Golden Friendship !

The visit by D2 and I to Wuhan last May and June has certainly deepened the existing relationship between the two schools. While there, we were able to see and understand their education system and structure better. The many face to face meetings with their key personnel including Principal Zheng and other staff, have further brought the already close ties to another high.

This can only be good for the future of both schools.
Top pic: L to R
Mdm Zhang, Mr Yip, Mr Fu, Mrs Yip and Mdm Khng


Mr Fu told many others that he has alot in common with me. I cannot agree more with him.

He wants very much to personally bring me to Mt Wudang in NW Hubei, knowing that I had expressed a strong desire to visit that historic place...during our recent trip.

I told him..." We shall return !"
Hopefully, D2 and I can make a return visit next year, after all, we
won't be going to a strange place but
to a place where we can reunite with
Golden Friends of Wuhan!

In love and good fellowship, let us unite...

Top: from L to R

Mdm Khng, Mrs Yip, Mr Fu, Mrs Cheok and Mdm Zhang.

Bottom: L to R:

Jessica, Mrs Cheok, Mdm Zhang, Melissa, Mrs Yip and Mdm Khng

Singapore - Wuhan !
Wuhan - Singapore !
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

( Simple version of a new yell I created, perhaps for the next chapter and generation of exchanges still to come... yeah ! )

Till We Meet Again!

Jessica seen here with the Mic urging everyone to join in the final Auld Lang Syne circle. And they surely did.

When the song finally ended... I sang it twice...to give them more time to enjoy their parting, there was a visible tinge of sadness here and there among the assembled.

Realising that the time to part was getting nearer...the sniffs and hugs soon started.

Auld Lang Syne !!!

Soon, all good things must come to an end and we all formed up in a big circle, with hands joined and sang the traditional, " Auld Lang Syne ". D2 was leading the way in the circle, stepping forward and swinging arms up and out.
All the parents and teachers joined in too....while Mr Fu and I provided the music.

It was one boisterous, happy circle of people in the centre of the hall. Having come together in friendship and comradeship...they will now have to say Goodnight.

D2 presenting Goodies bag.

Mrs Yip presented each Wuhan pupil with a Goodie bag towards the end of the dinner.
Here we see Mr Fu with my Ibanez guitar still slung over him supervising his kids for receiving the goodies.

Some of the kids taking a peep at what's inside the goodie bag. And here was Sammi casually walking by to say" Hi Mr Yip. "

Little Sammi took this snapshot of me and my Kamaka Ukulele.

The Wuhan teachers did ask me about the history of this particular instrument....as they told me they simply loved the magical sounds it produces.

Well, with my limited Mandarin, I think I managed to tell them the following:-

..... it is more than 25 years old.

..... it is genuine, handmade from Hawaii

..... it is quite expensive

..... and how I came to own it is another story, for

another day!

Singing the night away!

What an enjoyable singalong we had with our Wuhan friends! Music certainly is an instant bridge to deepen bonds of friendship anywhere.
Here they were clapping to the beat of that popular calypso song....Day-O.


In the background, near the stage, the children were having games.

A guitar and Ukulele Duet!

While the children were engaged in some games near the stage our teacher guests from Wuhan were entertained by 2 maestros on guitar and ukulele.
We started with mostly well-known songs by Teresa Teng and graduated to songs they knew.
Eventually as the mood and tempo picked up we tried some English songs too...picked from my one and only handwritten songbook ( about 40 years old now! ). You can see that book opened right in front of VP Mrs Cheok.

Happy Birthday to YOU..both!

I wasn't aware there was a birthday celebration during the Farewell Dinner that was, not until I was called upon to provide the " Happy Birthday to you" song with my ukulele. A thoughful parent had brought along this birthday cake to celebrate 2 birthdays on that day.

One was our Gongshang boy and the other was this Wuhan boy with his left hand raised.
We sang both the English and Chinese version of the song and everyone clapped!

A close up View

Heads bowed in respectful reverence to the memory of the victims.


Our hearts are heavy....we share your burden..., that's what they probably meant.

And performed with great emotions!
Thank you pupils and teachers of Shui Guo Hu.
We were moved!

In memory of the Sichuan Earthquake!

All in the hall watching this moving performance soon surged forward to better capture the moments.
Video recorders and cameras were all flashing around.


As I continued to watch them perform...it certainly confirmed my belief in them; they have a strong sense of pride and love for their countrymen and their nation.

Intricate hand gestures were used to good effect too.

Shui Guo Hu Performs....!

After everyone had tucked into the yummy food of satay, beef rendang, fried chicken, noodles, rice, wonton and siew mai, jelly, chocolate cream puffs etc.... the announcement went out.." And now our friends from Shui Guo Hu Primary School will give us a special performance !"

These photos showed them just at the start of their most moving performance....one that was done accompanied by a tune of equally moving music, soulful and stirring.

It was done in respectful remembrance of the recent Sichuan Earthquake and the horrors that followed that disaster.

Their movements and gestures during the performance were truly heartfelt. I could see the pain and sadness written on their faces.

Thank You!...by 3 Important Persons.

There were 3 other speeches made at the Farewell Dinner. Two were by the parents of the Gongshang pupils in the Org Committee.

The final speech was by Mdm Zhang who spoke off the cuff on behalf of her Wuhan school .... thanking the whole Gongshang family for the most wonderful experience that had come their way.

Oldtime Penpals vs this Programme

Yes...that's what everyone who is involved in this exchange Programme seems to be saying. I can't blame them for feeling this way.
I did ask some of the kids and even some parents I spoke with...all felt that the experience and exposure for both sides is invaluable. Over the last month or so since Wuhan, the kids on both sides have grown very closed...even the parent hosts felt it too!
People of my generation would recall this...when we were still in school, back in the '6o's, most of us had pen-pals.
Pen-pals are friends made through letter writing. Some may be in Singapore while others were mostly in foreign countries.
Despite such long distance friendships, we were always waiting with great anticipation and excitement for the arrival of the next letter. Most of us never, ever met our foreign penpal in person, only through photos. But still the friendship that developed can be deep and intense.
Some penpals grew so close they even got married to each other later on in their life.
But...Exchange Programmes such as this, as well as the internet connections worldwide, have more or less dealt a death blow to the once upon a time sweet culture of penpal friendship.
Nothing beats making friends and being with a friend in person, face to face.

SGH pupils with host family

The Wuhan pupils in this immersion programme get to stay with their Singapore host family throughout their visit.

Here in this blogpost are 3 more separate families.

Judging from the looks and my chats with some of the parents and kids as well...all agreed that it was a very good experience for their kids and for them too.

Unforgettable families and friends!

This is Mini's family and her buddies. By the way, Mini happens to be the 1st Primary school kid girl or boy, who has added her comment in my blogsite. You can see her comment at the end of my post titled "Goodbye Wuhan....See You in Singapore! " dated Friday 4th July 08 . So who will be the next?



A good view of the action across many tables.

This mother seemed to say it all for everyone...

" We love our sweet Bunny rabbit from Wuhan ! "

Pre-Dinner Chats

Our Wuhan friends from left...Mdm Khng, Mdm Zhang and Mr Fu . Smiling at the camera is D2's key lieutenant Mrs Cheok...VP of the school.

D2 with all the happy and important people at the table.

Pictures of hosting families

Here is a cute SGH boy with his host family. His buddy was standing next to the table.


Faridah from GSPS with her buddy and other friends. I understand she had a great time living with her Wuhan family and was extremely well-taken care off.

Another happy family seen here.

The Principal speaks.....

Before dinner began, Mrs Yip, Principal of Gongshang Primary, was invited to give her welcoming address. She spoke off the cuff touching on the strong bi-lateral ties between her school and Shui Guo Hu Primary in Wuhan. She spoke about the deep friendships that have been made not only during this current phase of the exchange programme but also of those over the last several years that were instrumental in laying the foundation of what we can see today.
Cheers and loud claps resounded all round in agreement!

She spoke about how happy we were when we were in Wuhan and thanked the Wuhan staff and their parent volunteers for showing us, our GSPS teachers and the pupils, great hospitality and friendship throughout our stay.

Finally, she thanked all her parent volunteers, parents and her staff for having organised the night's dinner and for their tremendous effort, time and sacrifice they all made to see this programme a success.

Centre photo:

A happy hosting family.

Bottom photo:

Five inseparable SGH buddies!

A Guitarist from Wuhan!

I have a couple of guitars at my home. One of them is the Ibanez Accoustic Guitar which came with the portable Amplifier set purchased only this year. So, it's still very new. My good friend from Wuhan.... Mr Fu, has a guitar music background. So he was overjoyed to see me bringing along this set. Before the function began we set it up and he gave me the thumbs up after trying it out.
I also had my Kamaka Hawaiian Ukulele with me and we synchronised the tuning of both so that we could do simultaneous accompaniment.