Overseas Cultural Immersion Trip to Surabaya

A fun fact that not many visitors know about Surabaya is that its moniker is “city of heroes”. And this was indeed proven true when our Secondary 3 and 4 Regenites enjoyed a hero’s welcome and friendly hospitality during their visit to Indonesia’s second largest metropolis. This has definitely made our 4-day 3-night learning journey a memorable experience for our students which will be remembered fondly for years to come.

During the trip, our 15 students and 4 teachers were immersed in a cultural kaleidoscope. Through the visit to historical landmarks such as the Majapahit Hotel and Heroes Monument, the group was able to take a step back into history to understand Indonesia’s struggle for independence against the Dutch. The visit to the Cheng Ho Mosque, the Blue Mosque and Hong Tiek Hian Temple allowed our students to have a better understanding of the rich cultural and religious tapestry that made up Surabaya and Indonesia’s multicultural heritage.

The warmth of the city was only exceeded by the rapturous welcome from our partner schools, SMPN 4 Surabaya and SMPK St Vincentius. Both schools provided memorable insights into the Indonesian and East Javan cultures and ways of life. During the visit to SMPN 4 Surabaya, our students were meaningfully engaged in a series of cultural activities such as Karawitan, Remo Traditional Dance, traditional games and Batik Painting and had the opportunity of learning the Angklung during their visit to SMPK St Vincentius.

They also visited an orphanage and an Old Folks’ Home where students applied what they had learnt in their Community Youth Leadership Programme to plan a series of interaction activities to reach out to the elderly and the children in Surabaya to be a positive influence and agent of change.

Through the varied activities during the trip, our students immersed themselves and gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Indonesian culture. Most importantly, they learnt what it means to be a student agent and changemaker through their active planning for and participation in the trip.