4:53 PM
Ciao people:) I ain't doing too well... Heather, Ain and I have not adjusted to Singapore time... Never mind, i'm not here to complain about my problem, i am here to REFLECT!:) We've been to a total number of 4 countries.... Namely, Germany, Qatar, Italy and Austria. we made a stopover at Doha for about six hours. We had planned to have a city tour in Doha during the stopover instead of waiting in the airport. We went to visit the camel and falcon markets, Equestrian Club and the City Center Mall. i learnt quite of a few things actually.. Did you know that Doha's population is only one million??? So it's somewhat like Singapore only smaller... Out of the one million, only 300,000 are locals. The rest are foreigners. i feel the Dohan government is so nice to it's people.. Our tour guide told us that the government gives free land to it's people. Hence, not one local is homeless. While we were on our way to our destinations, our tour guide told us that we can actually distinguish the houses of locals and foreigners. Did i mention that the houses were MAJESTICALLY built? From what i saw, the locals had more flamboyant houses while the foreigners had plain-looking but still majestic houses. Our first stop was the camel market where camels were sold either for milk or meat.Our tour guide told us that camel milk is much higher in nutrients than in any other milk that we drink. However, he mentioned that it is an acquired taste. The Equestrian Club was where racing horses were held. We then headed to the City Center Mall. the area where the mall was was actually something like the CBD area in Singapore. only, the buildings there were much higher and beautiful. In fact, they were actually doing something like a mass production. It was very new to me to actually see like a whole city being built before me. Okay!!!!!!!! Enough yakking about Doha. Let's talk about Germany. At the Swan Castle, we learnt abot King Ludwig II. He was the last King to rule Germany. Apparently he was forced to take medication under a claim by officials that he was mentally ill. Until one day when he and his doctor were found dead in the Swan lake. Till now, no one knows the real reason behind his death. At the Dachau Memorial Camp, we learnt how the people were killed. It was one of the first concentration camps and all the other camps were modelled after it. Hitler taught his soldiers to be cruel. People were each given a spoon and they had to eat from a big pot of porridge. There were times when they killed so many people that they had to dig mass graves. We had a school visit on the next day. I learnt about the German education system. Apparently, students who wanted to go to University had to qualify for a specific secondary school. That type of school is called a Gymnasium. We headed to Marienplatz square. We were given time to learn about the monuments there on our own. It was very very fun:) I learnt about the fish fountain outside the New Town Hall. Every year, people washed their purses there to bring in the new year and hopefully with more wealth. We then took a drive to Venice, Italy. Before reaching Venice, we stopped at Hallein, Austria to visit the Durnberg Salt Mines. I learnt that salt was formed using the crystallisation method we learn in Chemistry. Upon the discovery of salt, Salzburg was able to develop because of its new found form of finances. We made our way to Venice on a water taxi. Venice is an island like Singapore. However, there are no cars on the island. The worst thing is that scientists have predicted that because of rising sea levels, Venice may soon be submerged under water in another couple of years. Come on people!!!!!!!Protect Mother Earth or places like this may very well become history. The last two places we visited were the Vatican City and Pompeii. At the Vatican city, we visited St Peter's Basilica. A Basilica is a Roman Catholic church. I also found out the way to the Pope's living quarters. I also visited the Capella Sistina(Sistine Chapel) and Raphael rooms. I learnt about how MichaelAngelo spent four years to complete the Sistine Chapel. Flash photography is not allowed there for fear that the paintings would fade. I learnt about the old and new testaments. The old was Moses and the new was Jesus. I learnt that the gladiators who fought in the Colosseum were convicts and they had to fight animals and win to keep their lives. In Pompeii, we learnt about how most Pompeiians were killed by inhaling poisonous gases from the volcano. The remaining people were buried alive due to pyroclastic flow. The climb to Mt. Vesuvius was tough but it taught me to persevere and to not give up which is quality i am in great need of. There are many active volcanoes around Mt. Vesuvius and i learnt that by measuring the amount of sulphuric gases, we can tell when it is about to erupt 3 weeks in advance. To end everything off, I'd like to thank all the teachers for making this trip possible. Mr Jani, for driving us around safely and on schedule. Mr Dan for taking care of us and making sure we eat our food. Last but not least, my new-found friends!!!!!!!! I really appreciate how you cared for me when i was suffering from motion sickness. Love you loads!!!:) Thanks for making it more memorable for me....I have definitely learnt more things which i can brag about now and i have learnt to appreciate Singapore much more...It really becomes a clean and green city if you have gone to Rome. Gone are the days when i complain about GST being unfair. i have learnt to also be more daring. Never did i think i would try squid ink pasta and actually like it. I wish i could write more but the library is closing..:( I heard quite a number of us are sick... Take care and drink lots of water people! With love, Ravetha
Europhiles :)