information written are correct and exact such as the lifestyle of the local minorities and also the date and number of hours completed.
• Please refrain from using "palpable" and "profanities" language in your entry.
• Please exercise a certain level of neatness
• Try to do paragraphing if possible.
• Always do refer back to the focus of the whole section and make sure not to write off topic.
• Keep your hand writing small and legible.
• DO NOT FLOOD YOUR ENTRYS WITH TEXTBOOK KNOWLEDGE
• K eep it short and sweet. You don't have too many pages to write on.

Focus for Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training entry 1

• Safety Requirements (safety in the form of the DOs and DONTs in bad weather and not to play in river without proper shoe wear)
• First Aid & Emergency Procedures (EAR, CPR, shallow water rescue, which can be used durin trekkin over rivers)
• when writing this entry please take note of the above two focus and refer back to them at the right time.

Overview (for day 1)

• 20 lap swim (stamina training)
• reaching throwing wading (first aid and emergency procedures)
• casulty simulation(first aid and emergency procedures)
• DOs and DONTs (Safety requirement)
• simple EAR(first aid and emergency procedures)

LIFE-SAVING

Date: 19/06/06
Hours completed: 9 hours (0800 - 1700)

Today is the first day of our four day long life-saving profiency training. Right from 0800 onwards, i started on a 20 lap, 1000 m long swim from one end of the 50 m pool to the other end, using two recognisable strokes namely free-style and breast stroke. My stamina was put to the test.

Next, we proceeded to the first 3 part of Emergency Procedure - Reaching, Throwing and Wading. I was taught reaching using a pole, that is to pull the victim back near shore with it.

Throwing was next, with a static rope. There was much more to it than merely throwing a rope to a drowning casulty as most people thought.(highlight your own opinion in the process of learning) When pulling the victim back to shore, proper techniques are applied to achieve maximum effect, something that most normal people would overlook.(do not focus too much on what you have learned. instead, focus on how what you have learn have differ you from others)

Wading was another aspect. I had to enter the pool with a pole, sweep the bottom as though it is a seabed to keep sharp objects away, and approach a victim by stretching to him the pole, pull him to me and guide him back to shore.

After lunch, the class began casulty simulation. Some of us, as victims, acted to be suffering from shock, cramp and minor bleeding. I learned of the different treatment for both of these common injury, which have a high chance of occurance during the qualifying venture.(Do link back to how your preliminary training train you for the qualifying venture)

Theory lesson starts soon after first with the DOs & DON'Ts and self-survival skills. Example includes floating on your back, breathe deeply while awaiting for rescue and do not continue with vigorous activity when not feeling well, which are fundamental as a "Preventive is better than cure" measure.

Last part of the day involve a simple introduction to the Expired Air Resuscitation, involving the blowing air into the nose when attending to an unconscious water casulty.

NYAA Clarification - Adventurous Journey - Qualifying Venture

NYAA Clarification - Adventurous Journey - Qualifying Venture

(In your small hand book pg 14 under Adventurous Journey - Qualifying Venture)

Nature of venture: on foot and by bike
area: Sapa District, Lào Cai Province, SR Vietnam
date started: 4/12/06 completed:7/12/06
purpose: TO SURVEY AND UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES TO THE LIFESTYLES OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES OF NORTH-WEST VIETNAM and TO EXPLORE MEANS TO IMPROVE THE RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES

Main Idea

• We will be undertaking EXPLORATIONS in order to complete our adventurous journey section. Please check your award diary for the specification which you should be clear with.
• the whole focus for this section will be that of SURVEYING AND UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES TO THE LIFESTYLES OF THE ETHNIC MINORITIES OF NORTH-WEST VIETNAM and HELPING TO EXPLORE MEANS TO IMPROVE THE RESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE LOCAL MINORITIES

Understanding the challenges to the lifestyles of the ethnic minorities of vietnam

• a study and research of the lifestyle of the GIAY, DAO and HMONG people will be made and the information found shall be integrated into our entry in the award diary under Adventurous Journey - Qualifying Venture on page 10.

Helping to explore means to improve the residential environment of the ethnic minorities

• record of how we donated medical supplies, books & stationery to the schools in Xéo Trung Hồ, Bản Hồ & Sử Pán shall be mentioned in the respective entry of the particular day.

Overview

Entry 1, day 1

• first part of our journey we started out on bike westwards from Sapa
• bike to Chu Va, Bình Lư and Bản Bồ and donated a soccerball to local school
• overnight in local homestay in Bình Lư
  
• returned to Sapa to prepare for trekkin to another area southeast of Sapa the next day.

Entry 2, day 2

• second part, we started trekking from Tà Văn, area of the Giay ppl (add in info that u have learned bout their lifestyle here)
• we entered Giang Tả Chài for lunch, Red Zao ppl, after a trek of 3 km and from 600m up a height of 1280m.
• along the way we met, interacted with Black Hmong ppl.
• Saw water-mill, grinder, how hemp is joined, dyeing with indigo, production and sale of embroidery handicraft
  
• we reached Xéo Trung Hồ, home of Red zao, at 1500m after another 15km of trek.
• overnight in Xéo Trung Hồ. (highlight the wilderness and isolation)

Entry 3, day 3

• woke up to observe the lifestyle of the Red Zao ppl(cookin rat).
• proceed to Xéo Trung Hồ sch to donate stuffs.
• went up from 1500m to 1800m for lunch where we donated medicine, house of Red Zao.
• went up to the peak, at 1800m.
• went downhill all the way to Ma Quáy Hồ to donate biscuits and crayons, at 1300m.
• from Ma Quáy Hồ to Bản Hồ is a descend of around 700m.
• total distance convered from Xéo Trung Hồ to Bản Hồ is 15 km.
• overnight in Bản Hồ in home of Tay minority.

Entry 4, day 4

• last day of adventurous journey. travelled from Bản Hồ to Sử Pán, an uphill climb of 600m and displacement of 5km.
• on the way, we observe top spin among local children, make references to modes and nature of leisure. Sold tops to us (price differentials and the effects of money economy on attitudes of the young)
  
• visited a sch and also gave away stationery and biscuits (highlight how we understood the lifestyle of the students there and make comparison with local kids.)
• on the way back from Sử Pán to Sapa where we started our trekkin, we went to Sử Pán sch to donate books.(highlight on our focus of the journey which is improving the environment of their education.)

Note

• these are juz brief overview for your understanding of the whole section. more detailed example of completed entry in continous form will be published soon.
• these are also guidelines for you when you do your entry so that you do not copy from the example
• please feel free to add in whatever i may forget and any ideas as to how we can further package this section of nyaa.
• and do contribute to the research of the minorities in vietnam.

Resources

• Sapa Tourism
• Hmong Textiles
• Hmong Language
• Photographing Vietnam
  

NYAA Clarification - Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training

NYAA - Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training

(In your small hand book pg 12 under Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training)

Safety Requirements

• this has been signed by our life saving instructors for those life savers, and this aspect shall be recorded in the award diary under Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training, mentioned when you are writing about your life saving lessons.
• for non-life savers(calvin edmund and seth), this shall be signed by mr khoo. there shall be no record in the award diary.

Campcraft

• Everyone will get a signature from mr chan(to have more variation in ppl signing the book). there shall be no record in the award diary.

Navigation & Route Planning

• Everyone will get a signature from mr khoo as part of the ubin cycling trip in which we navigated around pulau ubin. this aspect will be mentioned in your award journal when you write about the cycling trip.

First Aid & Emergency Procedures

• this has been signed by our life saving instructors for those life savers, and this aspect shall be recorded in the award diary under Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training, mentioned when you are writing about your life saving lessons.
• for non-life savers, mr khoo will sign for you. there shall be no records in the award diary.

Food and Cooking

• this shall be signed by mr khoo for everyone. there shall be no record in award diary.

Environmental Ethics

• this shall be signed by mr khoo(supposedly our instructor). this shall be mentioned in your award diary under Adventurous Journey - Preliminary Training when you write for your 2-star kayakin in which we did not leave behind our lunch packet after the coney island trip.

Observations and Recording

• this shall be signed by mr khoo andshall be mentioned in your 2-star entry as in how you read the sky and tide.
• non 2 star shall get a signature without entry in award journal.

Proficiency in chosen form of travel

• signed by mr khoo. our chosen form of travel is by foot and biking. the bikin part shall be mentioned in the ubin entry

Note

• last part to be fill in by mr khoo.
• the entrys to be filled in are life-saving, 2-star and ubin trip.
• you may wan to fill in other workout that you have done on your own at your own discreet.

Project Expenditure

Painting Of San Sả Hồ primary school
1. 1-day rental of landcruiser to transport paint/cement to San Sa Ho primary school at Cat Cat village: $29
2. 4-day rental of motorcycle for ad-hoc transport @$10.00 x 4: $40
3. 9 pairs of boots for students to carry out general repair works @$2.50 x 9 = $22.50
4. 10 sets of rain-coat for students to carry out painting works @$0.30 x 10 = $3.00
5. 3 packs of cement @$15.00 x 3 = $45.00
6. 2 porters to carry stationery to Seo Trung Ho village = $5.00
7. 8 students' motorbike transport @$1.20 x 8 students x 4 days = $38.40
8. 2 cans of white-wash @$15.00 x 2 = $30.00
9. 2 packs of yellow paint powder @$2.00 x 2 = $4.00
10. 4 paint rollers & 4 paint brushes = $10.00
Total: $226.90 to be claimed from sale of Commemorative Yearbooks

Additional supplies for the school to continue painting the rest of the classrooms:
11. 3 packs of cement @$15.00 x 3 = $45.00
12. 2 cans of white-wash @$15.00 x 2 = $30.00
Total: $75.00 disbursed from US$50 donated by Big Foot Adventures

Food and Medicine Distribution
1. Stationery bought in Hà Nội = $100
2. Soccer ball donated to school in Bản Bồ = $9.50
3. Lunch for students at San Sả Hồ primary school (Day 1) = $150
4. Lunch for teachers at San Sả Hồ primary school (Day 2) = $58.50
5. Medicine distributed at trekking = $28.00
6. Biscuits for children (Day 4 & after) = $71
7. Lunch for children (Day 4) = $119.00
Total: $536.00 disbursed from S$1000 donated by Mrs Raj (Balance: S$464)

Meeting Minutes for 20th December

Agenda for meeting

• Ascertain execution of business proposal(travel agency) for Vietnam trip
• Role assignment for portions of the business proposal
• Brain storm for ideas on proposal and implementation of it
• Source for practical and unique aspects to manage and market travel agency
• Fix deadline for proposal

1. List of services

• Cater to walk-in backpackers
• Exploration around Sapa(mountain villages ) via a jeep
• Biking to villages
• Mountain climbing
• Trekking
• Minority people's homestay
• Tubing
• Outdoor activity certification
• Hotel Reservations
• Leisure Trips/Holiday
• Expert assistance in C.I.P based projects
• Educational trips
• Local interaction (e.g. Sports)

2. Features

• Affordable and reasonable rates
• Customised individual tours
• Personal guide (at least a minimum of 2 people)
• Multi-Lingual guide
• Good rapport with minority people to aid interaction and immersion with local culture
• Internet services provided
• Cater to special diet requirements
• Availability of electrical amenities (e.g. heater etc)
• Shopping recommendations
• Affiliated tours throughout Vietnam
• Welcome gifts
• Value-added service
• Service with initiative

3. Focus

• Educational trips
• C.I.P projects
• Adventurous journeys

4. Marketing concepts

• Hook up with possible Singapore tour agencies interested with working affiliations
• Register with related agencies to and evaluate approve educational tours
• Liase with schools to source for potential clients
• Set up a website as a means for public communications
• Brochure
• Word-of-Mouth publicity e.g. MSN
• Write to NGOs and get endorsement
• Media

5. Travel Agencies motto

• Experience- To provide comprehensive and unique activities in Vietnam which is fun, enriching and educational. To immerse people into the lifestyles and cultures of the minority peoples for a truly personal and unique experience. This would allow an extra edge over common travel agencies as this would not simply be a touch-and-go experience but instead something which will stay with people even as they leave. Such an intimate experience with the culture of the minorities in Vietnam is not something easily obtainable, and yet we can guarantee this much. Therein lies our value-addedness in terms of experience.
• Exposure- To provide interaction with the local minority peoples and the exploration of the rich cultures in Vietnam. To also acquaint people with the panoramic landscape of Vietnam. The exposure in this instance is not simply a walk along the oft-taken routes but a hard trek along the mountainous areas used only by the locals. These routes will allow people to view the Tonkinese alps in all their splendour, further enriching their discovery of Vietnam. The interaction with the minority peoples-the locals-will prove to be unique as our guides have great rapport amongst them, allowing for a higher level of social exchange. The exposure in terms of the physical landscape and social interaction will prove to be extraordinarily unique in every sense.
• Education- To provide experience and exposure through the professionalism of the tours by the travel agency. The guides at the travel agency are one of the best in the business and can ensure satisfaction at every level of expectation. From the great outdoors to common interaction, one can be assured that they are the most adept at what they do. Their expertise allows the people they serve the greatest overseas travelling experience, meeting the needs of the people beyond what is asked and expected.

6. Target Group

• Students(12pax)
• Walk-in bagpackers

7. Assumed purpose of trip for students(possibly main target group)

• Inculcate values e.g National Education, independence etc
• To educate the main student body on things learnt from the trip as student representatives
• To learn of the different ethnic minorities in different countries i.e Vietnam

8. Means of educating the target groups

• Work booklets for filling in

9. Elaboration on niche area i.e educational trips and C.I.P Projects

• Comprehensive planning of trips to prevent a mismatch of reality versus planning
• Allow smooth flow of C.I.P projects, meaning areas and resource will be sourced out ahead of time for C.I.P Projects
• Precautions taken: We will act as the go-between to coordinate the conditions for C.I.P projects and how much assistance will be rendered. This ensures a balance of work is still done.

BBQ - Trip debrief at Starville

BBQ - Trip debrief at Starville

date: 31st december 2006
time: 1600 meet at starville
location: starville
price: S$15
ppl: fusionoize

Note

- kembangan ppl meet 1100 at starville
- mr khoo to bring xbox
- bbq to start at 1900
- this is only the menu

Day 16 in Vietnam

There was to be an extra day in vietnam apart from our schedule. From another perspective, we can lay our hands on a $100 insurance claim and a full refund from tiger as we soon found out. yet, it was nothing compared to arriving safely back in singapore.

We were told that we were on the flight at 1300 back to singapore. What happened was actually that a bird had struck the front of the plane as it arrived in Hanoi the previous night and the flight had to be cancelled for safety reasons. It was absurd.

As a result of that, one of our friend had to miss another flight to the states. The three hours back was a sound sleep for most of us (and the other passenger as well) after a hectic night.

By 1800, it was sure a great feeling to be back in Singapore. We were all hungry and annoyed at that time. Some people told us to follow them to make up the numbers so as to confront the staff at the airport. Some of us followed.

The feeling of going home is great.We are finally returning.

Day 15 in Vietnam

the morning was great mayb cuz all of us knew that we were going to go home today. we went back to the jacket street once again to buy more things. then, we had lunch at the place we had dinner yesterday. its was just too good to miss.

by 1600, 3 hours after lunch we had our dinner as the flight to singapore was at 2045. we were still full from our lunch and many of us did not eat much. we were lucky to have the manager of vega to eat with us though.

by1800, we had reached the airport and by 1830 we had checked in. there was a minor hiccup when we needed to remove our glass bottles we bought and had checked in from our checked in bags. everything was smooth sailing after that.

something unexpected happened though when the flight was delayed initially. all of us though that it would only be for a while like an hour or so. we continued playing cards. by 2300, the time we are suppose to be informed of any new progress, emotions burst as some people flew into rage and scolded the counter person.

only us saw what was really happening on the second level when our bags are removed from the plane at 2330 while the rest of the passengers are still in the dark. i was realy very very very angry at that time. but what could we do anyway. the next moment we were "chopping" good sleeping spots for ourselves while the rest were still arguing.

that was to no avail as we were made to check out from the custom and find another "bed" for the night in the arrival hall when we first arrived. who whould have thought that we would sleep there for the last night.

photos of our journey

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Day 14 in Vietnam

We awoke much later then usual because we did not have to run by a tight schedule that day. For today,the choice of breakfast breakfast resumed to the traditional pho (fer) we had for the past 12 days. After breakfast we made our way to vinhcom plaza, the shopping equivalent of suntec city in singapore. We had much sights to see along the way, every street was different and unique. There was a street selling shoes where some of us wanted to buy some shoes, but never did for fear of its durability. Then there was the street selling bags where many bags were being sold. Again no one bought anything for the very same reason. The only street that was lacking might be that of a games street though we occasonally found some game stalls and bought some pc and ps games, this time without fear.

Perhaps the happiest thing of the day or the whole trip was the discovery of a KFC outlet in Hanoi. The food was utterly delectable (even though it was similar to the Singapore KFC).Difference was that it was served on a porcelain plate and the drinks were in glass cups.

After that we went on to vinhcom plaza. The interior was an exact replica of Suntec city, with the exception of the crowd. Things were costly. The only place that we found interest in was the arcade there(being totally similar except for the price). We went off soon after.

by 1500, we returned back to vega guesthouse. we proceed to jacket street which many of us spent our remaining cash on "real" jackets and pants. i believe it was real though.

dinner was in a real posh bar. food served was pizza, ribeye, steak and everything nice. the prize was nice too, at 4.50 sing dollar, even cheaper than singapore macdonald.

the night went fast and all of us were prepared for tomorrow's EXPECTED flight back home.

Day 13 in Vietnam

It was a good night's sleep on the junk boat, maybe even one of the best in the trip. The morning was cool, probably due to the sea breeze. Breakfast, for once was different, we had bread, butter and jam. By 0915 we were already leaving for the harbour, away from halong bay. Our stay in halong bay was a rather short one.

We began another 3 hour journey back to hanoi when we came onshore. We had lunch at a Hong Kong restaurant nearby prior to that. We saw several cemetaries along the 70+ km trip back. Other than those, the view had remained constant throughout.

We reached Hanoi by around 1300. All of us were held in great anticipation regarding the JC(junior college)we were to be posted to for the first 3 months. Fortunately for us, there was a computer there for us to check our posting.

We met 45 mins later to tour around Hanoi. Many of us were quite worn out and we did not explore too far a distance from the guesthouse. Dinner proved to be quite novel this time round. All of us did not manage to eat much though. We had the traditional bánh cuon of Vietnam(which costs only 2 sing dollar). It bears some resemblance to a local Singaporean food( meat fillings wrapped in thin layers of steamed rice flour). It was quite interesting to run into fellow Singaporeans who identified us through our accents when it occurred that night.

Day 12 in Vietnam

The overnight train to Sapa was much easier in terms of transportation due to substantially reduced baggage which came from the stationery and books(all delivered to the intended schools) . This time round, the train ride was made considerably more comfortable as the train compartment was in a better condition then the previous train ride from Hanoi to Lao Cai. We reached Hanoi in the early morning hours at around 0530. It was still pitch dark at that time. We were then brought to the guesthouse in Hanoi, the same one we stayed in originally. Breakfast ensued as usual but many of us were not used to the blaring sound of the traffic which was absent in Sapa. We had a short break after breakfast before our bus ride to Halong bay.

It was a 3 our long bus ride to halong bay and most of us fell asleep, because of the fatigue that had built up from the overnight train ride from Lao Cai.We reached there by 0930. we were all surprised when we got onboard our very own junk boat in which we all did not need to share with any other tourists. The conditions exceeded our expectations, bettering those in Sapa and even Hanoi.

The scenary we saw was equally breath-taking. Furthermore, we made a stop at a fish farm where large species of different fishes and also the "predator" like horse-shoe crab could be seen. We decided to chip in money to buy extra seafood for dinner, mainly crabs and cray fish. By 1100, we had managed to start kayaking, around the many islands (2000 to be exact), though expectedly we did not manage to kayak to all. We went around into caves and lagoons in the area, and even had a short dip in the cool waters of the bay.Shortly after 2 hours, we were back on board. With spare time on our hands before dinner, we took a dive from the second tier of the junk boat into the cool water. It was a refreshing experience! All of us repeated the activity again and again. It was such a pity we did not have time to try for the third deck.

Day 11 in Vietnam

We are going back to the village primary school in San Sả Hồ for the last time and they will be holding a farewell party of a sort for us. Upon arriving, the students are assembled in the parade square. Our last bit of work this day was to clean up the assembly area in preparation for a time of games, songs and fun. The games which kickstart this party come with prizes of biscuits we bought for this occasion. A H'mong boy and girl came to perform their traditional musical instruments; The boy a pipe of a sort, the girl a bronze mouthpiece of a kind.

We then put up a performance, a little something we learnt from all the campfires we have attended from our CCAs.We then teach them musical chairs as part of our contribution of games to this farewell party . After this minor celebration and after the students have left, the teachers and us sit down to a cup of tea before we leave in which we have a mutual sharing session of our thoughts over the days we spent doing the Residential Project. Before we leave the school for the last time, the teachers wish us goodbye with many gestures of gratitude which was really quite touching . Since we started working at the school on Day 5 to this day, we had developed a sentimental link with it. With great reluctance we said our goodbyes. We had definitely been enriched in our sympathies for things.Tonight, we will be taking an overnight train to Hanoi