“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”
― Aristotle
In the quest learning students of SAI International Residential School explored the modern marvels of Singapore and Malaysia and had an enriching learning experience, twenty-five students and two teacher co-ordinators visited the two beautiful places on a Global Immersion Programme (GIP) from October 7 to 14, 2019.
The first two days were spent on sightseeing. It commenced with a breath-taking aerial view of the enchanting Sentosa Island, Singapore from the cable car followed by watching the brilliant Laser Show. Day 2 was all the more fun experiencing the exciting rides at the Universal Studio and shopping souvenirs. The evening was spent in the Garden by the Bay. The team was awestruck being surrounded by beautiful flowers and greenery as well as viewing the artificial waterfall.
The excitement in Day 3 triggered with a visit to the Singapore Flyer and clicking some memorable pictures. Next was a pleasant trip to the famous Merlion Park, en route soaking in the beauty of the culturally rich land. The team then went to the Thian Hock Keng, a Chinese Temple filled with majestic beauty to pay obeisance.
The GIP team reached Malaysia on Friday, October 11, 2019. The next day, they visited the holy Batu Caves, one of the largest natural caves and a popular Hindu shrine outside India. Students enjoyed the natural ambience and were awestruck to see the 140 feet high idol of Lord Karthik. The divine aura all around inspired them to do meditation, under the guidance of Shri Prakash Sahoo, Principal, Secondary. Students had fun going up to the highlands at 6500 feet. They had a sumptuous meal which was an amalgamation of Chinese, Western, Malaysian local dish, with many more sweets, cakes and pastries. They reached Kuala Lumpur and had a great time enjoying the various fun rides and learning about the place.
Sunday, October 13 was spent on a city tour of Kuala Lumpur. The team visited the King’s Place and the National Monument, which houses statues of war heroes, who lost their lives during the war. They also visited the Harriston Chocolate Outlet, where they saw a wide array of delicious chocolates. The team also had a great time visiting the Kuala Lumpur Tower, lunch at Chennai Express Restaurant and finally spending time at Time Square Mall.
The team visited the prestigious National University of Singapore (NUS) and explored the student life and admission opportunities there. They also attended an enlightening session at NUS.
On Thursday, October 10, 2019, the students visited the Singapore Institute of Management and attended a Seminar on ‘Widening the Understanding of Management in real life’. They also went for a guided campus tour and were very excited a witness the lively campus life.
Students visited the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and attended a workshop on “Imbibing the 21st Century Learning Skills”, on Monday, October 14, 2019. They also had a campus tour.
Every year the school conducts various GIPs to several countries. It helps in enriching student’s understanding of some of the most developed countries and widens their knowledge horizon. It is an excellent way to instil independent thinking and bestow in them the confidence to build their dreams and goals. It provides them with an enabling platform to increase their efficiency, gain respect for the cultures and traditions of other countries and people and deepen their knowledge level on the global arena. GIP is designed to create confident Global Citizens and future-ready Leaders working towards a better tomorrow.
