Learning Journey to Singapore’s Civic District (17 October 2011)

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Yesterday was a sunny day and we went on our last learning journey to Singapore Civic District.  It was the historical birthplace of Singapore.  A British man called Raffles first landed there in 1819.Then Singapore became a British Crown Colony in 1867.Singapore Civic District is rich in history. There are lots of buildings which played indispensable roles in the history of Singapore.  They were built along the Singapore River.  We walked along the Singapore River.  However, I really wanted to see how important the laws are to a country. How many Chief Justices are there in Singapore? Who is the present Chief Justice?

In the morning of our trip, our tour guides came to our classroom and gave us some information about law because the first place we would go to was the Supreme Court.  We were awed by the grandeur of its interior. The patterns on the gorgeous marbled tiles were symmetrical. Chocolate-colored streaks stained the gleaming beige surfaces of the tiles in an artistic way. We could hear the rhythmic thuds by the corporate heels as they hurried along to honor their appointments. It made me feel that these people are very important.

There are 9 floors and 23 court rooms in the Court.  Each court room has advanced video technology.  We were excited when the guide led us to one of the court rooms.  There are CCTVs in the court room and what you are doing is shown on the screen.  The seats in the front of the court room are for the judges.  The chief justice will sit in a big chair in the middle.  All the witnesses sit on the right and reporters sit on the left.  The plaintiff, defendant and their lawyers sit in the middle of the room.  A huge glass divides the seats in the room and the public sit behind the glass.  It means that there is nothing to hide.  In the court, we found many interesting things.  The judges wear wigs made of horsehair because it makes them look wise. We saw a statue of a woman justice. She wears a blindfold so that she will not see whether the person is rich or poor, pretty or ugly. She holds a sword which represents the force of the law on her left hand and a balance which represents fairness on her right hand. We noticed that most walls of the court are made of glass; this means the law is transparent.

Lastly, we went to the top floor. It looks like a round flying saucer.  On the top floor, we had a bird's eye view of the Singapore Civic District. From where we stood, we saw the old court hall nearby which has been changed into an art museum. The surface of Singapore River was so peaceful that it looked like a mirror. The reflections of buildings could be seen clearly, like a city under water. There, we also saw a sky garden .The garden looks like a ship floating in the sky. Then we went downstairs and got out of the court.

As we came out of the Supreme Court and was guided to walk along, we came upon the Singapore River. The rays of the scorching sun were beating down our backs. In the tour though, we were enthralled by the sights and sounds that greeted us. Later on, because of the sun which was staring at us cruelly, we stared longingly at the ice-cream man and his truck which promised some heavenly treats. We labored along and sighed sadly.

We then passed the Arts House and City Hall and we took a photograph in front of the Arts House. We saw a statue of Raffles near the Singapore River.  As we walked along the river, we saw more statues.  They showed us that people used to borrow money from the money lenders.  People had to return money and interests to them or none of the money lenders would lend money to them. Then we crossed the Cavenagh Bridge which stretches over the Singapore River to reach the other side.  We saw various tall buildings of banks.

We entered one of the buildings and started our last tour to a place called '1 Altitude'.  The building is 282 meters above the ground.  We went up to the 63rd floor.  There was a '1 Altitude gallery'.  We could see an aerial view of the sprawling grounds.  The ships on the river sailed by so slowly that it seemed they were static.  We also saw the Esplanade Theatre. The appearance of the theatre is two half durians. The gallery is so high that it made us feel we were almost reaching the sky.  It was so exciting to see cars moving like matchboxes.  We took a lot of photographs even though it was hot. The panoramic view was stunning. However, on our way up, some of us suffered from acrophobia and some of us felt nauseous. We learnt more about the place using an iTouch lent to us by the tour guides. We had our lunch there.  It was sumptuous and it was more enjoyable to watch the charming landscape at the same time.

Back at school, we completed a short quiz to round up our learning journeys.  Through the last learning journey, I learnt that no one is above the law. In addition, we got to see all the important buildings of Singapore.  It was a meaningful learning journey which I will never forget.

Reflection co-written by:
Phumisiri Tantirittisak (Prep Course; Lower Sec)
Lin Yuan Fu (Prep Course, Lower Sec)
Shi Zhan (Prep Course; Upper Sec)
Mai Jia Jin (Prep Course; Upper Sec)