LIFE at the Singapore International School for some students has been a lesson in adapting to another city - making new friends and acquaintances and also learning to appreciate things unique to Hong Kong. 'I don't want to go back,' said 11-year-old Cherlyn Neo, a fourth-grade student who accompanied her parents to Hong Kong three years ago. '[Singapore's] environment is much nicer and I have a lot of friends there, but I like it here. The teachers are nice and the facilities are much better.' On the other hand, Cherlyn's classmate, Tsz Wo, 11, is eager to return home. 'I don't really like Hong Kong. It's okay, because we have relatives here but I'm looking forward to going back,' he said. 'I have a lot of friends in Singapore. I'm not looking forward to the school there, though. The teachers are fiercer and there's a lot more people in the classes. 'Here, it is lot easier, although we study the whole day instead of just half a day. But there are a lot less vehicles on the road in Singapore; there are a lot of flowers and the air is fresher.' Year-three student Qian Li, 10, said he hardly noticed Hong Kong was 'less green' when he was at school. The three children, who speak Mandarin and English fluently, have been able to widen their understanding of students in China. Cherlyn and Tsz joined a seven-day trip to the mainland where they saw the hardships some students experienced. 'We visited a poor school in a village near Xi'an. The children's clothes were all tattered,' said Cherlyn, adding that they took gifts of clothes, stationery and food. 'The history was interesting - the clay soldiers at the tombs of old kings and emperors who are buried, the romance of the three kingdoms and all that,' Qian said, recounting visits to historic sites in China.