Today was
the fifth day of our trip, and once again we awoke for another refreshing day
in London. Even though it was a rainy day, our activities were nevertheless enriching. After a filling breakfast, we headed off to
Knightsbridge station, where one of the most famous departmental storo,
Harrods, is housed.
After a
short break to take pictures at the Knightsbridge station, we were off once
again heading towards St. Paul’s Church at Knightsbridge. This serene place gave
all of us a peace of mind even in our short period of time spent there before
heading towards our next destination, Singapore High Commission. We spent an
hour at this place where we had an informative and meaningful conversation with
the officers present there. As a pleasant surprise, we met our fellow Saints from
the Talent Development Programme (TDP). Both groups asked questions to the
officers who never failed to provide us with the right answers.
Some of us
asked interesting questions such the perspective a diplomat must take when
working in an international arena. The Political Officer of the Singapore High
Commission stated that when working in Singapore, one might only have
Singaporean perspective. However, when working in Britain, the diplomat’s
perspective must be broader. A diplomat must be aware of both Singapore perspective
and the international trend to find a balance and make the best decision on
behalf of Singapore. Another enquired how Singapore worked with the United
Kingdom in the area defense. We found out that Singapore holds a annual exercise
with the British Army to strengthen our soldiers’ skills. When asked if Singapore
was severely affected by the economic crisis in European Union, the officer
assured us that Singapore was not severely affected. In fact, our trading with
the United Kingdom has grown since.
After satisfying
our intellectual hunger, we left the place gratefully. Little did we know that
the teachers had decided to give us a treat by allowing us to visit Harrods. We
were, of course, very excited. The moment we stepped into the largest mall in
the world, we were amazed to discover that the mall was, for a lack of better
word, humongous. We were given an hour. We tried our best to walk around the Food
Hall, which sold food products ranging from meats and seafood to sweet confectionery.
After a short lunch, we headed off to The National Gallery. Our
breath were taken away by a great array of paintings from old to
modern art. We were able to see paintings
such as Madonna of the Pinks which shows the Virgin Mary and Christ seated in a bedchamber with a view of a sunny landscape seen through a window. They hand flowers between them - pinks which are symbols of marriage - depicting the Virgin Mary as not only the Mother but the Bride of Christ. This represented divine love Virgin Mary had for her child.
Next, we also saw Samson and Delilah. It depicts a candlelit interior; the Philistines wait at the door, one of their number cuts Samson's hair, while an elderly woman provides extra light. In a niche behind is a statue of the goddess of love, Venus and Cupid. This painting also took my breath away with its minute details.
After an hour and a
half spent at the museum, we bought our very own postcards. After all the
activities for the day, we had our dinner at the Loch Fyne Restaurant. With a
three-course meal, our hunger was thoroughly satisfied with crab cakes as our appetizer,
smoked chicken or salmon pasta being our main dish and finishing up with sweet
desserts such as crème brulee, sorbets or cheesecakes.
As our final stop for the day, we were given
another treat: visiting another shopping mall in Stratford, a stone throw away
from where we were staying. After this visit, I was really shocked at the
similarities and differences between the commercial life in London and Singapore.
Even though, the shopping malls in Singapore housed many shops, they were small. Westfield, however, was relatively huge
and housed a store, Primark which had a wide range of choices to choose from. This
would result in so many other people wearing the same clothes as you do as
opposed to the small shops in Singapore. This means that one would not want to
be caught wearing the same clothes as another. Therefore, I would refrain myself from
buying clothes from such huge departmental stores such as Primark. Smug as I may
be, I still prefer the many little fashion outlets in Haji Lane that offer me
many unique designs that can help express my individuality.
Day 5 was a
relatively short day. But it gave us a much-need reprieve to rest for the long
journey to come. I look forward to my excursion to the British Library tomorrow
after a good night rest.
Written by Gayatri, 13A01
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