Day 17 – A warm day – 温暖的一天

Day 17

As usual, today started off with Physiology lecture on Blood at 9am. It was a pretty interesting topic for me and many raised questions regarding the diseases, etc. About 3 hours later, lecture ended and we headed back to our rooms before going out for lunch.

We wanted to eat at the soup shop but the shop was full house so we split up to find food. Jas Min and I walked along the road and saw many people buying dumplings soup (水饺汤). After we had bought it, we went to find a table nearby to eat. It was AWESOME! Except that the soup has high concentration of pepper and there are a total of 25 dumplings! Which means 25 dumplings for RMB 3 = S$ 0.60!

Dumplings soup (水饺汤)

After eating, we went to find the rest but then we felt like eating the chicken stick so we went out to buy them. This time round, we did not ask the lady to add chilli (I am more or less recovered but still I must try to keep myself away from too spicy food, haha J). At last, everyone was done with their lunch and we went for grocery shopping!

After grocery shopping, we went to 堕落街 to buy milk tea and I bought watermelon milk tea. It was not bad J We actually wanted to go out shopping at one of the shopping malls that Betty and Star had brought us but then since I have nothing to buy and that not many are going, Jas Min and I stayed in our room while Geena went with Dion, Carol and Yan Fang.

It's time for shower since I have nothing to do now, so that's all for today!

Reflections:

Well, I do not have much reflections today but I just wanted to say that I think I have gotten so used to the environment, etc here that I sometimes forgot that I am in China, hahaJ It seems so nice and normal to hang out with friends and sometimes I lost myself. I forget where I am and it’s my family who brings me back to the reality that I am in China and I am here in Wuhan for OIP. I really miss my family! How long have I not seen them physically? Do they miss me? How are they doing now? How is my hamster?

Photo of the day:

Lunch time for the local students and look at the number of people! I can’t imagine that in NP!

More exciting stories are yet to come:)

Get ready for Day 18 post:)

17 more days before I return home:)

Day 16 – Industrial Visit to Coca Cola Factory – 参观可口可乐

Day 16

Today is an early day again as we are going for an industrial visit to Coca Cola Factory. We set off at about 8.35am and reached there about 1 hour later. While waiting to enter, we took several photos outside the factory.

Coca Cola Factory!

Coca Cola truck!

At 10am, we entered the factory. We were led into a meeting room and watched a video on the history of Coca Cola and how it has grown over the years. After that, everyone was given a free Coca Cola glass bottle for consumption.

Free Coca Cola drink!

We then went to their production line to see how Coca Cola is being assembled and produced. After that, we went to a gallery where many unique Coca Cola products are displayed. Attached are some of the photos J

Production line!

Packaging!

Shipping off!

Flattened Coca Cola cans!

Polar bears!

At 11.15am, we returned back to our campus and along the way, most of us fell asleep. We reached at about 12pm and went to have lunch. As we would be having OIE presentation later at 2pm, I packet 香菇瘦肉粥 from 堕落街 back to our dormitory room to eat. It is the first time I went out alone and I felt that I am starting to act like the locals, haha J We then did some last minute editing to the slides during the lunch break.

OIE presentation started at 2pm. Most presentations mentioned about the differences in food and climate while some touched on other differences. 2.5 hours later, OIE ended at last. It was then that I realized that today’s OIE is the last OIE lecture! We went back to our rooms and spent our time online while waiting for Betty and Star to come and bring us out J

At about 5.45pm, they arrived and it was time to go out! We took bus 702 at 6pm and it was super crowded! One more thing about the bus here in Wuhan. There is no hand grips and as the pole is kind of out of my reach, I was like clinging onto Jas Min for my dear life! Haha J Half an hour later, we reached the shopping mall at 徐东大街. Oh man! I like this shopping mall! It’s like Singapore’s shopping mall, neat and organized. There is also a KTV at level 6! In addition, no smoking is allowed!

No smoking!

Anyway, we went there for a purpose and that was to try out the western restaurant there and see if it’s suitable for all to eat on this coming Sunday. This is because Dr. Lau will be spending his last weekend here this week and we wanted to have a farewell dinner/ something like that. There were many people waiting to get into the restaurant when we reached so we took a queue number.

The western restaurant:)

Meanwhile we had a walk around the mall. About half an hour later, we entered the restaurant. As our group is too big (12 people) so we split into 2, 6 people to a table. We spent a long time ordering food as there is a wide variety of food available. At last, I decided to eat Napoleon Spaghetti. After about 15 minutes later, all our food arrived! It was YUMMY! The first time I ate till my stomach felt so bloated! Actually, it’s the big serving size that filled my stomach. My dinner cost RMB 43 and there is no GST and service charge at all!

My dinner!

Letty's dinner: steak!

Yan Fang's dinner: Chicken!

Geena's dinner: Cheese baked rice!

Jas Min's dinner: Japanese style fried pork!

Kimberley's dinner: Fruits pizza!

Potatoes!

As it was already 9pm when we finished dinner and came out of the restaurant, Betty and Star decided that taking a cab would be faster. However, being the first batch to take the cab, we realized that our direction was wrong and the driver took a big U-turn and at the same time, due to the busy traffic, we ended up being the last to reach. By then, it was already 9.45pm.

Right now, I had already showered but was still full from the dinner so I am not going to sleep so early. I shall end now.

P.S. Today's weather is the best so far! Warm sunshine + cool temperature!

Reflections:

It was amazing to know how Coca Cola is being produced although I am not fan of Coca Cola. The OIE presentations in the afternoon also corrected some of my misconceptions of Wuhan. Like what I had mentioned for the OIE presentation in the afternoon, every country has its own unique set of culture. We should understand, learn and respect the culture that is different from ours.

Photo of the day:

Me in the Coca Cola Factory holding the empty Coca Cola glass bottle J

More exciting stories are yet to come:)

Get ready for Day 17 post:)

18 more days before I return home:)

Day 15 – Industrial Visit to Wuhan Steel and Iron Factory – 参观武钢

Day 15

Today I woke up at 7am because we had to meet outside Room 502 to collect our helmets for the Industrial Visit to Wuhan Steel and Iron Factory later. The bus came late due to the rain. At 8.35am, all of us were on board and off we went to the factory. It was a 40-minute ride. Most of the people were asleep but I was surprisingly not sleepy so I was awake for the whole bus ride.

The helmet

At last, we reached and upon alighting, we had to wear the red helmet. Many were struggling with untying the knots and so was I. 5 minutes later, we were led in by one of the workers/supervisors (I do not know). Attached are some of the photos J

Hidayah and I standing outside the factory:)

The rest of the people behind me!

The one wearing the blue helmet is the guide

The factory

Top to Bottom: The movement of the hot metal

Smoke!

The product!

About 45 minutes later, we finished the tour and had a group photo before heading back. On the way, I started to feel sleepy and when Sarah woke me up, we had already reached the campus. It was 10.45am. We then went for early lunch before having Physiology lecture at 12pm.

As I am feeling tired and having flu, being out in the rain was not good for me so Jas Min and Geena went to 堕落街 to packet lunch. At about 11.25am, they returned with food. I ordered 鸡蛋炒饭. BUT I had no appetite at all!! It must be due to the flu! I think I only ate 1/6 of the food and threw the remaining away. Oh man! How wasteful I am!

Physiology lecture on Endocrine System Part 2 started and I was awake throughout the 1 hour and 45 minutes lecture. At 1.45pm, lecture ended and we went back to our dormitory rooms. It’s almost 3.30pm now. I had spent my past 1 hour plus surfing the internet, playing games, uploading photos and blogging. I shall go and have a shower now and that’s all for today!

P.S. Wish me luck for my OIE Presentation tomorrow!

Reflections:

It was amazing to see how steel/iron is being made! In addition, it was very warm inside due to the heat required to compress the thick steel/iron! (I liked the warmth!) The temperature used to compress the metal is 2000 degrees! Furthermore, I have never seen something like this before! There will be another industrial visit tomorrow morning. This time round, we are going to the Coca Cola Factory! It will be fun!

Photo of the day:

Me in the factory J

More exciting stories are yet to come:)

Get ready for Day 16 post:)

19 more days before I return home:)

Day 14 – 2 weeks in Wuhan – 在武汉两周

Day 14

Today is a cold and wet day. In addition, I am having flu. This is my first time falling sick in overseas and my family members are not around. How I wish they were here…

I woke up at 8am and OIE lecture on Chinese Philosophy Part 1 started at 9am. I took quite a lot of notes as I am very interested in this particular area. 2 hours later, we went out for lunch at the soup stall, my favouriteJ I ordered 山药排骨汤. YUM!

山药排骨汤

After lunch, we went shopping at the supermarket and a bookstore. We then returned to our dormitory room before heading for Physiology lecture on Endocrine System. At 4pm, we ended and headed back to our rooms for a shower and then had dinner. Later in the night, we had to do our tutorial (due tomorrow) and OIE presentation slides (due on Wednesday). So that’s my day today.

Reflections:

I learnt a lot during the OIE lecture today.

There are 4 main philosophy back in the Spring Autumn Period of East Zhou Dynasty (东周-春秋) from 770 – 476 BC. They are: Confucianism (儒家), Taoism (道家), Moism (墨家) and Legalism (法家). I prefer Confucianism (儒家) to others as Confucianism (儒家) taught me moral values that are more useful to me.

Confucianism (儒家) was led by Kong Zi (孔子) and the main concepts of his teachings are: 1. Humanity 2. Rite 3. Rectification of Names 4. Doctrine of the Mean 5. On Heaven and the Spirits 6. Government by Virtue. Meng Zi (孟子) is the second sage of Confucianism (儒家). He had a famous story and that was 《孟母三迁》. This is how the story goes:

Meng Zi’s father passed away when he was young and his mother did not remarry. At first, they lived near the cemetery but then Meng Zi started to learn to bow and cry as adults did during funeral. That was when his mother decided that she could not let her children live there anymore so they moved to a market near a butcher stall. However, Meng Zi started to learn how businessmen did business and how the butcher slaughtered the sheep and swine. When his mother saw it, she frowned and decided to move as the place was not suitable for her children to live. This time round, they moved to an area near a school and lived. The officials would visit the temple and greet each other politely on the first day of every month on the lunar calendar. When Meng Zi saw it, he learnt them by heart. This time, his mother smiled with satisfaction and said “This is the place where my son should live!”

Since then, people used this story to say that one should be close to good people and things in order to learn good habits. This also shows that environment can change one’s hobbies and habits.

With reference to: http://baike.baidu.com/view/45153.htm

Xun Zi (荀子) was another sage from Confucianism (儒家) as well.

Photo of the day:

Taken when I was on my way back to dormitory room after lecture J This is definitely not seen in Singapore.

More exciting stories are yet to come:)

Get ready for Day 15 post:)

20 more days before I return home:)

Day 13 – Yangtze River Cruise – 长江三峡三日游

Day 13

Hi everyone! I am back!! Miss me? haha :) Anyway, all of us just came back at about 7pm just now and we were all super tired. I miss my dormitory room badly!! The room over there looked nice on the exterior and even had a tv and a toilet bowl BUT the bed was hard, the pillow got a weird smell and the bathroom was super cramp! I shall now summarize what I did for the past 3 days…

Friday

We departed at about 12.30pm, reaching Yi Chang (宜昌), another city in Hubei Province about 4.5 hours later. We had dinner at a restaurant before boarding the ship. At 7.30pm, the ship departed. We took photos and had fun at the top of the ship.

The room that I shared with Jas Min

The Bridge

Do I look like some tourist? haha:)

While waiting for the gate to open

Before (top) After (bottom)

The gate opened and we were out!

Saturday

At 7am, we had buffet breakfast but the choices were not much. BUT I liked the fried rice!! It was like the best rice I had ever eaten since arrival!! Yum! After that, we went back to our rooms. Most of them slept but Jas Min and I watched a Taiwanese drama which I had seen before. At 11am, we alighted and transferred to a smaller boat for sight-seeing of the Wu Gorge (巫峡-巫山神女溪). After that, we alighted and had a walk .At 1.30pm, we returned back to our ship and had lunch.

Me at the top of the ship after breakfast:)

The beautiful scenery

Me in the smaller boat wearing the life vest

The people behind me

Me at the top of the mountain(?)

The boat

3.5 hours later, we reached 白帝城. As it was raining, some of them were afraid that they would slip and fall as we were told that we had to climb 300++ stairs to get to the白帝城 so the visit would be optional. Most of us went and the place was awesome! At 7pm, we returned and had dinner. As we would be leaving the next day so our breakfast would be at 6.30am, thus I slept at 10am, way earlier than most people. This was because I was very tired and I was about to catch a flu.

白帝城 (White Emperor Castle)

A model of the scene whereby Liu Bei (刘备) was dying and he entrusted his son to Zhu Ge Liang (诸葛亮) to look after

Liu Bei (刘备)

His other 2 brothers: Right to Left Guan Yu (关羽) and Zhang Fei (张飞)

Sunday

Today I woke up at 5.55am as breakfast was at 6.30am and that we would alight at 7am. True enough, I am currently down with flu. My main wish now is to recover as soon as possible and that my roommates, Jas Min and Geena will not catch the flu bug. At 8am, we arrived at a sight-seeing area whereby we would be able to have closer views and shots of the dam. As I was tired and that the battery in my camera was running low, I did not take a lot of photos. 3 hours later, we returned back to the bus and then had lunch at a restaurant an hour later. After lunch, due to the rain and a traffic jam due to a traffic accident, we were on the bus for almost 6 hours before reaching our dormitory rooms! With that, I shall conclude my post for today.

Reflections:

1. The Chinese spat on the floor, grass, etc even though there is a signboard in the sight-seeing area, telling all the tourists/people not to do so.
2. They also like to smoke. Everywhere we go, we can find people smoking. Be it in the bus, shopping mall, restaurant, etc, there seems to be no way to avoid all these second-hand smoke. I miss Singapore’s fresh air!
3. They certainly had no patience in waiting during a traffic jam. See the photo below. Most of the drivers were out of their vehicles, trying to find out what happen which is so unlike the Singaporeans who will wait patiently in their vehicles.The drivers on the road during the jam

Photo of the day:

The Couple of 1M04 - Dion being sabo by us to sing a song for Carol and the only Chinese song that he knew is 周杰伦《简单爱》.

More exciting stories are yet to come:)

Get ready for Day 14 post:)

21 more days before I return home:)