Day 3

We checked out from Orchard Glory Farm Resort at 7.30am after having our breakfast. Most of us were reluctant to leave the resort as we were already used to the serene surroundings and the beautiful sceneries around the farm.

Then, we proceeded to the John Curtin High School which is located near Fremantle town. It took us nearly two hours for us to travel there, but when we reached, they gave us a warm welcome. Mr. Travis, the drama teacher at the arts school, brought along three student councilors -- Mitchell, Liam and Angela -- to join in the activities with us.

Firstly, we got the chance to see the exhibits around the school. The exhibits created by the local students were fantastic and amazing as such high-quality works are hardly found in Singapore. From their artworks, we can see their talents and interest in the Arts. Then we proceeded to the drama theatre and learnt much about the AVA systems backstage. The backstage has facilities such as specific lighting capabilities which our school does not have. We then played some interactive games and participated in creative drama exercises. For lunch, we had finger food specially prepared by the school. During lunch, we got to interact more with the student councillors and got to know more about their education system in Australia.

After lunch, we gave our souvenirs to the students and then left for a play and drama session at the WA Youth Theatre Company Perth. Phil, our teacher for the session who has been in the drama line since he was in his mid 20s, started our session by giving an introduction about drama. For that session, we got to exercise our creativity by playing drama related games. He made us understand that we not only need confidence, but also a strong voice to be effective communicators.

After the visit to the youth theatre, we were engaged with shopping at Hay Street. Although the prices were comparably higher than Singapore, all the students had a memorable experience buying souvenirs, admiring the buildings' architecture and learning about the social lives of the Australians. Something outstanding about the social life in Australia is that the shopping malls close early. In contrast to Singapore's shopping districts which are open until late at night, the malls on Hay Street closed at about five in the evening. This was a new experience for us as this is a way of life that we cannot find and get used to back home.

Once shopping was over, we proceeded to a western restaurant named 'Oliver at James'. We were served pasta and pizza which were utterly delicious. The luxurious furniture and the decorations inside the restaurant would surely be missed. When dinner was over, we then travelled to our next accommodation, 'Comfort Hotel Perth'. On the way to the hotel, there was great excitement among the students as they could not wait to check into the hotel. We arrived at the hotel at around eight. After checking in, we moved in to their designated rooms. Although the rooms were comfortable and cozy, some of us still preferred the laidback life at the farm stay.