AnYu's Wuhan Experience

been there done that.

2010-09-02T01:46:00.000+08:00

one year ago, we embarked on a journey into the unknown.
with fresh faces and unfamiliar surroundings.
yet so full of anticipation and excitement.

it was a year ago when we crossed paths
and spent that life-changing, eye-opening 6 weeks in Wuhan
meeting people, making friends, forming bonds.

can't believe how quickly time has flown by.
just like how the 6 weeks there ended so quickly..

i find myself looking through the blog entries made throughout the trip rather frequently, looking through the posts, the pictures, the reflections. it really brought me back to when it took place. it's amazing how this "blogging assignment" has become a point of reference, a place where many memories can be relived.

i certainly am glad that i have had the opportunity to be part of the overseas immersion experience.

i miss the food.
i miss the campus.
i miss the hostel.
i miss the weather.
i miss the friends i've made there.
i miss the 21guns.

DAY 42-- Returning home.

2009-10-14T15:01:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday to Chin Kuang!!!

had a birthday celebration for CK with cake and

a birthday song!! no cream smearing that night, like finally.

Woke up at 5:30am to put fireworks!!

another "must-dos" before i leave Wuhan.

all - ready to go!

It was a fun experience though i was still half asleep :D

Went back to the hostel and wash up for the very last time.

started to throw all the rubbish and unwanted things.

this was before everyone started to throw

final goodbye to you. Room 331

MDE Luggages

Loading luggages to bus.

Lecturers from ICT bidding us farewell.

Wuhan Airport

Departing to Guang Zhou

while we wait for our flight, most of them head to KFC

to grab a quick bite, i bought 2 eggtarts and popcorn chicken!!

gonna miss the eggtarts!!!

Plane refreshments

Transferring..

SINGAPORE!!

queuing up to board the plane home.

dinner.

the food was nice.. the chicken with a citrus-y sweet sauce

and juicy mandarin orange!!

We arrived ahead of schedule and the moment we landed

we all clapped!! WE ARE FINALLY HOME!!!

10:55pm, i'm home.

after collecting my luggage. as i walked towards to gate.

i saw my nephew :D

thats him running in front of me.

then i saw my mother and cousins who have come and fetch me!!

really miss all of them :D

i'm really home.

Goodbye Wuhan.

Reflections:

42 days away from home really isn't that easy.

However, through the 42 days, we have given ourselves

a home away from home. With the 20 other mates

and not forgetting our Trip Leader, Mr Loh,

on this trip.

They have made this journey extra special,

made this experience close to heart,

made the lessons learnt worth remembering.

Of course not forgetting all the lecturers who have

made this trip possible and have put in so much time and

effort into planning for this OIP trip. Without them,

there will not be any 3rd OIP. The 21 of us would

have never crossed paths.

This journey for me, its so much more than just

immersing in the Wuhan culture, so much more than

completing the 2 modules. This trip has challeged my

thinking, broaden my perspectives and also

given me the opportunites to try and do so much things

that i never would have thought i'd do/ be able to do.

I'd miss the friends i've made there, the people who has

impacted my life in ways that i/they never imagine they would.

although we are now approximately 3,417km apart,

i'm sure the friendship still carries on.

This has been the most fruitful, most fulfilling, most mind-blowing

6 weeks in my life. Learning to be tolerant, learning to expand

my capacity to explore and learn new things, learning to be

more independent, to be more open-minded.

The 42 days, the 21 guns,

It will be kept close to heart,

Back in Singapore, Away from Wuhan.

Life goes on.

The learning never stops. Where to next?

DAY 41-- Final Moments

2009-10-14T12:11:00.000+08:00

Most of them went out for last minute shopping

and only a few of us stayed in the hostel.

I decided to stay in as there was nothing to shop anymore..

I decided to spend the final moments i have left

in Wuhan with my friends in Wuhan and also

for myself, to savour the moments and take some time

to think and look back at the past 40 days spent here.

the canteen card and room key

which has to be returned to WUST

At around 5:30 pm, meet up with Erwin for dinner

and he accompanied me to the photo printing shop, spectacle shop

and provision shop.

printed a photo for my friend who works in the provisional shop.

When i passed it to her she was like super happy!!

so we had a pretty long chat.

Well, glad to hear that her father is alright already.

next, head to the spectacle shop to tighten some

screws on my spectacles and to bid a final farewell to the

opticians.

Erwin had his dinner at the wanton store while

i bought some street food and join him for dinner!!

the teppanyaki i'm gonna miss!!!

and ate the duck drumstick for the final time!

super spicy!!

Went back to the hostel and my family video-called me.

After the video calling session, i meet up with Shun Qing

to pass the library books to my friend 袁薇.

Went to their hostel one last time and we just sat and

had a good chat.

the boards outside their hostel :D

some signs to ask them to keep quiet

look at their english textbooks!!

at about 10, they sent us to the door and we bid our final farewells

as they can't send us off due to a test going on tomorrow,

that is the last time we will meet them..

Feeling a little heavy hearted to leave

and full of anticipation to head home.

We went back to pack and weigh our luggagues

the state of our room!!

all my bags are packed, i'm going home.

DAY 40 -- Grand Ocean & Farewell Dinner

2009-10-14T11:36:00.000+08:00

Met up with IS group at 730am to do some

preparation for our movie.

hard at work :D

Then a group of them decided to go out to a shopping

area near the Yellow Crane Tower.

I did not join them as it was rather far and if i want

to go back to hostel it'll be quite hard for me to do so.

After finishing up a few blog posts, roy came knocking

on my door and said that a group of them

will be going to Grand Ocean.

Joined them and had lunch at Ajisen

and a quick shop around.

Head back to the hostel early as there is a Farewell Dinner at night.

in the same hall, there was also a Chinese Wedding Dinner

taking place

they have liquor, soft drinks, nuts, sweets on

every table as snacks even before the wedding starts

Mr Philip An giving us the opening address

look at the spread!!!

The dinner was filled with laughters, lots of fun

and photo taking!

With the Local Students

After the dinner, went back to the hostel and rested for the day.

DAY 39 -- Assignment 3 Presentation :D

2009-10-13T11:12:00.002+08:00

Today, we went up to the Foreign Language School

for the very last time.

We then had a short briefing on the things to take note of

and prepare for over the remaining days over here in Wuhan.

We then had our Assignment 3 presentation.

Mr Loh-- grading in progress

After presentation, we stay around a while longer to take

some photos of us in the class, take photos of our tables.

my seat in class for the past 39 days..

After assignment 3 presentation, we head back to our

hostels to finish up our report also also to start discussion

for our IS Movie which will be due soon.

After the discussion, i met up with 袁薇 for dinner

at 吉祥混炖

DINNER with 袁薇 :D

We head back to school together and part ways to our hostels.

Had another short discussion of IS Movie and

spent the rest of the night finishing up the report,

after submission, i had a mini movie marathon!!

Business Process Engineering is FINALLY OVER!

Reflections:

“先苦后甜”

After 9 Quizzes, 3 Assignments,

2 Written Tests, 1 Lab Test.

and Hours of lectures.

BPE is FINALLY OVER!

no words can describe the feeling

when the load is off your shoulders.

We can now truly enjoy the days left in Wuhan,

with no excess baggage in our minds.

Spending the holidays here, studying. It actually

keeps our brains working. Instead of the usual rest

like the holidays in Singapore. I believe it is beneficial

as when the new semester start, it's all systems go!

we do not have to warm up our gears before we can start going.

Well, BPE lessons may have come to a stop now,

there are more lessons that are coming our way.

“Learning is acquired by reading books; but the much more necessary learning, the knowledge of the world, is only to be acquired by reading man, and studying all the various editions of them.”
--Lord Chesterfield

DAY 38-- A Day @ 群光广场 & 老鼠街

2009-10-11T17:13:00.000+08:00

woken up by xanier in the morning to go shopping.
this time, not the grand ocean or hankou.
we will be going to 群光广场 and 老鼠街
phoned the uncle to fetch us there with his mini van.
as more of us went, he called another mini van,
that his wife was driving..

boarding the vans

along the way, we stopped by the petrol kiosk for

a petrol top up!

drop off point

Upon arrival, we head to 群光广场 and check out the place.
Decided to have our lunch at AJISEN.
It was a lot cheaper than the AJISEN we have in Singapore.
Had a bowl or ramen and a side dish.
It costs only 9SGD!

thats the place, CHICONY 群光广场

and it looks a lot like Takashimaya!

Ajisen

my ramen!

side dish.

food court in Chicony, looks like singapore's food court!

Breadtalk :D

After lunch we start shopping!
there were some nice stuff, but i didn't buy anything.
Then, we head to dinner at KFC.
i tried Meal 1 which Mr Loh recommended,
it was delicious! :D

on the streets :D

KFC for DINNER! :D

After the dinner at KFC, we head to 老鼠街

for more shopping. Some of us decided to end our
day and we took taxi back! It's my first experience
riding on the Taxi here at Wuhan.

Pretty similiar to the taxi ride i experienced
in ShangHai 4 years ago, the
metal grills and plastic dividers which protects
both the drivers and the passengers.

Rested in the hostel and worked on assignment 3.
Presentation tomorrow!

DAY 37 -- a day with FLEXSIM

2009-10-10T12:09:00.000+08:00

today, we stayed in the hostel to work on our flexsim models

as there will be presentation the very next day.

after spending an entire day on it, we head out to dinner!

i think this 铁板烧 has become our favourite street food.

basically, you choose the food on the sticks,

then, they will fry it in oil,

transfer it to the teppan and stir fry.

the 2 shop owners whom we guess are siblings.

my dinner on the teppan

yummilicious

while i was making my purchases for dinner,

the china student 袁薇saw me and

she handed me mooncake from home and also

mandarin oranges which her family planted

i was so surprised and at the same time feel rather

embarrassed/ "paiseh" to accept it.

head back to the hostel and continue with our assignment 3.

DAY 36-- Shopping at GrandOcean

2009-10-10T11:45:00.000+08:00

We decided to head out to Grand Ocean for a day of shopping

in the afternoon. Well, nothing much happened,

we just kept walking and looking at things to buy.

Before we head back, we ate at the Mcdonalds.

I decided to try the Mala Pork Burger as i have

not tried that since we arrived!!

MY DINNER :D

MALA PORK BURGER

well, to me the burger is not that awesome afterall

its alright for a try.

the cup that they give when you upsize your meal.

After the long day of shopping, we head back to the hostel

and started to work on our assignment 3.

Reflections:

Everyone has their likes and dislikes.

For me. SHOPPING falls under the category of

"DISLIKE".

i would rather stay in the hostel then to go shopping as

i can spend the time doing something more productive.

but i guess what's most important is whether you enjoy what you are doing.

as long as you are doing something you enjoy,

even if it wastes time, the time its not wasted.

I would say that this trip has not only opened my eyes

to the cultural differences, and all the new experiences..

this trip is also a trip of self-realization.

through everything that we go through, i can now see

even clearer than before, who i am as a person,

what's important to me. what i value most.

It is great that i not only find new friends,

new experiences, but at the same time, found out more

about myself.

DAY 35-- MDE's DAY OUT

2009-10-08T01:56:00.000+08:00

at 8:30 am, we set off for a day at hankou.
Junru has made arrangement with our tourguide,
to book bus for all of us.

Entrance to Zhong Shan Park

After a 1 hour 30 minutes bus ride, we finally
reached HanKou. We made our way to
中山公园. There were a lot of locals, similar
to Singapore's East Coast Park or any other
parks where people would engage in activities,
and meet up with friends.

relaxing under the shade

Chinese Calligraphy using water instead of ink

playing chaptek

theme park map

tickets for the roller coaster ride!!

i went on 2 rides that day, the roller coaster ride

and another ride that was not so exciting.

both rides were rather short and not really worth the money.

Before coming to the theme park, i had my

concerns of the safety measures and equipments but i have

to say that all of the equipments were rather new

and safely secured.

After the themepark rides, we made our way
to the 江汉路步行商业街 which we have been
to on day 13. On foot, we walked for about 5-10 minutes,
then the tourguide suggested us to go by their
LRT. Another new experience!

ticket purchasing machine :D

looks really similar to singapore's GTM!!

entering with scanning

arrows for boarding and alighting

here comes the LRT!!

putting the "ticket" -- exit.

the train ride was rather pleasant and there

were was really stable throughout the entire journey

no halts and jerks along the way..

shopping at 江汉路步行商业街

Upon reaching the 步行街 , we split up to smaller groups
and head for lunch. Met up again at 6pm and
made our way to the ferry terminal.
We bought our ferry tickets for 1.50RMB

at the counter

my ferry ticket!!

wuhan guan jetty

on board

night view of hankou :D

Reflections:

At the theme park, i noticed that a lot of young

children being rude and loud to their parents.

Is this a result of China's one-child policy?

Parents who dote on their children more,

granting all of their wishes.
I guess, more or less, it does play a part.

Even in Singapore, where our government is encouraging

more newborns, with more than 2 childrens, the kids

are already overly pampered. Maybe its the new generation

of parents. Well, i'm not sure, these are all

possible contributing factors.

Personally i feel that, teaching them the right moral values is

more important, but then again,what are the right moral values?

the concept of right moral values varies in many areas like,

Place: Which part of the world we're in...

Time: are these moral values still applicable based on the current social environments...

“儿童是国家未来的主人翁”

The young now, are future masters' of the nation.

Thus, everything have to be taught.and it has to be

taught from young. To secure our future, it is important that

we inculcate those values to the younger generations.

1 more week to go for this
Overseas Immersion Programme.
The finish line is in sight and its time to finish what

i've started and more importantly,
finish well.

DAY 34 -- Rest day in Hostel :D

2009-10-06T13:00:00.002+08:00

stayed in and rested for the day,

watched some shows and head out

for lunch. I had lunch with shun qing at

the 周黑鸭 store that has fried rice, fried noodles..

after lunch, we went to the supermarket nearby to get some

supplies, i got some local delicacies for my family

and also three 4L water for my room.

1 each!

my bottle of the 4L water!

Well, somehow there was no internet connection

and we were disconnected from the virtual world for

the entire night..

Head out for dinner at the roadside stalls,

only to find the 铁板烧 stall that we were all

looking forward to seeing was closed =(

went to another food street across the road and

had the 铁板烧 there.

As the internet connection was down,

the guys came over and suggested card games!!

went over and had a pretty fun time :D

We will be heading out to the themepark and

shopping area in HanKou tomorrow!

Reflections:

After being here for 34 days and

spending so much time with our friends,

and somewhat, getting tired from being away from home.

we have to exercise more tolerance than ever.

I'm certain there are times when

we get on each other's nerves, there are times
when we offended each other even without
realization.

These are the times where we have to be
very careful with our words, our actions,
and not let emotions get the better of us.

"We must preserve racial and religious harmony. We value our diversity and are determined to stay a united people." --NE Messages

DAY 33-- Haircut at GrandOcean !!

2009-10-06T12:30:00.000+08:00

Went out to shop at 光谷 at 1230pm.

As we were waiting for cab, a van stop by
and asked if we needed a ride.
we were charged 30RMB and it will
be split among the 8 of us, rather reasonable.

on the mini van

Grand Ocean in the day :D

well wishes from the citizens to their country

After 15-20mins on the road, we arrived
and head for lunch at Houcaller
i had the classic beefsteak set which is
45RMB. It comes with soup&bread, salad,
and also a drink. It was SUPER FILLING!

Utensils pack.

My Classic Beef Steak set for 45RMB

As some wanted to get their hairs
dyed and straighten, we head to a
hair saloon, YES I DO. i decided to do a
hair treatment and somehow,all i had
was a hair wash.

YES I DO

The hair dresser who was supposed to help me
with the drying, started to convince me that
i should do something to my hair.
He started to snip my hair off and
suggested a slight curl to my fringe.

the not-so-much-difference-and-not-so-nice-haircut

Well, i wasn't that happy with the outcome!
Can't do anything about it, i shall just let
my hair grow back!

After all the hair dressing, we went to
pizza hut. It was SUPER FILLING!! Shared a
set meal with xanier. We then ordered
another pizza to share.

必胜客

yummilicious mushroom and chicken chunks soup!

the soup is definitely better than Singapore's Pizza Hut.

canned, concentrate soup.

my personal pan of super supreme.

i so hate green peppers.

minced pork pizza :D

which was quite yummy too.. there were a lot of

burnt bits though.

night view of GrandOcean

We called up the same uncle to pick us up from

the drop off location. Reach the hostel at

2225hours. 5 minutes before the hostel will supposedly locked up.

Whats on tomorrow?

DAY 32 -- Written Test 2!

2009-10-02T22:31:00.000+08:00

Had written test 2 today,
only did 3 questions. like the first paper,
i got no idea how i would fare..

After the test, we head back to the hostel
and rested. Some of them went shopping
at Grand Ocean but i chose to stay in hostel,
submitted my room's assignment and
catch up with my blogging.

Also, i finally have the chance to
watch some shows that i have with me!!
Its quite amazing how time flies past
without us knowing. Basically,
relaxed for the day =D

The coming weekend, i have absolutely
NO IDEA how it will be.. its the first weekend,
that we are not going out for weekend trips.
Perhaps time will pass very slowly,
or will it zoom by?

Anyway, its my Mum's Birthday today :D
With the help from my brother, manage to
show her something that i have prepared
for her. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMY!
STAY HAPPY & HEALTHY!! =D

Reflections:

Looking at the weekend ahead, it reminded me of

how i would spend my weekends in Singapore.

1) Visiting my grandparents =D

i miss them all a lot!

Hopefully they will still remember me

when i go back, well, you cant be too sure.

Just hope that they are all healthy and well.

2) Family Meals =D

Meals at our favourite Japanese Restaurant, at some

bbq seafood joint. Well, its not the food

that really matters, its the company.

in comparison to the China Students here,

i'm considered lucky. For them,

the trip home is so rare. Finally seeing their

parents, relatives after months.

No wonder they are full of anticipation when they return home,

i guess this OIP, i get the experience a slice of what

they have to constantly go through.

"In time of test, family is best." --Burmese Proverb

DAY 31-- Happy 60th Anniversary PRC

2009-10-02T03:37:00.001+08:00

So yes. Today is China's National Day.
1949 - 2009. 60th Anniversary of PRC.
Most of the students have return home
to spend the 8 days holiday with their
family. The school feels rather empty.

I went to the Shops in the Campus in
hope to find local papers for today.
but could only get 长江商报..
well, it is in HuBei, but i wanted to get

武汉 Local publication. Attempted to get
China Daily (English Paper) but to no avail.

Headlines.

Tried to watch the celebration and parade online as

CCTV was streaming the parade, gala and fireworks.
However i didn't manage to get connected.
Went to search for the video later on youtube..

and it was simply amazing!

The soldiers are marching in unison,

the parade was magnificent, definitely seizing the

opportunity to display their military power..

rows and rows of tanks, jets were paraded.

Reflection:

Mahjulah Singapura

Singapore is our homeland; this is where we belong.

We treasure our heritage and take pride in shaping our own unique way of life.

--NE Messages

Being away from home for 31 days now, i really miss

being in the clean, safe environment.

What makes us Singaporeans?

Singlish that we cant live without, Chicken rice,

Char Kway Teow, Roti Prata, HDB...

ERP,PIE,KPE,CTE,SLE..

These have all become part and parcel of our life.

part of our heritage and our unique way of life.

Although we are small in size but we have big dreams!

There is no way that our NDP can compare to the

amazing parade and celebrations the PRC is capable of,

look at the "unlimited" resources, talents they have.

When i look at their parade, i simply am at a loss of words.

But i am only looking at it from an outsider point of view.

Unlike the times when we would crowd in front of the TV,

watching the "oh-didn't-i-watch-this-last-year" performance

during Singapores' NDP. There still was some form of

attachment, some form of pride that we as Singaporeans carry.

Definitely, China is not to be taken lightly.

It just takes 1 drop of sweat from their entire population

to completely submerge us under "sweat".

well, slightly blown out of proportion but its not impossible.

No one knows what the future holds,

no one knows how things would turn out to be.

with more than 5000 years of history and culture, there

is so much more that i want to know and learn about China.

the 42 days here is definitely insufficient to know ALL about it.

11 more days of learning and discovery awaits me.

Happy 60th Anniversary PRC!

前进，前进，前进，进！

DAY 30-- IS & Assignment 2 Presentation

2009-10-01T13:59:00.000+08:00

Today we had our final IS Lesson on Buddhism and Taoism
by Mr An, the Dean of Foreign Language School.
After IS, we rushed back to finish up Assignment 2 slides.

Mr Philip An

notes taken during lesson..

Had our Assignment 2 Presentation at 2pm.
Head to the Library with ShunQing to meet 袁微
as ShunQing wanted to borrow library books and went
back to hostel shortly after.

As 袁微's bunk mates have all returned home for
the holiday, i decided to meet up with her
for dinner and also to pass her photos of
those student interaction activities.

It was the first time i went to their hostel and
i would prefer it if i was staying in their kind of hostel.
It was a room shared with 5 people, they
each have their own bed above their study table.
If only there is an attached bathroom, that would be
perfect! I can do without the air conditioner! :D

We ate our dinner that we packed together
with her other room mate, Judy, who was also
one of the people organizing our activities.
Went back to my hostel at 10pm.

Tomorrow is China's National Day and guess what?
They are all on 8 days Holiday!!!
I guess we won't have that such a long
holiday even when Singapore turns 60!!

Its a day off for us too, but its for us to complete our
assignments, revise for written test and blog!

Reflection:

Today's presentation for me was not well done.
Not at all!
It is important to prepare but even more important
to not under/over prepare. Although most of the time,
i will just impromtu for all my presentations.

I will just have to do better next time!

Take each stumbling block as a stepping stone,
only then, you will improve.

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” -- Confucius

DAY 29--HAPPY BIRTHDAY GLORIA

2009-10-01T13:21:00.034+08:00

Worked on assignment 2 in the morning and
at around 12 in the afternoon, we experienced
another blackout. Not only in our room, but throughout
the entire university campus!

Went for lessons at 2pm and we had our chapter 10 quiz!
We have completed our syallbus for BPE,
well, we still have 1 written tests and 2 assignments to go!
which will be over in a matter of days.

no electricity.. no lights, no slides, no fan.

final quiz!!

After lesson, we head back to our hostel and
continue working on our assignment 2 which we will
have to present on tomorrow afternoon.
Had an early dinner and met up with the local students
for a night of interactive games and activities.

we had to get number cards from the box..

snacks prepared for us

the Em cees for the night

Then, we had the first game of the night where,

the participants will be given the same food/drink

one of which has "extra ingredients"

and the audience will have to guess who is the "LUCKY" one

ALVIN had a SUPER SALTY Biscuit.

next up: ANYU and ADRIAN...

we had a go with sour plum drink.. and i managed to

fool some people! =D

EDY singing the song 最近

ROY with his Robot Dance

another one of the games that night.

the LSCT Lecturer who had a go with LIMBO ROCK!

yokemay and 2 other ICT students who won the

musical chair games and got forfeited at the same time!

balloon bursting game!

MDE with the China Students =D

After the interaction, we head back to work on our assignment 2
and at around 10pm, we celebrated GLORIA'S 18th Birthday.
we were all putting on a show that we forgot
about her birthday and ignoring all the signs.
i believe it was a painful day for her, up till the time
the birthday cake was brought in.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GLORIA =D

We will be having our IS lesson tomorrow morning at 9am
on Buddism and Taoism! I think it's the last lesson.

OH! Before i forget it, my family received the post card
i sent to them at 3 Gorges, i was really shocked!!
even without writing SINGAPORE, it reached them!!
and it took, 2 weeks just to get there..

Reflection:

I feel that we should be appreciative of the
time and effort the China Students have put into
planning, preparing and executing all the
interaction activities for us.

I think we should stop complaining about how mundane
we feel it is, how much you don't feel like going,
with this kind of thoughts, you will never
LET GO AND LET FUN IN.

Although we may have our assignments to prepare
and submit, don't you think that they have
their workload too?

I can understand the load that we are still
carrying and that we maybe unable to
enjoy ourselves while thinking about our unfinished work.
They are students with assignments to hand in too,
they are students who have lessons early next day too.

I'm certain that there were moments that
we truly enjoyed ourselves leaving the thought of
the workload off our minds, thats what they want
to do. Let us ENJOY ourselves.

"You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins." --Jim Stovall

Day 28--Industrial Visit (武汉启瑞药业有限公司)

2009-09-29T01:45:00.000+08:00

Had our BPE lesson at 10 in the morning today and the usual quiz.
After lessons, we head to canteen 2 to get our lunch!

三鲜煲

We saw a mobile blood donation drive in the campus.

I've never had a chance to donate blood as i'm underage,

and once i can do so without parents approval i'd go ahead with it.

I'm certain that my parents would approve of me

being a blood donor and it's just something i want to "accomplish".

We met again at 2pm for a factory visit to

武汉启瑞药业有限公司

We toured the perimeters of the plant and didn't
really have the chance to "See" the plant.
we were also not allowed to take photos of the plant.

The entire factory visit was less than an hour.

After the visit, we worked on our assignment 2 which
is due for presentation on Wednesday Afternoon.
At 6pm, together with my room mates, we head out for
dinner at KFC!!! Other than our individual set meals,
we also indulged in the awesome egg tarts!!

Some chicken wings and drumlets.. and yes. they are oily..

egg tarts!

they are awesome!!! but.. oily!

As Gloria needed to top up her phone card, we head
to the provision shop down the street where i met
the friend i've made since the first week of the trip.
I was rather shock to find out that she's only 17!
a year younger than me and all of us on this trip.

Another one of the China friends i'll never forget.

At only 17, she is already working away from home
and on top of that, as we were talking, i heard that
her father got into an accident and had injured his leg.
Even so, she has yet to meet her father and she could
only wait until the upcoming break during the "Golden Week"
which is the week that China will be celebrating its 60th Birthday.

Although i can't really say that i could understand what
she is going through but i'm certain the kind of aniexty that
goes through our minds when hearing that our loved ones
had fallen ill or met an accident is the same.
Hope her dad will GET WELL SOON!!

Reflections:

Over the 3 weeks that i have been studying here,
i find that it takes a lot of self discipline to really

settle down and work on our assignments.

As we are only here for the 6 weeks,
we have the tendency to go out and explore the area
to fully maximize and utilize our time here.
Often, we prioritize our time wrongly which
result in last minute work.

Also, other than the classrooms, we do not have

a proper study area, We have our rooms and our

study area is on our beds. It isn't a very conducive

environment to study.

However, no matter what the environment may be like,

no matter which country we are in, we are responsible

for our own learning and we are the masters of our

own time. In order to continuously improve and progress,

these are excuses that we cannot let stand in our way.

Through my interaction with the shop assistant,

I realize how fortunate we are to still be receiving education and

having the opportunity to step out of Singapore.

At the age of 17, she has stopped schooling,away from home

and is working a full-time job.

In some ways, i admire her courage. In others, i find it

a waste for her not to continue with her studies and she

can have a better chance in finding a better job for her future.

"Education is not the answer to the question. Education is the means to the answer to all questions."
-- William Allin

DAY 27-- Mt. Wudang day2

2009-09-28T22:22:00.031+08:00

Woke up at 6 in the morning and had breakfast of

mantou, meat buns and noodles alongside with soyamilk.

Then we made our way to the foot of Mt.Wudang!

along the way....

a long way to go...

6000+ STEPS..

encouraging each other along the way

Shunqing and Rebecca

beware of falling rocks

perspiring even in the cooling weather

After reaching the "peak", we waited for the rest.

and we were informed that we have to make

our way UP to the PEAK.

more steps...!!

people locking the locks along the way up.

with well-wishes engraved on them

the old aunties making their way up just to burn incense papers

and pray to the gods.

WUDANG PEAK.

making our way down..

and i saw this uncle. He started his journey up at about

the same time as us. I really salute him.

I wonder if he enjoy his job, with the nice scenery, cooling weather.

However, climbing up 6000+ steps with the heavy load,

is no joke...

getting ready for cable car ride!!

making our descent

Wudang Sword.

After our lunch, we made our way back to hostel

the ride back was a grueling 7 hours ride!!

we thought we'd never reach!!

Reflections:

The journey up to the Peak was not just

physically challenging but also mentally challenging.

It is important that we encourage each other along the way

and not to give up.

The sense of satisfaction after the climb up, makes

the climb, the muscle aches worthwhile.

As we encourage each other along the way,

we realize the importance of having someone,

who will offer you the helping hand, someone who

will give u that push to achieve what you think

you may never be able to.

Today, its all of us, who did it. All of us,

who have encouraged each other along the way.

Today, we conquered Mt. Wudang.

DAY 26-- Mt.Wudang day1

2009-09-28T21:12:00.029+08:00

Met up in the morning at 6:30am
to set off to our weekend destination, Mt. Wudang.
after 6 hours of travelling we finally arrived.
It was raining throughout the journey.

After lunch, some of us went to buy Ponchos
and umbrellas as we had to tour 3 sites on foot.
Hopped onto their environmentally friendly buses,
we arrived at our first destination, 太子坡.

the eco-friendly bus

ponchos, which lasted 1 hour.

at The Price Temple

After touring the place, we were told to rest
at a tea house, where tea is served.
Freshly brewed before our eyes. We tried 3 teas.
First one had a sweet after taste, 桂花茶,
Second one was 荔枝红茶, and the final one,
was a rather special tea.

tea-tasting session =D

She told us that after drinking 3 cups of that tea,
drink any plain water/mineral water, and
it will taste sweet. we were quite doubtful,
but it was AMAZING!!

Next, we head to 紫霄宫 and 玄帝殿.
After which, we checked into our hotel, 太和宾馆,
shared the room with xanier.

the purple palace

玄帝殿

don't you think that both of them look the same?

Group Photo =D

our accomodation

rated 2 stars....

Room 4098.

TEE-VEEEE!!

the street outside our hotel

Had dinner and most of us went out for a walk,
it was getting chilly and we head back
to our rooms and rested for the day.

DAY 25 -- IS

2009-09-25T21:20:00.001+08:00

Today we had an IS lecture on business etiquette,

we were brought to the room 210 where there were

desktops for all of us. All computers was controlled by

the lecturer's. Instead of using the screen,

we could see the lecture slides through our desktops.

the first thing that popped up.

"stay focused, pay attention to the lecture"

our lecturer for the day!

lost and found box outside of the classroom

after lessons!!!

After IS lecture, we head to Q7中西简餐 for beef steak!!

We had BPE lecture on chapter 7 and quiz as usual.

Tomorrow we'll be meeting at 6:30am for our weekend

trip to Wudang Mountain!!

Reflections:

After lunch, we went to a provision shop which

most of us frequent and i saw one of the employees and

she actually remembered me.

The 20+ days i've been here, i seldom head out

for my meals or "shop" in the vicinity.

so i was rather surprised when she still could remember me.

well, i do not know if thats a good or bad thing

that she remembered me!!

personally, i could still remember most of the friends

i've made over here.

the students, some of the people along the way..

i believe i would still remember them as they are the

ones other than my trip mates who have

made this experience an extra special one.

DAY 24-- Group Lunch & Flexsim test!

2009-09-25T01:15:00.002+08:00

today i woke up at 10am!!

been a long time since i have been able to sleep in.

After waking up, back to blogging about the

3 gorges trip!

Met Group E at 1pm and we had our first group lunch! :D

Ate at canteen 1 and i had potato with beef rice.

the spicy, salty oily potato and beef rice.

After lunch, we went for lessons together!

Today it was on Chapter 6 of BPE and the quiz as usual.

Also, JunRu, Gloria, Siti and myself,

we had our flexsim lab test too!

Another load off our shoulders.

my submitted model..

LAB TEST DOWN!

We went to canteen 2 for dinner after our test

and head to the admin block where there were

some performance going on to commemorate

China's National Day which falls on 1st Oct.

look at the crowd!!!

the stage which is SUPER FAR..

Well, today's weather changed drastically!

29deg! from the 16degs we have been experiencing!

Well, i guess some will start to fall sick due to the

changing weather. Hopefully none will!

Have to start on Assignment 2 soon! or else.....

Reflection:

After watching some of the performances put up
by the students, you can really feel that they are
all very patriotic. The kind of love they have for their
country is lacking in Singapore. In China, they are proud
of their country, their culture.

Well, to a certain extent, the "we", "they", that i'm using,
is a little over rated and lack of statistical proof for my backing.
However, i'm just stating the obvious to the oblivious from
what i see, hear and feel.

We go through the flag raising, pledge taking ceremony
for at least 10 years but a majority find such acts a chore.
and carry it out unwillingly.

Personally, i am one who really loves my country.
The government has provided us with so much
opportunities and room for growth, our economy is
strong as ever. With a strong foundation in education,
we are secured with a future.

I AM PROUD TO BE A SINGAPOREAN!

DAY 23-- "Outward Bound"

2009-09-24T02:32:00.000+08:00

8 in the morning!!

We were brought to the area beside our campus for outdoor activities
We did rock climbing, trust fall and high element.

the training base

We were brought to a sheltered area for a briefing
and also sometime to do up our identities and group flags.
followed by a short skit which was an impromtu one for our group!

group discussion!

Group Flag drawn by Adrian

MDE

We then head to the rock climbing wall and was briefed on
the safety gears and measures to take while doing rock climbing.

Briefing on the use of harness

while waiting for my turn....

time to go!

got stuck at the slanted portion.

not really satisfied.

Instructions and Safety Guidelines for Rock Climbing.

Went off for lunch with siti at KFC.
Finally tried the prawn burger! it's not like super awesome,
but its super oily. worth a try though, you dont see that in Singapore.
it was a nice meal and we had a nice chat too :D

LUNCH

BEHOLD! PRAWN BURGER

can you see the prawn.. but still. its OILY!

Head back to our hostel and had a crazy streching
and doing random stuff session with jarrold, roy and junru!
We went back to the meeting place at 2pm.

After a short warm up session, we head to our individual stations.
this time, we were brought to the trust fall station.
about 11 people managed to go through the trust fall and we
were brought to the next station.

warm up activity.

trust fall!

Basically, we had to go all the way up and make a "leap"
to another plank which is placed abt 1m apart and then, go to the edge
and jump off.

the task.

making the leap.

Ended the day with group photos :D

MDE!!

baby freeze with roy!

with the instructors!

GROUP E :D

BUSINESS PROCESS AND QUALITY ENGINEERING

BPQE K01 and K02!

After that 13 of us went to the Fishball stores across the road.
the food is nice, but still oily. i really liked the soup,
it reminded me of my grandmother's cooking.
the fishballs were too soft for my liking.

Dinner group!

the infamous fishballs!!

well, tomorrow my group will be meeting for group lunch!! :D
and there will be lesson for BPE and also flexsim test for siti and my room..
lets just get this over and done with!

Reflections:

I am one who enjoys doing such activities like rock climbing,
high element, but i guess. no matter how much u enjoy it,
at some point of time, the element of fear and uncertainties just
creep in and get the better of you.

Today, that just happened.
Upon reaching the High Element station, my imaginations
ran wild. What if i miss my footing and my head land on the plank?
what if the instructor did not pull the rope in time,
i'd land straight on the ground, possibly injuring my back.
what if i become paralysed?

As i was waiting for my turn, i was still contemplating on
whether i should go ahead and do it. Whenever i go for an overseas trip,
My mum will always tell me to only attempt something
that i feel comfortable doing, especially when danger is invovled.
I tried to keep myself composed and told myself that i could do it,
reassuring myself that nothing will happen.

Also, for the past 22 days, i've been stepping out of my comfort
zone, i should step out of my comfort zone today too!

Attempting all of these is just a matter of mind over matters.
With a clear head and support from my friends,
i did it. well, i almost missed my footing, but, i still did it.

What drained me today was not the physical stuff that i had to do,
it was the constant mental battle that my mind was going through
the entire time. However, the sense of achievement is something
which cannot be replaced.

It has been a long time since i last had to go through this
kind of mental battle and i'm thankful to my mates who
have cheered me on.

DAY 22- Coca Cola Factory Visit

2009-09-23T01:32:00.000+08:00

Went for a Coca Cola Factory Visit today at 12:50am
The bus journey there was approximately 1.5 hours

Coca Cola's Vision

We waited outside the factory for about 15 minutes

before we were allowed in.

We were asked to remove any packaging of products

that are not products from the Coca Cola Company.

removal of my "康师傅" mineral water tag...

another rare and interesting sight.

America Flag alongside China Flag

we were then brought to a "meeting room"

where we were treated to complimentary 200ml Coke

and a short video on Coca Cola in China

Shun Qing & Myself enjoying our coke

After the video, we walked about the exhibition areas

and also view the production line from 2nd floor.

a QC check point where the quality inspector

will check the glass bottle against the lighting for any cracks.

some of the signs put up for all to be in

proper footwear and gear.

the tour ended rather quickly, took some group pictures

and head back to campus.

Worked on and submitted assignment 1 report =D

FINALLY SUBMITTED!!!

felt a huge load off my shoulders. but more are due and more to come...

we'll be having "outward bound" activities tomorrow

need to meet at 8am!

Reflections:

Last night i had my first family dinner on skype!

As i was having my dinner, my brother called me on skype!!

and the next image i see was my family at the

dining table having their dinner, basically, we are

"having dinner together" which is something my family

do daily at our dining room.

Dinning area =D

We had dinner at the same time together for

the first time in 21 days. While seeing them enjoying home-cooked meal.

and i was eating oily rice with oily meat and potato and oily corn

and a can of peanut to go alongside with from my cousin.

a picture i sent to them before we skype-d.

i'm missing the times i spend with my family..

watching tv shows and movies together,

and even something as simple as a meal.

with home-cooked food.

however, i do not really really miss home, i guess its because i still

keep in contact with them, the only difference from being

back in singapore would be the "lack of touch".

being physically there.

well, over the 3 weeks i'm here many things have taken place back at home too.

for starters, my mum passed her driving test!

and a suzuki swift is already on its way..

so i guess, i'm going to experience my mum's driving skills when i'm back!!

DAY20-- 3 Gorges ---> WUST

2009-09-22T12:00:00.001+08:00

had breakfast and before we know it,
it was time to alight from the cruise.
it was raining and that was the 2nd time
we experienced rain over here.

Board the bus and started to make our way
back to campus. Along the way,
we stopped by a local product store
and i bought 5 packets of the local 特产 for my family.
i don't think i've bought enough though..

5 hours later, we finally reached our campus.
and with my room mates, we've decided to
send our clothes for laundry! My bag of clothes
only cost 4.50RMB!

Its the first time we send our clothes for

laundry services as we have been hand washing them.

well, its nice to rely on technology once in a while,

give our hands a break =D

DAY 19-- 3 Gorges DAY2!

2009-09-22T11:57:00.000+08:00

Was woken up at 6 in the morning but the loud knocks

on the doors. Our tour guides went around to all our rooms

to wake us up and to inform us to go for our breakfast.

We alighted the cruise and made our way on land

to 白帝城 . Again we traveled within the area on

the transport provided to all tourists.

the entry ticket =D

the tourist bus on the island.

in front of the crane

Making our way out...

jump shot!

2 hours later, we had to go back on the cruise

before it set sail and leave us behind.

Back on the cruise, we took short naps as we

enjoy the scenery from our rooms.

i read the book which i brought along.

Moments later, an announcement was made for

all cruise guests to go to the upper deck as we

cruise pass the 12 peaks of Wu Mountain.

with shun qing on the upper deck.

some were playing MAHJONG and enjoying the breeze..

Then we transferred to another ship that

brought us through a river cruise of 神农溪

2 hours later, we alight the ship to go on board

smaller boats which are paddled by 6 paddlers

who are all very old. i would say they are in their 60s-70s.

on the river cruise...

us on the boat

About halfway through the river cruise, the paddlers

jumped off the boat and started to use ropes attached to the boat

and the ropes around their chest, they pulled the boat.

some of us felt like jumping off the boat to

help them. It's like, you sitting in a boat while you see your

70, 80 year old grandpa using every ounce of strength

he has left to pull the entire boat of able-bodied youngsters.

the Boat trackers by the 长江三峡神农溪

After another 2 hours ride on the ship, we transferred back

to our cruise where we had our dinner.

After dinner, we rested in our rooms and played some

card games with the guys..

had another

announcement was made for us to go to the upper deck

to experience the entire process of the "dam"

However, xanier and i decided to just catch the process

from our rooms.

We were in awe! The entire structure was gigantic and

it is really a man made marvel. You have to see it to believe it.

DAY 18-- Results.. 3 Gorges Day1

2009-09-22T11:56:00.002+08:00

Early in the morning.

Reality came knocking.

Results are out.

There was a buzz among all of us on the bus.

as the sms-es started pouring in.

some had already checked their results before leaving the hostel.

for me, i was rather happy with my results.

all above B results and an improvement in my GPA!

So after the 5-6 hours journey on the bus,

we finally arrived at 燕沙大酒店for lunch!

i'd say one of the best meals since we arrived!

After the meal, we went back on the bus and

travelled for 1 hour or so, we finally arrived!!

a signboard that shows all the attractions for the 3 gorges trip!

entry ticket!

tour guide explaining the entire project to all of us there.

grp picture!

with Mr Loh!

Group E!

Then, we took the bus and head out to a place called 185!

Group E again!!

Over there at 185, we get the view of the super huge Dams!

and people started shouting towards it,

the echo was super loud too!!

It was really a magnificent view, such a huge project.

After which, we head out to 截流纪念园.

the map of the memorial park that is carved on a huge piece of rock!

Group E and the SUPER HUGE BULLDOZER!

I tried the wild chestnut jelly,

basically, just JELLY.

and also, i sent a postcard home.

its the first time i send something home by mail..

wonder if it reached them...

because, after i left. i realized..

i didnt write the word SINGAPORE!

well, we shall see.

After this 3 sites, we went back on the bus

and head for dinner!

DINNERTIME!

After dinner, we went back the bus and traveled to

the "jetty" and waited for the cruise..

for almost 1 hour.

the very warm and "smoky" ticketing office.

finally on board! 金太阳!

Room 327

When we reached our room, some felt rather uncomfortable

as our rooms were directly across the rooms

with half naked uncles, the guys were kind enough

to shift and change rooms with them.

my room mate for the 2 nights!

XANIER! =D

TV!

toilet with seat!

though the water was just brown the entire time.

room key and upper deck passes!

After bathing and settling down we turned in for the night!

Reflection:

"一份耕耘一份收获", you reap what you sow.

This was what came to my mind when i saw and got my results.

Its the first time i achieve this and i'm really happy about it.

still, i really put in effort in all my projects, assignments and tests.

now, i see the results of my hardwork.

the sense of satisfaction i get from this, is worth all the

frustrations and late nights.

this semester 3 is a turning point for me.
in terms of attitude towards things in life,
in terms of studying, in terms of self-realization.
in many many areas.

well, i hope that i'll carry on with this
attitude for the remaining sems..
keep on pulling up my cumulative gpa!
gotta work hard!

I can and i will do better. I will achieve my goals.
set your mind on it, do it, nothing is impossible.

DAY 21-- Halfway mark

2009-09-22T11:56:00.001+08:00

Had IS lecture on some china history
and Confucianism by the Dean of Foreign Language School.
another informative and interesting lecture.

After the lecture, we were informed by Dr Tan of our
schedule for the this week.

we'll have a factory visit to the Coca Cola Factory tomorrow!
Really anticipating the trip! Although i'm quite certain that
we'll not be shown the quantities of sugar in
their drink!

On wednesday, we'll have student activities,
still not sure what we have been planned for us.

Went to the School Hospital to find Mr Loh but
he already finish his drips and went back to rest.
We then went to have lunch at the wanton shop,
while a group of them head out to I-Go shopping mall.

Head back to the hostel and worked on the report
due tomorrow.

Reflections:

Today is day 21.
Already we're halfway through this Overseas Immersion Programme
i can't say that the past 21 days have been easy/smooth-sailing.
and it's really quite amazing to have such an opportunity to experience
so many things just in 3 weeks.

i'm quite certain that i wouldn't be having such a fruitful
experience if i spend the 6 weeks holiday in Singapore.

The way i feel and think about this experience constantly changes.
I've really learnt a lot of things from this trip,
not just being independent, not just the lectures...
These are lessons that can't be taught/learnt in a classroom.
These are lessons that you have to just go through and experience it personally.

Anticipating the remaining 21 days.

DAY 17-- Written Test

2009-09-22T11:55:00.000+08:00

Change of bedsheet today!!

Only 1 auntie came today so i helped her to change

all my room's bedsheet :D

Clean sheets!!!

another "accomplishment", well i do know how to change

bedsheets, just that at home, i'd return home

with clean bedsheets that my domestic helper

has changed while i was in school.

went for lunch at canteen 2, wanted to get

soup noodle but the stall was not open, so had to

get 什菜饭, it was crazy! everyone was like squeezing to the front

to get their portion of side dishes!

went for class in the afternoon to take our written test 1

something that is quite familiar.. common test ans book....

spent too much time on qns 1. i have no idea how i'll fare.

just hope for the best!!

Went for a jog today, had a short campus run with

alvin and xanier then join the rest at the running track,

ran another 2 rounds.

After the run, we went out for dinner at

杏花村

dinner!!

Clean utensils which cost 1RMB once u open it!

After dinner, some of us went to the supermarket to

get snacks for the 3Gorges Trip.

Results will be out tomorrow too!!! Alright!

gotta go prepare for the weekend at 3 Gorges!

meeting time 6:20AM!

Reflections:

Everything we do, is an effect of the decisions we make,
a reaction of the action we do.

Dare to fail and take calculated risks.
Be humble in victory and cheerful in defeat.

Do everything with a willing heart as even the easiest task
becomes difficult when you do it with reluctance.

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in, forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day..." Ralph Waldo Emerson

DAY 16--IS & Presentation

2009-09-21T01:08:00.001+08:00

Woke up at 6 in the morning and continued

with assignment 1 as we will be having presentation

in the afternoon.

Left the hostel at around 8:40am and

made our way to our IS class!

it has been a while since i last had lessons!!

cause we've been in the room or at the hospital.

Junru is feeling alright now after plenty of rest.

For our 2nd IS Lesson, we had a lecture on

chinese wedding customs and feng shui.

IS Lecturer, Christopher.

we were using the headphones to have lecture,

like all the china students.

After IS, we rushed back to the hostel to finish up

the presentation slides. On the way back, we packed lunch.

Something like chee cheong fan, but its savory not sweet.

with fillings like meat, mushroom, vegetable..

very filling, very afforadable.

the ingredients

Chee Cheong Fan making in progress

made fresh before our eyes

only 3 RMB!

Went back to the Foreign Language School

and had lecture and quiz on chapter 5.

to have our presentation.

So my roommates are my group mates for this assignment,

JunRu did on control charts and Gloria did on Process Flow Chart.

I think for me it went just alright.

After presentation, we head out for dinner at

a road side stall.

corn with chinese sausage fried rice =D

and Junru joined us too!

her first time eating on the streets again after falling sick!

finally something that tasted better

Reflection:

Today's presentation was like any other presentation,
one exception, we can't present with our laptops.

We had to save our powerpoint in another format
then transfer it with the thumb drive.

some of our slides were tweaked so that
it will be compatible to the computer provided.
as such, it affected our presentations.

Also,Some of our thumb drives were
infected with virus, due to that, it caused a
lot of delays throughout the entire presentation.

My group decided to try our luck to present
before the WUST Staff come and lock up the room.
I had to hurry through my presentation and
i was not able to present all that i have prepared.

However, through this, i realise that i can respond
quickly to situations and when problem arises.
Although i didnt manage to present it the way
i wished for it to be, i believe i did bring the
important points across.

DAY 15 --- Mandarin Orange Plucking & BBQ

2009-09-18T03:22:00.000+08:00

Attempted to wake up at 5:30am to do assignment 1.
Ended up i only manage to wake up at 8.

We brought JunRu back to the School Hospital for a check up.
I thought that she would be off after the check up but the
doctor put her on another 2 drips. and 2 bottles of
medication. During the 2nd bottle of drip, she had an allergy reaction...

and started to feel itchiness all over her face.

the nurses immediately stop the drip and injected an
allergy jab and replaced the drip.

At around 2pm, we met up with the local students and

we set off to 青龙山农庄 to pluck madarin oranges.

hand painted signboard of the farm

i had a pretty fun time there as the local students

were teaching me how to select the sweet mandarin oranges.

those that we had over there were all pretty sour...

with the local students, yuan wei and pu jing

the first mandarin orange we plucked!

our harvest for the day.

the local students started a fire to cook

the sweet potatoes that was also grown on the farm

the piece of sweet potato that they gave me,

shared it with MDE!!

Group Photo!

roy.eshlyn.gloria.anyu.chinkuang.

plucked 5 oranges back for junru who was

resting in hostel.

amazingly, they were all sweet!

i have a future in plucking mandarin oranges...

We proceed to a Outdoor area next to the campus for a bbq :D
It was very different from the kind of bbq pits from singapore.
its more like outfield cooking

the bbq Pits

The food provided were also of different varieties.
they have a lot of vegetable kebabs and little meat.
Unlike in singapore, we have chicken wings, hotdogs,
seafood.

the day ended at about 9 in the evening.

most of us were still hungry and head out for dinner!

Rushed back to the hostel to complete assignment 1

as we will be having our 1st presentation tomorrow!

Reflections:

Through the interactions i have with the local students,

especially yuan wei aka small eyes

i get to know more about them and their life,

It is interesting how things are similar or different when

we compare our own cultures...

She was rather shocked when she heard me say that

we only need 2 hours to reach from one end of

Singapore to the other. As she takes 2 hours to reach campus

from her home.. Well, we come from this small island,

in south east asia. with a population of not more than 5 million.

She also told me that in China, they believe, very much in Fate.

and that it is Fate that brought us to this Zhong Nan campus

and Fate that allowed us to meet and interact.

No matter what you do, it is important to be

genuine to the people around you and i've learnt that

if you want to be interesting, you have to first be interested!

It was a fruitful experience with both my harvests and

my interaction with them =D

DAY 14-- Hospital Check Up

2009-09-17T01:27:00.000+08:00

Our room was excused for the day so that we can
take care of Junru and bring her back to the

school hospital for check up. We will have to
take another lab test on a separate day.

Went to the Hospital at about 1030 and had consultation with the doctor.
He said that her condition might be a result of her body
not yet making adjustments and also a flu which complicates
the entire thing.

He told us that she should stay away from
banana, pear and eggs and also he put her on drip again,
well, her fever has subsided and headache and giddiness
is gone. She still has diarrhea.

Hospital Receipt

After the drip, we went for lunch and head back to the
hostel. The trips to the hospital has been a eye-opening
experience for me personally.

Went back to the hostel and both Junru and Gloria
slept all the way till 7pm. Jun Ru was feeling better already
and Gloria went out to get dinner for us :D

my dinner

a roti prata look-a-like, has little fillings and
pretty filling!
1 RMB!

tomorrow will be going to pluck mandarin oranges
and have a bbq at night with the china students :D

Reflection:

I guess one of the reasons i am able to adapt
to living over here is because, language is not a major
factor and barrier that i have to overcome.

Being able to communicate effectively and able
to express my thoughts to the locals is a definite plus.

Of cause there are the "universal languages" of
nodding/ shaking your head,
thumbs up/ thumbs down... and facial expressions..
but there are just instances when you cannot
just nod/shake your head through.

When we're at the hospital, the doctors and nurses
only speak in Mandarin, however it is crucial that
we are able to convey our message across to them and
understanding what they try to tell us.

Especially when you are unable to bring your points across,
it is a life at risk...I was glad that i could
understand and translate as and when needed.

This OIP has really broaden and widen my perspective
to many things around me. Experiencing first hand what
a powerhouse china is, it is really important that we
understand their culture, language to stand a chance here.

DAY 13- Trip to HanKou

2009-09-14T20:57:00.000+08:00

Left campus at 8:30am by bus and arrived at 汉口江滩

we spent about 30-45 minutes over there where

many people were flying kites.

Kites on sale.

super LONG kite of "lanterns"

a father teaching and guiding his kid.

“天下的父母都是一样的”

After which, we went to the 江汉路步行商业街to shop.

but first, to fill our empty stomachs we went to 永和豆浆

to have brunch.

i had the set meal and porridge with century egg

which costs only 10RMB in total!!

it was so filling i cant even finish the entire meal.

With the rest, we went into a shopping centre,

and took a look around, and the prices are pretty similar

compared to singapore.. and it got pretty boring..

Hence, Xanier and myself, we decided to walk to the "wholesale centre"

it was a rather LONG walk. maybe 30 mintues to reach

the place. The walk there was an eye opening experience,

and we really get to see how people live over here.

outside one of the housing areas,

a banner about H1N1 is put up.

"Influenza A H1N1, Preventable, Controllable, Curable, have no fear"

this stalls sells spices, lots of chilli.

u could smell the "ma-la" hotpot as you walk pass..

dried goods like mushrooms, nuts

the street alongside the main road.

Well, to our disappointment, there was nothing much.

or rather, there were many things, but none were to our liking.

This place looks like 女人街 in HongKong

Sweet Potato Vendor

Xanier dropped her sweet potato even before she ate it

A group of Uncles playing Chess!

poker card at the other table.

On our way back!

Look at the condition of my feet!! DUSTY PLACE!!

We head back to 江汉路步行商业街 and bought a few things from a shop called 三福

went back to meet up with the rest and took the 2 hours bus ride back.

We said our GoodByes to our tour guide, LeiJing

on our way back to campus

After reaching hostel, we immediately brought junru back

to the "school hospital" when we found that her fever has

escalated to 39.7deg. We were rather worried as there was nothing

much we could do. She had a blood test taken, injected twice

and was put on drip. 2 bottles of glucose and 1 bottle of sodium

chloride.

We took turns to take care for her the entire time, approximately

3 hours. Went back to the hostel and she was still not feeling alright.

we will be bringing her back to the hospital tomorrow morning for a check up.

hopefully everything will be alright. Get well soon JunRu!

Reflections:

When we travel, we tend to compare between elsewhere and home.

Personally, i feel that if we compare too much you won't gain much

from the experiences. Other than feeling like you are stuck in somewhere

horrible and appreciating home, there are so much more things we can

learn and experience. Not every country is like Singapore, people act,

talk, walk differently. Countries develop at their own pace, some are

so far ahead. some are barely surviving.

We compare to learn, what are the differences?

What can we learn from them and vice versa..

The next time before you jump to any conclusions,

think about the contributing factors, think about the whys

and the hows.

now, think about that. ↑↑↑

DAY 12-- A day to East Lake, Hubei Museum & Yellow Crane Tower

2009-09-13T00:53:00.000+08:00

Woke up at 6 am to start preparing for the day.

Met up at WUST admin block at 7:15am,

our tour guide for the weekend is Lei Jing,

We travelled by bus for approximately 1 hour

after finally arriving at the Hubei Provincial Museum only to find out

that it only operates from 9am-4pm daily..

We made our way to East Lake (东湖) which is only a

2 minutes drive away from the Museum.

It was more of a Scenic Tour, taking pictures of the nice sceneries

that we so rarely see in Singapore.

Entrance of East Lake

our tour guide, Lei Jing

there were quite a number of uncles fishing..

Park Patrol

After making our way in, we reached the Poetry-Reciting Pavilion

where a huge Qu Yuan sculpture could be seen.

屈原

Qu Yuan (屈原) is a patriotic poet of Chu in the period of Warring States (447-221 B.C.)

His death is commemorated by Dragon Boat Festival (端午节)

which occurs every 5th day of the 5th month in the Lunar Calendar.

from the top of the Poetry-Reciting Pavilion (行吟阁)

the environmentally friendly sight-seeing ride around the park.

4A's Tourist Attraction!

Head to the Hubei Provincial Museum and view the exhibits.

there were many exhibits mostly about anicent china history.

security check before entering

the various blocks of exhibition galleries

some of the artifacts on display

Zeng Hou Yi Chime Bells

no flash photogrpahy was allowed... =(

another 4 A's Tourist Attraction

We then went to 首义园小吃街 for lunch.

had to get lunch card to make our purchases.

The food is pretty much similiar to the food we can get outside our hostel

just that it is in a cleaner environment.

Pork Belly Wrap

Tried the pork belly wrap, chilled soy milk, 汤包 and Mango Ice blended.

all of them are just great. not very oily, not very sweet.

the way i like my food.

汤包 which were pretty awesome =D

Xanier with our Mango Ice Blended!

After the lunch, we went to Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼)

another scenic location but this one has lots of steps.

went up all the way to the 9th floor with Xanier and back down,

visiting all the "special rooms" on the different levels..

saw this on the way down.

u have to pay 2RMB to go all the way to level 1.

we then head to souvenir shops to look for nice gifts..

Bought this for 18RMB

it was a day well-spent with awesome company =D

but Junru isn't feeling too well now, we're thinking food poisoning..

maybe stomach flu..

hope she'll get well soon!!

We will have another day out tomorrow leaving at 8:30am!

Still have so much things to do.. Assignment 1, Flexsim.. my god.

Reflections:

Today at East Lake, i noticed that they are using
solar panels and also wind energy to generate electricity,
it is something that Singapore can try to implement more on,
especially on solar panels.. It is great to know that
China is also becoming an environmentally friendly and "green" country.

Not only do they have those on the lamp posts, they also
use buses which run on electricity.Similar to Singapore,

they charge consumers for the plastic bags that we use.

China being such a huge country, the amount of energy they consume
is definitely more. Such implementation could reduce and

save the earth by leaps and bounds.

After JunRu's episode, i realize how much we are dependent on each other,

to take care of each other, especially when we are away from home.

it also let me realize how we always depend on our parents

when we are in Singapore.

we have to take care of our health to enjoy the trip fully,

it is important that we stay healthy, and take necessary precautions.

As the saying goes : Prevention is better than cure.

To Prevent ourselves from falling sick, we must all have ample rest.

have regular and well- balanced meals and also exercise regularly.

"In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired"-- Anonymous

DAY 11-- Birthdays and MORE birthdays

2009-09-12T01:49:00.000+08:00

At 12am today, we celebrated mingyu's birthday
sang a soft birthday song for him and went on to
have some "fun"

his "birthday cake"

today, we had our first IS lesson,
it is a combined class with the LSCT Group

this is our lecturer 谢老师 or Anna for the day.

we had a lecture on history, customs and stuff
related to Hubei and Wuhan. It was rather interesting...

Did you know??

--HUBEI--

is also called the Land of the Pheonix.

or the Province of a Thousand Lakes

-----------------------------------------------

when u see the vehicle plate number

鄂 A ****

鄂 means HUBEI

and the alphabet which follows after is the city

in this case, A is WUHAN

-----------------------------------------------

the TuJia (土家族) have a very

unique wedding custom that the bride

has to weep and cry for an entire month

before her wedding.

-----------------------------------------------

us in class =D

MDE with 谢老师

shortly after, we went to have our lunch at Q7 中西简餐

which is down the street from the campus..

i ate chicken chop for lunch today!
its only 16 rmb. about S$3.50
and it comes with some "salad", eggs, pasta and the chicken chop.
it tasted pretty alright =D

Lunch People :D

Mr Loh gave us the remaining day off after seeing
how tired we were during IS. However we still worked
on our Flexsim in our room..

at about 530pm, we went to the running track to
initiate the birthday plan. some guys went to get the cake.
once the cake arrived, they scrambled into a small group
to remove the packaging

Sang the birthday song for the both of them :D

Ming Yu who turns 19

Shun Qing who turns 18 in 2 days time

While a group of them went on with the cake smashing,
cream smearing action. Alvin, gloria, rebecca and myself
we played frisbee to avoid getting smeared.

Another group of guys were playing soccer with some WUST students.
The MDE guys won the WUST group by 2 Goals and they called it a day.

the guys playing..

taking a break...

when the other team scores, the team that didn't score will do

push ups.

spectators enjoying the match!!

Edy in action!

me and rebecca.

On our way back, the frisbee group we were hiding from them!!
hid at another block, and then went to a drink stall to take cover.
We decided to head back to the hostel and we were UNHARMED!

Had a short meet up with the China Students who are studying
in the Foreign Language School. They are all really nice and friendly.
We are making plans to go orange plucking, themeparks, shopping centres..
Looking forward to more interactions with them :D

Tomorrow would be a day out for us,we will be heading to
the Yellow Crane Tower and Hubei Museum.
Meeting time would be at 7:15am. Hope we won't be late!

Reflection:
Today, we had lunch in an air-conditioned place,
and while we were enjoying our lunch,
out of the blue, there was the smell of the smoke
from a lit cigarette.

It was quite a turn off for all of us at having our lunch there,
In Singapore, we no longer have smokers smoking in
air-conditioned places, no longer have them smoking
anywhere they please. Implementing measures like the
smoking areas and fines to those who fail to abide to the policies,
it has really resulted in a major improvement and reduce
the chances that most of us will inhale the 2nd hand smoke.

I guess, we are all used to the slightly "smoke-free"
conditions we have in Singapore, while we are here,
we react as soon as we smell any cigarette smoke,
fanning our hands in front to disperse the smoke,
holding our breathes, and also pinching our noses..

China should implement such policies of the smoking areas
and also enforce fines so that they can also improve the
current "smoky situation".

Day 10 -- Lessons and more lessons

2009-09-10T22:53:00.000+08:00

woke up at 9am today and continued with my learning plan..

submitted it before heading out for lessons.

finally, another load off my shoulders.

weather today changed and turned warmer..

i miss the cooling weather already!

today, we had our 3rd lesson on BPE on business concept

after which we had the quiz and another flexsim exercise.

flexsim is kind of confusing.

this is how we have to use extension plug to get enough

sockets for all our laptops! and back in NP,

we have 2 outlets each!

Recruitment Drive/ CCA Booth.

as compared to NP's CCA Fiesta or any Recruitment Drive.

this was so much smaller in scale and also lesser people.

after leaving my things in my hostel, went for a jog again.

This time with Eshlyn, JunRu, Xanier, Alvin and a LSCT guy..

Tomorrow's a long day of lessons!! from 9-5!

In the morning we will be starting our first IS Lesson after we've been here for 10 days.

first lesson was cancelled as the Lecturer was sick.

well i'm not sure what will be taught tomorrow.

and in the afternoon, we'll have BPE Chapter 4 already!

Reflections:

Today, i realised how lucky i am with this group of really fun,
friendly and caring bunch of MDE OIP PEOPLE =D

it's kind of hilarous actually,
i had a small blister due to a scald caused by the kettle in my room..
just as i was about to plaster it up to prevent any abrasion,

my room mate, Gloria..hurriedly went to find antispectic cream,

even after i told her not to for many times..
as it was just a very small blister..

moments later, my "neigbours" yokemay and rebecca came asking if i was alright.
shortly after, a group of guys appeared outside my room with a small first aid kit.
and antispectic cream, was kinda shocked and embarrased at the same time.
but still, thanks guys!

i remember when i just arrived,
i blogged about how i felt like a fish out of the water.
as we start to have more interactions,
as i slowly bring down the barriers i built so high up,
we're slowly becoming a family :D
from complete strangers to friends for life,
i know that's what will happen, at least i hope so :D

"Strangers are just friends waiting to happen"
--Rod McKuen

DAY 9--- Happy Birthday to Rebecca =D

2009-09-09T22:18:00.000+08:00

at 1210am, we gathered outside room 315..

with the freshly made cake from the bakery and the lit up candles.

knocked on the door, and started to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG to rebecca..

it's her 18th Birthday today on such a special day 09/09/09.

of cause, there was some cream and cake smashing session.

ended the entire episode at 1plus in the morning after a short clean up session..

helped to pass the cake around!!

group photo along the corridors =D

HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY TO REBECCA :D

Today's weather has been rather cooling..

according to forecasts its between 22 -27 deg.

when we left the hostel, it was 20deg..

the wind was rather strong and i went out in my bermudas and polo t-shirt.

whereas most of the rest were all wrapped up in their jackets and jeans. some in shorts.

I really like the cooling weather here..

we won't get this air conditioned environment in singapore.

Had lecture on Lesson 2 followed by the quiz.

We were then given Exercise 1 to try on Flexsim.

Also, there was a change in bedsheets today, service provided by the hostel staff.

HURRAY to clean bedsheets!! pillow cases and blanket cover!!

we thanked them and they kept saying

"不用谢，不用谢。这是我们的工作。"

don't mention it, it's our job...

look at all the dirty bedsheets.

our clean sheets =D

thanks to the aunties

had a late lunch at around 3 pm.

三鲜锅 or something like that.

bought it from canteen 2 again..

its not bad, not too oily. NOT spicy too.

spent the rest of the day in the hostel ..

watching some shows and doing up

the individual learning plan that is due this week

Reflections:

until now, being away from home.

i know that i'm quite independent.

actually can say that i am already independent,

just that through this oip,

i realised that i am so much more independent than i think i am.

kind of thick skinned.

but yes! i have the right to say so!

back at home, my clothes are washed,

living areas are kept clean,

bed sheets are changed. water bottles are filled.

food are cooked.

all thanks to my maid...

now, i have to do them by myself

other the the changing of bedsheets and cooking..

as the hostel staff will change our bedsheets once a week

and food are all BOUGHT! super unhealthy

and yesterday, my room's electricity got cut off

as we used too much electricity. aircon, charging laptops and other electrical usage.

in singapore, we do not really worry about our electrical consumption.

all we do is to ensure that we foot the electrical bills on time..

i shall be MORE environmentally friendly from now on..

DAY 8 -- Drastic weather changes @ Wuhan

2009-09-08T23:38:00.000+08:00

woke up at 9am and continue with the blogging of previous days.

went out for lunch at canteen two.. and realised that the weather is cooler than previous days..

according to Yahoo update, its 20deg.. windy too!

canteen 2

drinks stall

炸酱面

it is a lot nicer compared to the 热干面 i had yesterday but it is still OILY!!

walked to our "block 50" and despite the windy weather, we were all perspiring!

had our 2nd lesson today and started lecture on chapter 1.

straight after the lecture, we had an open book test.

kind of tricky but it was still manageable.

quiz 1.

hardworking people. HAHA

flexsim model =D

Mr Loh then gave us our 1st Assignment which is research on Problem Solving Tools.

I'm not sure when it's due, but better start on it soon before the work start piling up.

Learning Plan is due by this week too...

the super long steps that we have to walk daily!!

135 steps.

but we rather take the stairs than the slopes!!

After lesson, head out for a quick jog!

ran about 5 or 6 rounds of the track.. felt really refreshed!

it has been a LONG LONG time since i last ran!

after the jog, head back for a shower and then went out for dinner!

Had our dinner at the store called 吉祥馄饨

had piping hot wonton soup =D

i had 虾仁鲜肉馄钝 which is only 8RMB for ten wonton..

it was quite filling, finally something not too oily..

tomorrow we'll be having morning lessons which starts at 9am!

and the afternoon to do our assignment 1!!!

Reflections:

Today. I ran. After a long time.

I've been giving myself too much room for excuses.

Each time i decide to go and run, i will tell myself, i'll do it tomorrow.

my knee is hurting. i'll do it tomorrow.

"Many fine things can be done in a day if you don't always make that day tomorrow" --anonymous

It felt good that i've just went for that run! No more tomorrows, no more self deception.
JUST DO IT!

DAY 7 "First Day of School"

2009-09-08T10:33:00.000+08:00

Today, we had our first Business Process Engineering (BPE) lesson at 10am! Left hostel early to walk to our class. The weather was rather hot and we had to walk up the steep slopes just to reach the foreign language school.

On my way there, I realized that almost ALL of the china girls were carrying umbrellas, it was like a parade of umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching sun.

gave the tables a quick wipe down.. Look at the dust!!!

a sign to remind everyone to take care of the equipments and keep the classroom clean.

workspace..

the flexsim model that i've tried to built =D

after lesson, went back to hostel and leave our laptops in the room. Headed to Canteen 2 and tried the

热干面 it was not very tasty, just very dry and has a very strong peanut taste to it.

meet up again at 1:45pm and head off for campus tour.

we were brought to the Information Engineering School

some of the equipments in their labs

the chairs in the class which has collected dust and gone moldy...

touring the area...

grp photo

JUMP SHOT!

after leaving this building, we were brought right to the other end of the university to the life science building

simulated ward classrooms

on going class..

feeling tired from all the walking...

passed by the literature and law college

school field

Fire Hydrant

Well, its my 7th post, meaning 7 days in wuhan.

the past 1 week here has been rather enriching and very fruitful.

how would the remaining 35 days be like? that will remain an unknown.

its time to get my focus back.

Reflections:

After being here for 1 week, i have to say that i'm really proud to be a Singaporean. Other than those ugly Singaporean behaviour that we show once in a while...Well, we have very effective and efficient leaders.

In many aspects, the Singapore Government has done a great job.

Infrastructures, Education Systems, Clean and Green Environment, Economically.

However, living in such an environment, we take many things for granted.

I think we should be more appreciative to what we have in Singapore.

Wuhan is approximately 12 times larger than Singapore in terms of land area.

There are so much that could be done over here to improve their living standards.

China is like a country with many other countries in it.

many different cultures all on one huge piece of soil.

its fascinating and at the same time, scary, as there is no stopping them.

DAY 6 绿林---武汉科技大学中南分校

2009-09-07T22:43:00.000+08:00

Boarded the bus and head out to 绿林寨, another day of adventure unfolds. We alighted from the bus and started our trek. There were many statues of soldiers and horses along the way.

with one of the soldies

xanier and anyu =D

also, on this OIP trip, i happen to meet 2 of my primary school friends. both of them are from ICT.

gladys and me ( the sun was getting in the way....)

these straw soldiers should be used as deployment during the war.

(at least that was what it was used for when i watched The Patriot)

posed with one of the 13 heroes!

went riding on a horse!!! for only 10 RMB.

worth the experience =D

after that, we went to a temple and some of them made some prayers and offerings.

yokemay,anyu,xanier,junru

had a go at the big bell. and i was told that i have to hit it for 3 times.

i got no idea why.. haha.

after that, we trekked a bit more to the god of fortune and that was something special.

no matter which angle u are standing or looking at him, the god of fortune will always be looking right at you.

headed back to WUST, another 4 hour journey.

like the rides before that, it was BUMPY, and NOISY. due to the driver's constant ramming at the horn.

he was trying to warn other drivers at sharp turns and also on the main roads, he basically horned so that other vehicles could get out of his way. It was not really safe but i have to say that he is really quite skillful.

had dinner at the Canteen 2 in WUST. tried the vegetable rice stall in Singapore

杂菜饭 it was not bad actually. headed out to check out for new stalls but there was nothing much.

we looked around and decided to get 豆腐脑 which is actually tau huay in Singapore.

for this bowl of 豆腐脑 it only costs 1RMB!!

the only difference is that, they do not use sugar syrup.

instead they scoop a spoonful of sugar on top of the piping hot tau huay.

it was rather bland but just right for me cause its not too sweet =D

Reflections:

From the 6 days i've spent here, i've learnt that its important to seize the day,

seize every moment.

with this attitude, i will continue with the remaining days left in wuhan.

seizing every opportunity that comes my way.

i will make this the best 6 weeks of my 18 years so far...

DAY 5--- 绿林之旅

2009-09-07T19:05:00.000+08:00

Woke up early in the morning and we’re off for a 2 day 1 night stay at 绿林, the bus journey was approximately 4 hours.

bus to 绿林

Upon arrival, we head for lunch at the restaurant and the food was either SUPER OILY or SUPER SPICY or both! After lunch, we bought straw shoes (草鞋) as a form of foot wear for our water rafting/drifting. I got paired up with Siti for the journey of 6.7Km long and it took us approximately 2 hours to paddle, drift until we reach the end point. However as we did not bring out cameras along, there isn’t much pictures to upload.

This is one which was taken by the photographer by the banks, costs us 15 RMB =D

After the entire water rafting experience, we had another experience, the public bath was indeed PUBLIC BATH with some walls and that was all. We were still contemplating on whether we should bath.

Back on to the bus to our next location, 美人谷, this was more of a trekking experience. We had a choice of either to take the boat ride which costs 10 RMB or to head in on foot.

siti trying to get in with childrens' price..

the boat ride that costs 10RMB

The decision to walk in by foot was not a bad choice as there were some pretty scenic views that we can only experience by walking. It was quite fun and we took a lot of pictures.

at the entrance of 美人谷 =D

together with gloria =D

Lovers Waterfall

Jump shot =D

alvin. gloria. anyu. yoke may. rebecca

some of the signs put up along the trail, some reminding us to treat nature nicely, some telling us to care of the young and old.

After the long day of exercising, we head for dinner at the same restaurant. Check in to the hotel room 85331 with Junru.

The hotel conditions and amenities were pretty alright but most of us were already missing our “home” (hostel). After washing our clothes, we head out for a night performance that was on. It felt pretty similar to Singapore’s 七月歌台 with LOUD music, an Emcee and many performances.

the emcee on stage

fire performance

campfire

interactive dance =D

I think the only difference is that the performance they have here has more content, more depth. There had drama, 葫芦, singing, dancing and fire performances. After the entire performance, they would invite all audience to form a circle around the camp fire and join in the interactive dance, which went something like “left, left, right, right, turn, go go go”. We joined in and had a fun time at the same time trying very hard to get the gist of the entire thing.

Head back to the hotel and get some rest, there was TV!!!

A modern invention that we have not seen in 5 days! Glued our eyes on the TV until we fell asleep... Another day of trekking tomorrow!!!

cant wait!!

Reflections:

this trip to 绿林reminded me of the kind passion and love i have towards nature. Really enjoyed the kind of peace and tranquility that nature gives me. Be it the rapid currents that brought me to a new high, or the slow drifting on the boat that opened my eyes to better appreciate nature.

at the entrance of 美人谷 this sign was put up.

"all tourist can only trek from the entrance to the exit, no turning back" something like that.

it just dawn upon me that it is like life, you take one step at a time,

one foot in front of another until you reach the end,

there are no turning backs.

There may be stops and detours along the way,

there may be times when you are hanging by the thread.

However, everything still moves forward.

Look forward, put your best foot forward. take one day at a time.

DAY 4 Orientation --- WUST

2009-09-07T02:07:00.000+08:00

Today we had a brief orientation around the campus, on foot; we walked from our hostels to the Foreign Language School where we will be having lessons in Room 407 for the next 5 weeks. Compared to Ngee Ann Campus, this Zhong Nan Campus is HUGE and we have to walk further, take longer, just to reach our block. The walk to Block 50 seems rather short after this.

Wuhan University of Science and Technology

Zhong Nan Branch

School Admin Block

School Library

Foreign Language School

Speak ENGLISH!

another interesting sight for me, they actually "sealed up" the classroom,

i'm not sure for wad reasons.

"Wuhan University of Science and Technology Zhong Nan Branch Seal, July 2009"

room 407, our classroom for the next 5 weeks.

There were many quotes on the wall along the way, one of my favourites.

the running track from a far distance unlike the BLUE track we have in Ngee Ann

After the Short Orientation, we have the rest of the day off and most of us head back to the hostel to do up our blogs and learning plan.

my make shift table!! =D

at around 7pm, we head out for dinner at a hot pot joint.

the salty and spicy broth

eating in progress...

for this food joint, they do not charge the cost per head.

however by the number of sticks, plates and glasses of drinks we consumed.

1 stick is only 30cents RMB.

we had 150 sticks of food, some plates and more than 10 bottles of drinks.

and the bill totaled to only 100RMB, 11 RMB per person.
costing less than S$3!!!

Went back for trip briefing to 绿林 that we will be going to tmr.

Cant wait for the activities!! water rafting, trekking, all the outdoor adventure stuff that i personally enjoy!

Reflection:

Before this OIP, my 姨妈(aunty) said this to me, in her words:

读书是自己的财产 (Education is your own assets).

It really make sense to me as your own Education is the only thing that no one else can "steal" from you, we learn for our own benefits, our own future. Of cause, from what we already learnt, teach it to others and we'll gain more insights. It is important that we take charge of our own learning.

Today at the Foreign Language School, i noticed that the school is not properly maintained, metal grills were rusty and the glass on the classroom door was broken. Looking back at our Ngee Ann Campus, we are really fortunate to have such a campus. The chinese idiom “身在福中不知福” meaning to live in plenty but still not satisfied. can truly be applied in this situation.

However, conditions/ environment of the campus does not have that much an impact on the kind of lessons that are taught, the kind of lessons/experiences people learn and gain from. It is the willingness to learn and the hunger for knowledge that will determine what we gain and learn, our assets.

DAY 3 -- the immersion begins

2009-09-05T01:41:00.000+08:00

Head out to the city area today and had a firsthand experience travelling by the local transport system. The trip to i-GO (name of the shopping centre) was about 20-30 minutes away from the campus and it cost just 2RMB equivalent to approx 0.50cents back in Singapore. Both buses 901 and 903 can bring us to the city area.

they got tv on their bus too!

instead of the ez-link/cepas system we use back in Singapore, here they have a bus conductor on each bus who will collect the fares according to where u will alight. these bus conductors have super good memory!

i-GO shopping centre

The place is HUGE! It is the longest pedestrian street in the world with a whooping distance of 1350m. It is definitely larger than Vivo City.

MDE 3rd Batch Wuhan OIP

After shopping for a long time, we head to Macdonalds to settle our lunch. Similar to the KFC experience, the food they sell are not the same as those in Singapore, they have pork burgers, mango pies, yam pies…

MAC!!

instead of the 4 or 6 pcs nuggets its sold in 5's

and they do not have chili sauce but their chili is in powder form..

siti.anyu.junru.gloria

at a bubble tea shop :D

my drink only costs S$0.80!!!

shopping, shopping!

We still had some time to kill before the meeting time so Siti and I we decided to head to Starbucks. :D

outside the store.

my grande caramel macchiato which cost 33RMB same as singapore.

Met up again at 6pm and went to queue for bus back to campus. It is almost impossible to wait at the bus stop as people start to flag the buses even before the bus reach the stops. Learning from the locals, once we saw the bus 903, we started to walk/run towards the bus.

Packed like sardines, are the right words to use to describe the situation. It is amazing how so many people can fit in the bus as compared to SBS/SMRT buses which are larger in size.

Upon arrival to our hostel, we left our barangs in the room and head out to the street hawkers but trying the stalls across the street. Helped to find the halal restaurant for siti and she ordered a beef with mushroom rice.

halal restaurant!

I tried the duck meat stall, I thought it was just braised duck meat but I was wrong! The first bite of the duck meat, my lips started to BURN! But it is quite tasty… I think it’s braised with chili too!

grilled sotong!

lovely humans =D

Tried the grilled sotong and had sour plum drink.While we were buying our dinner we were also lucky enough to see some fireworks.

Before heading back to the hostel, we walked along the streets and saw open air pool tables.something which you wont see in Singapore.

3 days down, 39 more days to go. i guess i've more or less settled down in Wuhan. its actually not that hard to feel settled in over here. cant wait for more to come!!!

Reflection:

After today's experience on the bus, i have to say that we are very fortunate in Singapore. With a efficient and effective ez-link card system in place, it makes the entire journey a safer and more pleasant one for everyone.

Also, the buses in Wuhan do not have bells to notify the driver that you need to alight, it brings a lot of inconvenience to not only the driver but also the passengers, it will also cause unhappiness to both parties.

As we've witnessed on the bus ride, the driver did not hear the passenger to stop the bus and drove by the bus stop, the guy got super angry and agitated he started to hurl vulgarities directed at the bus driver.

As a foreigner, such incidents could cause a negative impact in our minds.

there are also many lessons we can learn from them like moving to the back of the bus, in Singapore there are many instances where the passengers refuse to move to the rear and result in more inconvenience to other passengers. In China, they will help by shifting to the rear so that MORE people can board the bus until it's packed like sardines.