The programme picks up speed!

I have always dreamt of taking up a post-retirement 'career' in farming. My friends never fail to laugh at me when I tell them that because it is simply impractical in Singapore. Nevertheless, my fervent interest in farming and agriculture has never wavered. Today, we got a taste of rice harvesting and farm practice. It was not my first time putting on a traditional farmer's hat but it was nonetheless greeted with great excitement. It was my first experience with the 'rice-beating' machine though. The entire process was not only enjoyable but meaningful. I can finally empathize with the hardship farmers endure to make ends meet. Working under the scorching sun with a plethora of grains to harvest is never an easy task. But it was fulfilling anyway!

The day continued with a series of informative lectures which enlightened us on the geography and flora of Taiwan, and thoroughly explained the factors contributing to the rich endowment of biodiversity in such a small nation. It is pretty strange and ironic to keep hearing lecturers place much emphasis on how small Taiwan is, especially when coming from one of the tiniest nations in the world - Singapore! However, one feature which I can really be proud of my own country is that we are miles ahead of the rest in fern diversity. The final lecture on marine biodiversity was in my opinion, the most captivating. I'm extremely intrigued by the myriad of lifeforms that thrive in the deep benthic zones.

The latter part of the day brought us to participate in some frog observation. It was an eye-opener because I could finally see such huge frog diversity in the wild. In Singapore, the only frog farm holds these creatures in captivity, merely for commercial purposes - such a pity! I truly enjoyed myself hugging those croaky creatures and subsequently watching as they were released back into the wild. Looking forward to the intertidal trip tomorrow and yearning for more adventure ahead! :)