Casebrook Intermediate travelling group to South Korea and Singapore

By Christine Gillard | Posted: Wednesday October 30, 2019

On the 25th September, I was lucky enough to be an included as a member of the Casebrook Intermediate travelling group to South Korea and Singapore, for just under two weeks.

There was a total of nine of us, including five students. From my perspective, the purpose of my inclusion was to support Tracy Goulden from a marketing perspective on behalf of the Casebrook Intermediate Board of Trustees, and continue to build on the positive relationships we have already established in South Korea.

This year we were also privileged to be representing Christchurch City, on behalf of our Mayor and the Christchurch City Council. As a result, all nine of us were treated as VIP guests at the Songpa-Gu annual Cultural Festival (Songpa being the sister city to Christchurch). Our visit included a public introduction to the massive crowd by the Songpa Mayor at the opening ceremony of the Festival, a formal dinner with the Mayor including Government delegates from Germany, Mongolia, China, Japan and Paraguay, and a formal lunch with the Deputy Mayor. Tracy and I also attended an official welcome at the Mayors offices along with the other delegates.

Both Tracy and I have been seconded to the Songpa-Gu committee as Christchurch City representatives.

On more than one occasion during our time in South Korea, one of our travelling parents, Dennis Polamalu, gave an impromptu and rousing performance of the Haka to our local hosts. Dennis, you did a sterling job of giving our local hosts a little taste of our Kiwi culture!

After leaving Songpa, our students were home-stayed for a couple of nights in Jeonju (about four hours by bus from Seoul), and forged great relationships with their host students and their families. This is always a highlight of the trip for our students, and gives them a brief insight around how other cultures live.

We said goodbye to our friends in South Korea, and flew to tropical Singapore for 4 days of fun on the way home. A very hot and humid environment, but we definitely made the most of our time there; a day at Universal Studios, the Singapore Flyer, Singapore Tree Garden, Madam Tussauds, Singapore Aquarium, and the evening before we came home a Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo. There was also a little time for our students to keep cool in the hotel swimming pool!

Like all trips abroad, it must come to an end. On our last day, we checked out of our hotel early and headed to the airport. Our flight didn’t depart until 6.40pm, however Singapore airport and its surroundings are a destination in themselves. We all enjoyed time at the recently opened ‘The Jewel’ adjacent to our terminal; a multi-level modern circular retail space with one massive waterfall as the centre attraction of the building. Nothing short of amazing engineering, and a space to relax before our overnight flight home.

Another successful Casebrook Intermediate international trip! The relationships we have fostered in South Korea will continue to bring Korean students to our school, and continue what has become a great cultural exchange experience for our students.

Rhys Williams

Board Chair, Casebrook Intermediate