Reflection on Wushu @ Xiamen Immersion Trip- Ben Chek Jun Kiet 4 respect (敬) /M

         I had never thought that I would go to Xiamen and practice Wushu. But when I saw the opportunity, I persuaded my parents to let me go. I had never regretted going on this trip. In Xiamen, we had our training in two different locations. One was old and dusty in the morning while the other was a big covered stadium in the afternoon. Both are co-located on the same university compound, reflecting Wushu has a place in the past and modern sport.

      Upon learning the history of Jimei University at the Tan Kah Kee memorial area, I realized why some buildings looked old, and why some looked new. Some of them were built during his time, and I think that when the people decided it was too old they built another training ground.

        For the first day, we were only trained on the basic such as horse stance. For a moment, I really lamented on the monotony. But on hindsight, it was useful. Not only did it strengthen my foundation for advance Wushu, I was taught basics that were not in school. Although our training was intensive and tiring, the coaches were kind and helpful. These had really helped me to overcome the anxiety and lack of confidence.

     Finally the training had come to an end. My hard work and exhaustion bore some payback. While not any near proficient, I learned a new martial art – ying zao quan. That made me delighted. The end of this chapter also signaled the start of the much anticipated tour. However, the tour was a little hurried at the Hu li shan cannon platform, which I did not like. Still, I knew that most guided tours were like that and we had time constraints and schedules to meet.

       In Xiamen, the streets were quite ‘antiquated’, but the monuments looked new. Perhaps, the streets were over-used. It was definitely very different compared to Beijing.

      During this trip, I learnt many new and wonderful things. Thank you teachers for giving me the opportunity to learn!

植俊杰 4M／respect（敬）

回顾厦门武术浸濡之旅

    我从来没有想过我会去厦门练习武术。但是，当我有这个机会时，我便说服了我的父母让我去。我从来没有后悔此行。在厦门，我们的训练是在两个不同的地点。早晨练习的地点是个陈旧的练武官，而下午练习的地点是个很大的体育场。两个地点共同位于同一所大学内，反映了武术体育在现代和过去的地位。

   从陈嘉庚纪念馆学习了集美大学的历史后，我意识到为什么一些建筑物看起来陈旧，为什么有些看起来新。其中一些建筑物是建在陈嘉庚的时代，所以我认为， 新的训练场是为了把地方重现它的有重要。

    第二天，我们只训练马步等基本法。那时，我真的感觉得枯燥乏味。回想起来，这是对我有益的。它不但加强我之前的武术基础，还教导了我在学校未学过的基本根基。虽然我们的培训是相当密集和劳累，但教练们很乐于助人。这真正帮助我克服了我的焦虑和缺乏自信。

   终于训练已经走到了尾声。我的努力和疲惫身体换取了回报。虽然还不是很精通，但我学到了一套新的武术 - 鹰爪拳。这使得我很兴奋。训练的结束，也标志着万众期待的旅游开始。然而，在胡里山炮台，我们像被赶的鸭子，匆匆忙忙的看了一下就到下一个旅游景点了。不过，我也知道，大多数的导游也是那样，有时间的限制和必须时跟着时间表。

   在厦门，街道相当复古，但纪念碑看起来却挺新的。也许，街上被过度使用。虽然同是中国，这毕竟和北京的街道不同。

   在这次武术浸濡学习中，我学到了许多新和美好的事物。谢谢老师们给我这个难忘的学习机会！