Day 0 & Day 1: 30 May & 31 May 2014

Day 0 & Day 1: 30 May & 31 May 2014

Hello everyone! This is Corrie and Sherlyn and we are going to share with you our exciting Day 0 & Day 1 in UK. We would like to apologise for the delay of this post as we had difficulties connecting to the internet here at Nettlecombe Court FSC.

Many thanks to Ns Ng, Ms Kek and our parents for seeing us off and for everyone’s prayers. Shortly after we checked in, we were given some free time before we eventually boarded SQ332 to London. These are some photos we took before boarding and every photograph shows much joy and excitement. It is indeed a privilege to be on this trip and we are most grateful for the school for this learning opportunity.

The flight itself was draining because many of us needed to move and stretch. Some even went to stand outside the toilet just to do their ‘morning exercise’. Nevertheless, we felt refreshed and exhilarated when we landed at Heathrow Airport at 5.30 am and we made our way to Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of the famous poet and writer of plays, William Shakespeare, soon after.  We started with a visit to William Shakespeare’s house where we learnt about his life and times. We were shown the room that William Shakespeare was born in. Through the tour of the house, we also learnt about how people adapted to their environment in the past and the many ingenious ideas they had in the design of their furniture.  

Here we were watched a short film on Shakespeare’s life

We were then given some free time to walk along the main street just outside Shakespeare’s house to be immersed in this quaint town which was the centre of the wool trade in Elizabethan times.

Lunch Time! We arrived at a park for a picnic – very much the culture here There was just so much life on a Saturday with families having picnics, people walking their pets, cycling, taking boat rides and there were even street acts! Our tour leader, Ms Riley, bought us pasties for lunch. We all loved it!

Soon we finished the sumptuous lunch and we had a guided tour round the town to understand how it established itself as a market town in 1196 to the many changes that had transformed it into a place that is highly valued for heritage tourism. Geoff and Jill, our tour guides gave us very vivid and clear accounts on the history of the town and even explained the history behind some English phrases. For example, the phrase “a frog in your throat” came about because past doctors believed that if you put a frog down your throat, your sore throat would heal. J

Through the tour, we understood how history gives a place meanings and how change can bring about positive and negative effects to a place. For example, we were surprised that when tourism started to flourish in the 1700s and hence with more visitors and external influences, a street was turned into a red light district!

As the day progressed, we were slowly drained and we were overjoyed when it was dinnertime!

When our stomachs were full, we travelled to the Travelodge at Taunton for our good night’s rest, hoping that tomorrow will be as good as today. J