Two Thousand and Five

What crap. Does she freaking know how to edit stuff on a computer? Does she even have the slightest idea how to use Microsoft Word? The first time my name actually appears in the school magazine, having written the article for last year's Lit Trip together with Reks and Pau, and she has to go mess things up by doing a most ghastly editing job. I feel so damn insulted to have my name attached to that piece of rubbish. I mean, it's a LITERATURE trip article, and there's spelling errors like 'grreted' in place of 'greeted', and repetition of a whole freaking paragraph. Plus the use of italics is so OFF. Any sane person'd think the Lit Trip didn't have any effect on improving our English whatsoever. And she's the one who speaks in such an affected manner. I've a good mind now to go print out the original copy of what we students had actually typed and distribute it around the school. THIS, is the original:

29th May, Sunday. 30 excited girls and 2 equally excited teachers stood armed with jackets and scarves, ready to face the blistering New Zealand winds as they stepped out of the Wellington Airport. What greeted them was instead sunshine, a gentle breeze and the prospect of a full 13 days of much anticipated fun, learning and bonding.

The 30 excited girls were us, the 2 equally excited teachers – Mrs Tina Neoh and Mrs Quek Kooi Lian and the 13 days of fun, learning and bonding was to be our Literature Trip in New Zealand.

Prior to the trip, we had been split into 3 groups of 10 girls each – Aroha, Kaha and Mana, Maori words meaning love and compassion, inner strength, and power and authority respectively, were to be 3 words that would be closely linked to our trip; they were qualities that we hoped the trip would strengthen in us. And we were not disappointed.

After arriving in Wellington via a domestic flight from the Auckland International Airport, the group of us headed immediately to the Angus Inn, where we were to stay the night. Soon, we were in our rooms and settled in, but having come on the trip fully prepared to enrich our minds with the rich culture and literature of New Zealand, we wasted no time in getting started, and soon began our walk to the Chilton Saint James School, with which we would be having an exchange programme. The following is a reflection by one of our girls on the wonderful experience:

“The Chilton Experience is one of the most memorable events of the Literature Trip to New Zealand 2005. We spent five days under the wing of Mrs. Moffatt, a teacher at Chilton St. James’. During this period, we pored over and analyzed the works of Katherine Mansfield, Patricia Grace and some Maori texts. Mrs. Moffatt was very friendly, with a smile and enthusiasm for Literature that always lit up Fitzgerald 16 – our classroom at Chilton. She brought us to the many attractions that brimmed with New Zealand’s culture in Wellington.
In addition to lessons and field trips, each of us was attached to a girl from Chilton. We spent two days living with our host families, during which we learnt more about New Zealand life. We were immediately welcomed into their homes and were included in activities such as going out for dinner and visiting the library. Some of our host families even found the time to bring us to famous places in Wellington.
We remember the Chilton Experience as a valuable and unforgettable one, where we made new friends and learnt more about the culture and life in New Zealand.”

During our time in Wellington, we visited many places. They were the famous New Zealand author, Katherine Mansfield’s birthplace, the Te Papa Museum, the New Zealand School of Drama and Dance, the Circa Theatre, to watch Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard” and the Lighthouse Cinema, to watch Niki Caro’s “The Whale Rider”. Just looking at the names of the different places we went to shows how much we were exposed to the numerous literary and cultural attractions that New Zealand had to offer.

On the last night of our 5 days of interaction with the lovely girls and their teachers at Chilton Saint James, we put up a mini performance for all our host families as our way of thanking them for their hospitality. We did a skit, danced and sang songs from home, which proved to be interesting and enjoyable for the New Zealand girls and their families. Us? We were just glad that the performance went smoothly without any glitches! Of course, were also very sad at the thought that we would soon be leaving our buddies as we continued on to New Plymouth the next day, but there was a certain air of excitement about us that night, as we wondered what the next leg of the trip would bring.

The 5 hour trip up to New Plymouth with our teachers and 2 new guides, Mister Beaton and Miss Low, not forgetting our favourite bus driver, Jim, was wonderful. We dozed, talked, laughed and bonded, and by the time we arrived at our destination, we were fully recharged and raring to go.

The first place we visited was the Puke Ariki museum which taught us a lot on the rich Maori culture. Then it was off to the set of “The Last Samurai” – the Hollywood movie starring Tom Cruise! Though the set looked nothing like it did in the movie, owing to the fact that most of the props used had been taken down, it was definitely a beautiful sight, being atop a hill, with an endless expanse of green surrounding us, the blue sky and bright sun above our heads. It was simply breathtaking. There, we learnt about all that went on during the filming of the movie – it was really interesting! As night fell, we left, not only with those lessons, but also with numerous photographs which would later serve to feed our wonderful memories of the place.

A 3 hour drive the next day took us to Waitomo, where we visited the famous Gloworm caves, in which there were not only glowworms, but also many rock formations – things we city girls were seeing for the first time. Waitomo appeared to be a place of many ‘first times’, as it was there too, that we had our first (and second) Literature lesson on the unseen with our 2 teachers.

The next place we were going to was the Marae at Paparoa. On our way there, we visited the Shearing Shed, where we watched angora rabbits being sheared and a kiwi orchard, where we were fortunate enough to get to taste sweet kiwis plucked fresh! When we finally arrived at the Marae, we had to do the Hoongi, a traditional form of greeting by the Maoris, where two people touched foreheads – to share and exchange knowledge, and noses – to share the breath of life. After settling in and having a sumptuous dinner prepared by the ladies at the Marae, we were treated to songs and dance by some of the Maori people as they welcomed us. Then it was our turn to sing some songs for them, which we believe they enjoyed. Before bed that night (where all 30 of us would be sleeping in one room!), some of the Maori women shared some of their local tales with us, which was yet another wonderful learning experience.

The next day, we were honoured to attend a Literature lesson on poems conducted by Jean Bennet, a New Zealand poet. She shared with us her invaluable experiences, which in turn became invaluable lessons for us as students of English Literature. After the one and a half hour session, we went on to Roturoa, where we saw everything geothermal. It was here in Roturoa that many of us experienced the best part of our trip – the Skyline Gondola and the Luge! It was fun and very enjoyable, and the view from above was once again something that took our breath away. We also visited Te Puia, a Maori Arts and Crafts and cultural centre, where we got to witness wood carving and flax weaving first hand. It was a huge eye opener for us all. Rainbow Springs and a farm show was up next! At Rainbow Springs, a park in Roturoa, we saw numerous trout, all of different breeds, and also many birds. The farm show showcased sheep shearing and milking of cows amongst other things, all of which made for a very educational experience.

The most unique of all experiences was yet to come – the visit to Hobbiton! Or rather, the set of Hobbiton in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This was a treat for all the avid Lord of the Rings fans in our group, and even those who were not fans enjoyed the visit thoroughly.

Then it was a 3 hour drive to Auckland, where we all had the opportunity to experience living in a backpackers’ inn, many of us for the first time. We visited the Auckland Viaduct Basin and Mount Eden – a volcano! Our last night of the trip was spent there in Auckland. We sat along the corridor of the backpackers’ inn, sharing our thoughts about the trip, and playing games like Warm Fuzzies, where we got to show our love to all the other 29 on the trip! It was a time of great bonding, and it was then that we realized just how much this trip had strengthened old friendships and allowed us to make many new ones too.

This trip has given us so many wonderful experiences that we will never, ever forget. Our generous hosts at Chilton as well as at the Marae and everywhere else that we stayed were extremely kind to us and we have made lasting friendships with our Chilton buddies. We had to be responsible for ourselves as well as one another during our entire 13-day trip. The times we shared together during this New Zealand Literature Trip were some of the best we’ve had with all the laughter and jokes. As a whole group, we all grew closer together and had so much fun. And of course, most importantly, we learned so much about New Zealand’s rich culture and literature. We learned how to use all our senses to enjoy and explore literature better.

We would like to thank Ms. Heng and Mrs. Phuah for giving us the opportunity to go on this trip; all our teachers for letting us come back to class late when preparing for this trip, and most of all Mrs. Neoh, Mrs. Quek and Ms. Soh for taking care of us and guiding us throughout the whole trip. This was truly a most memorable experience which we will always treasure.

Aroha Mai.

Okay, so maybe it isn't the BEST piece of writing ever, but the least she could've done was to edit it nicely so we Lit Trippers could keep the magazine with us as a wonderful reminder of the great time we had in New Zealand, right? Argh! I am so pissed.

Anyway, I've come to a conclusion after flipping through the school magazine, that photographers always manage to catch me at my worst. Especially those candid shots. The only person who looks stunningly beautiful in the 2005 school magazine is Lisa Ang. I honestly cannot believe that for THREE photos on the SAME page, she has that perpetual smile plastered on her face. How is that humanly possible? And how is it that the photographer managed to capture her at her best the whole time? I suppose media personalities like her always know where the cameras are.

Well, I'm still bothered by how with such major editing of the Lit Trip article, now so different from what we'd originally written, our names are still there as the writers of it. I'd really rather mine wasn't. Take it off. She can put her name instead. What crap.