'AN OUTING TO SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS' BY STUDENT GRACE LEE

On Friday, 27 May 2011, my class Galileo went on an outing to Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The weather was good and I loved the bus journey on the way to the Gardens as it passed by many beautiful private houses in the Bishan area. The outing’s purpose was to complete a ‘mission’ consisting of seven checkpoints.

Upon arrival, we alighted at the Ginger Garden which housed many species of ginger and there was an artificial cave with a waterfall which provided a cooling effect. My class had a group photo taken with the waterfall as a background. All my classmates, including myself, were provided with a map to help us locate interesting areas in the garden.

Next, we went to a see a heritage tree planted in the gardens - the Tembusu tree. We spotted many children between four and five years old climbing the tree branch aided by a teacher. They looked really adorable. We took three ‘fun’ poses at the tree before we headed off to our next checkpoint- the ‘curtain of roots’. We had the opportunity to see the tranquil ‘Swan Lake’ housing a pair of white Mute Swans. There was a statue on the lake’s surface depicting swans in flight.

The ‘root curtain’ was located next to one of a few bronze statues called ‘Lady on a Hammock’. It depicted a sultry woman suntanning herself. All of us walked through the ‘curtain’ and touched the hanging roots. Then we stopped for another photograph.

Later, all the Track V classes formed a circle around a humongous tree. We counted upon many of the teachers to help us complete the ‘mission’. Everyone held each other’s hands and tested ourselves to see how long we could hold each other! It was a little tiring but fun.

Then we stopped at another bronze statue- the ‘Girl on a Bicycle’ which depicted a girl freewheeling down the spiral hedge. I loved looking at the gardens’ statues- they added vitality to the natural surroundings.

Lastly, we saw the statue of Polish composer Frederick Chopin, who passed away at the age of thirty-nine. I had a photo taken with the statue of the composer and his female companion. Then, all the classes went to have a picnic where we filled our ravenous stomachs with snacks before heading back to the Visitor Centre to wait for the bus to bring us back to Pathlight.

We did our reflection sheets in class when we arrived back. The outing was enriching and educational which would never be erased from my memory and definitely one to be shared with my parents and relatives.