The first page was the richest one, written all sorts of fresh things. New friends, well-known company, nice managers and supervisors were all present in front of us. Besides, the mysterious famous company with 130-year history started to unveil. We got insight into the history and present situation of Dow Jones, together with its high-qualified editors and staff. We were showed around the working place of the Newswire located in KeLun Mansion and were also taught how to report a big event and how to compile the Dow Jones Industrial Average Index, which were very informative and attractive. James Dyson, Irene Li and Mr. Wu were all so kind and instructive to give us a lot of help. Ms. Liu acted as our supervisor and had been keeping company with us until the end of the whole journey. She was so patient with us and got to be the most intimate guider. I don’t think I can thank her and her colleges too much.
It was actually the first time that I went abroad and I was really surprised by the patience of our supervisor and the thoughtfulness of Xinhua Online. Everything was arranged according to our needs and was carried on in an orderly way. From the point we stepped onto the plane to the minute we got back our motherland, all our stuff was under the concern of the two companes, including transportation, room and board. On the morning of Aug. 17, we arrived at the Changi airport of Singapore and began our journey abroad. On the very day, we visited places of interests in Singapore and had a very good view of almost the whole country, which was really fantastic. I love the buildings and seaport there, and the tropical sightseeing is distinctly different from our country. Admittedly, Singapore is as clean as it is said and the cities are excellently designed, which allow us to enjoy our journey. In the afternoon, we went to visit the Asian-Pacific headquarters of Dow Jones in the town centre. The editors we met there were all very energetic and proficient in news report. We talked with them about the structure of Dow Jones worldwide and the future development of it. Gabby and Sumathi were both very talkative and we had a good time there. Before leaving, we took pictures with them and each got a sample of The Wall Street Journal (Asia) as a souvenir. After a day of hard work, we went to enjoy the marvelous music fountain in Sentosa.
The next day we went to Malaysia and spent the rest time mostly there. From Melaka to KualaLumpur, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of this tropical country and its delicious fruits.
The night spent on Genting Highlands was like a kind of adventure. From the mountainside to the top of the mountain it is wholly occupied by the gambling city. You can also find all kinds of activities there no matter how old you are. The facilities for playing are top-class and full of luxury. No matter how wealthy you are, you won’t feel a thing there, because you can use up it overnight. But it was quite cold because it is more than 1700 meters above the sea level.
I love the fruits and chocolates in Malaysia very much and had a lot of durians there. Malayans are very friendly and beautiful. You can ask them to take photos with you. Indians are more beautiful than Malayan and Chinese, especially their eyes. Their little ones are extremely cute.
However, It’s quite complicated to compare Singapore and Malaysia with our country. The moment I got out of the plane and stepped on the land of Singapore, I didn’t sense that I was abroad. But the cleanness and the tropical plants reminded me that I was in a distinctly different place. Almost every corner was clean and well-decorated. It is forbidden to eat any kind of food on buses and throw away little litter randomly. What I really envy is the ease they enjoy. Back in Beijing the most common scene is that people are hurrying hither and thither and worrying about the ever growing estate prices, the future lives of themselves, their children and parents, which is really tiring. While in Singapore, apartments are built by the government and then sold to young people who are about to marry. The time limit for payment can last as long as 30 years and if they buy a house near their parents they can get a mount of money as award, which relief the burden a lot. As a result, parents needn’t worry about the future of their children and the young needn’t worry too much about their parents on condition that they have a proper job. Besides, it is against the law to beg in Singapore so everyone should work to earn their own living.
In Malaysia, situation is a little different. Their policy is that those who live in the house can own it. The house can be hand down to the next generation and be paid by the children even if the money isn’t paid off. Therefore the living pace in Malaysia is much slower. If it is managed as well as Singapore it may become a better place to live in.
Thanks to Xinhua Online and Dow Jones Company, I got the chance abroad and had a good view of the foreign countries, which was really a great inspiration for me to work hard and contribute to the development of our motherland. There are actually a great many things that we should learn from others and there are also a gorgeous history that make us feel proud of our country. I can never forget this dreamlike journey during the summer of 2007.
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