Day 6- City Tour

Today, my roomates and I woke up at 6am for the city tour. We had to gather at 7.15am. Most of us were dead tired because we slept so late last night.

Throughout the whole tour, there was a tour guide who introduced to us the places and the stories behind them. Actually, I found the stories rather interesting.. The first stop is the East Lake. The place just looks like a china park.. but pretty nice place.


The next stop is the museum. Something I was actually looking forward to :)

The outside of the museum

There was a tour guide in the museum to bring us around. She spoke quite good english and I could understand the artefacts better as she explains.

A plate used by Qin Shi Huang. It's yellow because Huang= Yellow. And the butterflies represent love.

After the whole tour around, we get some time off for free and easy in the museum. So we went to the Italian museum and the museum shop.

Next stop was Lunch! Great food in a restaurant! Here's just one of the many dishes:

After a good meal, it's time to climb the Yellow Crane Tower! Here is just the entrance of the place:

A huge bell opposite the yellow crane tower. Have to pay to ring the bell.

Yellow Crane Tower

We climbed about 184 steps all the way up to the highest floor.

After the good workout, we went shopping. But the place that they brought us sold mostly sports stuff and they're branded (Eg. Nike, Puma, etc.) so didn't buy anything because they were quite expensive. We were dead tired during the shopping. Felt like my legs were going to break. Haha.

So, that was the last stop for the day. Headed back to the hostel and bid farewell to our tour guide.

Soon after that, made my way with Letty, Melissa and Kimberley to Macs outside school. Actually, the walk is long!! It's like walking from home to the park! So fit, right?? :D

So, after Macs, went back hostel and rest! :)

Reflection

Today, I enjoyed the museum tour the most because I've always been interested in these chinese artefacts. And, we get to ask the tour guide some qns. :) Learned a lot about chinese culture in that trip. Like what dragons represents, what deer represents and the way people in the past do things. It was an eye-opener to me. And the tour guide was well prepared and she was ab;e to answer most of our questions.

Day 5- Free & Easy

Today, is a free and easy day = Sleep more, shop, and slack.

Woke up at 9 plus am and at about 11 plus, YF, Letty, Melissa, Kimberley and I went to wash our clothes using the washing machine. We only need to pay 3 yuan per washing machine we used. Hence, each of us only need to pay 1.80 yuan.

And after the laundry, we ate cup noodles for lunch. At 2.30pm, Betty and her 2 other friends arranged for us to go out to the city by taking a public bus :) this means shopping!!! Hahaha..

So, we took a public bus from the bus stop near the school and waited for the bus to come.

We have to take bus 549. The words are read downwards. Each column represents one stop.

The bus is actually similar to the ones in Singapore. They have both double decker and just the normal, single level ones. The one we took was the single level one. And the windows inside actually have curtains! But the air-con isn't strong enough so we felt sleepy after a while.

The traffic on the way to town


When we arrived, we walked through an underground route to Wuhan plaza. It's like a departmental store. But the thinds there are very expensive! Clothes were quite nice but the price was *ahem* haha.. so end up, none of us bought anything except for Carol who bought a charger for her camera.

Wuhan Plaza

However, at the top floor, we ate some food because they were selling Singapore food like roti prata, ice-kachang, etc. And so, we bought a quite a lot of food like ice-kachang, sushi, roti-prata, 'mango ice-kachang'

Our friend came back! "Good Year"!


After that, we left earlier than planned to another shopping centre. One that has cheaper things (plus can bargain.. hehe) The name of the street Jiang Han Lu. (I think) We tried to catch a taxi but it was at about 6 plus and many people are trying to catch one too. So there were some china people who just snatched the taxi! Quite shock to see that. Finally, we walked further down to get a taxi and crossing the road in China is something like crossing the road in Vietnam just that Vietnam one has more motorbikes and horns and it's scarier. So, wasn't first time crossing like 'I don't care about the vehicles coming'.

Because there was only 3 china students and one taxi can only fit 4 people, one group of 4 of us have to go on our own. Hence, Letty, Melissa, YF and I shared one taxi. The taxi fare was only 8 yuan!

And later, everyone met up in Macs. Macs in China looks almost the same as those in Singapore.. guess because it's international. Finally, we started our shopping! Yay! And the first but only thing I bought was sunglasses! Hehehe.. have been looking for one for a long time. And since here, they sold it for 38 yuan which later the china student help me bargain to 25 yuan, I just bought it! It's only $5 Sing!!! haha.

Spent quite a long time walking around in our own small groups. Had lots of fun shopping around with Letty, Melissa, Betty (china student) and Eddy :) Was trying to look for clothes or other stuffs to buy for my family but just couln't find/ thought of anything to buy for them. Sorry! Maybe another time :)

Just before we meet the rest at 8.15pm at macs, Eddy wanted to buy the 'porcupine' bag! (I called it the durian bag. Hahaha). Melissa managed to bargain from 160 yuan to 115 yuan. Not bad girl! Hahaha.. Must learn from her!

The streets at night!

Yan Fang was the most successful!

So after the shopping, it's time for food!! we went to another mall that sells all types of xiao chi! Yummy! I love the dumpling with corn! Something quite different! :D Then, bought passion fruit slush (ice-blended). Was a bit too sour, but they actually use the real passion fruit because there were seeds in my drink. After that, we went outside to buy eclair puffs (Honestly, I didn't know Spore has this and Hana and Rani were shocked that I didn't know. Hahaha. Totally noob here. After wuhan trip, bring me around Spore! hehe)

My eclair puff!


After that, we went to another mall with some more xiao chi, but some of us were quite full already. Others went to buy takoyaki. It's so much cheaper

Next, YF and Betty crossed over to another street to da bao shen jian bau for all of us! While waiting for both of them, there were a lot of dogs with owners around.. I think they're trying to sell them. (on the streets?? Interesting.)


Finally, after they came back, it was already 9 plus pm and it's time to go back!

So we walked further down to take a public bus. Journey was about 20-30 mins. And we took a double decker bus. In China, you can just stand on the 2nd level. No one really cares :O Quite dangerous though.


When we reached the school, everywhere is just so dark and it's already 10.20pm. Surprisingly, there were some students studying in the classrooms and the china students says that they're medical students. Very dilligent! When I ask the china students what they'll be doing tmr (Sunday), I got a shock! They have class at 8am! And so they said it's because they need lessons to make up for the 1 week holiday (China National Holiday) :O

Finally, we've reached the room! It's been a long and tiring day!! But filled with lots of fun and laughter! :D

Our awesome china friends

Reflection

Being out on the streets for the whole day, I saw many things that were very different. For example, the roads are so messy and poeple just anyhow cross the road. I was thinking that maybe because there are so many people in China. Hence, it's so difficult to maintain order. Oh, and on the bus, when there was someone carrying a violin case and eating ice-cream at the same time, she was struggling to balance. So, Betty (who was sitting with her friend) actually shifted to the side so that there's space for her to put down her case! Pretty surprised that they're so gracious. In Singapore, I don't think anyone would do that for me even though I might be struggling to keep my balance with my violin case on the bus. Singaporeans need to be more gracious!

Day 4- OIE lesson and Physiology lesson

Today was the first lesson with the China teacher for our OIE module. But my friends and I were late for class :P So guilty and sorry :( (Will be early/ on time the next time) The lesson was actually quite interesting during some parts but I was rather sleepy when the slides became so wordy and my eyelids became really heavy..

This is the classroom filled with LSCT students and MDE students for OIE lesson:

OIE lesson ended at about 11.30am and we headed out of the school compound for lunch. Letty, Melissa and I decided to try one of the stalls selling soup with rice (recommended by the teachers). So Letty and I tried the 'dong gua pai gu tang' (winter melon pork ribs soup) while Melissa tried the duck with mushroom soup. This goes along with rice and preserved vegetables that tasted sour and spicy. (Not too bad) All these cost 6 or 7 yuan only! Apparently, there was no electricity and the heat in the restaurant is so unbearable. So we ate outside instead. While drinking the dong gua pai gu tang, I just can't help but think about popo and all the soup we always have for dinner.. miss them! ( Daddy, you must cherish the soup! Don't always avoid it like some fussy small kid! hahaha)
These are some of the photos of my lunch! :) (so nice...)

After lunch, we had Physiology lesson. Obviously, with air-con and a full stomach, most of us were sleepy. Especially the people at the back (according to Dr Lau's theory: they receive less oxygen in the brain, hence feeling sleepy)

As you can see frm the pic above, almost the entire row at the back is sleeping... haha. Don't worry, this is break time :)

After Physiology lesson, when we reached the gound floor, we saw this:

A 'Good Year hot air balloon' flying across the sky! Guess it's an ad. haha.. pretty cool though :)

After that, Yan Fang, Letty, Kimberley, Melissa and I went to the supermarket and buy more stuff. Yay! :) Dead tired after the grocery shopping because of the long walk from the supermarket to the hostel.
After the shopping, we went back to the hostel room to put down the heavy stuffs and headed for early dinner. This time, we decided to eat at the same place as where I ate for lunch. So shiok, inside got air-con :) And I ordered Kampong chicken with mushroom soup :) Though it was saltier than the one I had for lunch, it still tasted great! And I also tried their cold dessert-- pear in some sweet liquid. (So liang and good!)

Photo of my chicken and mushroom soup:

We had an awesome laugh and chat on our way back to the hostel! :D

Drunk zombie--YF

Vampire-- Eddy

HAHAHAHA

Reflection
I 've realised that China people here are very particular on their punctuality and respect for the teacher. For example, the teacher would be unhappy if we come late for class or when we talk in class. This, I feel is very important as well. In Singapore, some students can't be bothered if they're late or not paying attention in class which I feel we need to greatly work on. Probably, in China, the students are more interested in their studies maybe due to the competitive environment and it's necessary to always show respect to your elders? I'm guess these are all part of the chinese culture and Singaporeans should really learn from them. This includes me. I've learnt my lesson. But I wonder if the students in China are very open, in the sense that would they raise their questions in class? Will they just voice out their opinions even though many might question them? I've realised that in Singapore, many of us do not dare to speak up in class, maybe because we're afraid of being laughed at or we're just simply shy. However, I know that we can learn better if everyone is more paricpative in class.

Day 3- 1st Physiology and OIE lesson

Today is the start of lesson!

Woke up at 7 plus am to wash up and ate breakfast at the school canteen. Apparently, we were late for the first lesson :P haha..

During lesson time, Yan Fang and I were sitting in front of this air-con. Poor Yan Fang was directly facing it! Hahaha.. But it kind of kept us awake when Dr Lau said that it provides more oxygen in our brain.. (Gosh! Why am I talking about bio in my blog? haha)

The air con plus water dispenser

After morning lesson, we had lunch at about 11.30am. Nobody was in the canteen when we were there. But at 12 pm, all the china students started streaming into the canteen like a flood of people rushing into the canteen! It feels like the peak period in makan place! This canteen is air-conditioned too. The main difference is that the china students eat so fast! And they practically sit on any seat available, and although some were sitting together with their friends, they were all concentrating on finishing their food, didn't really see them chatting while eating. This is so unlike Singaporeans which I feel that eating together with friends is a form of socalising as well. I guess they have other ways of socialising! Would be really interesting to find out!

By about 12.25pm, almost the whole canteen is empty and the stall owners are clearing up. Only 25 mins had passed! How fast is that! If only Singaporeans will eat that fast, everyone wouln't need to desperately find tables and chairs in makan place!

Anyway, I ate rice with 2 veg dishes (yes, I've gone vegetarian! hahaha) for only 3.40 Yuan. That's about (S)$0.68. It's so cheap!! :O And only Eddy was able to finish the food that he bought.. the rest of us couldn't! Haha..

Oh, and the amazing thing is that the china students would finish the whole bowl of rice/noodles that they ordered. I wonder if they're very hungry or they were taught from young to cherish and finish whatever food is given to them. This is so different from Singapore. I'm sure we wouldn't finish our food all the time.

We sat in the canteen, enjoying the air con and talking about the china students.. We sat there for like 45 mins and the 'cleaners' (who looked like students dressed nicely in dress and skirts) were giving us the 'unpleasant look'. Oops! Did we sit there for too long? We don't even dare to return our bowls and plates to them because we didn't even finish our food! We had so much leftovers! So pai seh leh! hehehe.. So, finally, the min they left, we quickly return the bowls and plates to the table and quickly left the place! hahaha! It was so funny!

So after that, when we went back to class at abt 1.30pm, we started our OIE class with a movie that Dr Lau showed us! The movie is the red cliff part 2. (yes, we watched the whole movie! Shiok right? haha) Though I was sleepy, I thought the movie was thought-provoking. I understood the history better :) And thought that the leaders are very rational (of course), skilful, logical and need to be far-sighted. They even thought of what the enemies would do! I guess that this can be applied to government leaders in some ways. Like how the Singapore government started newater because of the termination of contract with Malaysia soon, and how Singapore had fostered a good relationship with other countries (allies!) in order to maintain peace in Singapore (We can't afford to have war!) All these are some of the good qualities of a leader. As for China, I'm looking forward to understand the government system and maybe Singapore can adopt/ improve certain ways of running the country. For example, the education system?

After the movie, we went back hostel and started to get ready for dinner! Some stayed in hostel while a few of us went out to eat in a small restaurant nearby. And here are the photos:

The dishes we ordered: rice, veg, egg with tomato, potato with pork? and chicken. Not too bad though. Believe it or not, this meal cost only 40 Yuan! For 7 of us! FYI, to covert Yuan to Sing, just divide Yuan by 5. Surprised after doing your calculation per person in Sing? haha

Oh, and I ate xiao long bao after dinner! Yay! But was the soup inside was quite salty and oily. Overall, it's still alright :)

Reflection
(the words in green above are the reflections)

Day 2- Campus Orientation

After a good night (or early morning) rest, it's time for campus orientation!

Woke up at about 8.40am and had Macdonalds for breakfast.

Left the hostel at 10am and the teachers brought us around the campus to familarize with the place.

As we were walking, we saw some china students studying outside! Yes, burying their heads in their books! I should learn from them.. maybe I'll wake up early, bring my notes to the park/ study downstairs in the morning (when I'm back in Singapore :P) . Hahaha

Took some pics along the way:

The teachers then introduced to us some of the classrooms we'll be using and also a few china students who'll be interacting with us along the way. And they are really friendly and helpful. I'm sure I'll have a great time with them :)

After that, we went to see the big canteen and the food there is really cheap!

After bringing us around the campus, we went to a big supermarket to buy all the things we need. I didn't know shopping for these stuff can be so 'mah fan' at times. Haha..

At about 6 plus, Maqqie(who just ended class) brought us around to buy more stuff, helped us with the negotiations and bought sim cards and she showed us where she's staying. And while walking, I got to talk to her and realised that studying in English for some subjects for them is very tough. I admire them for their perserverance! I think I'll be kicked out of school if I have to study in chinese because I won't understand :P hehehe...

Yay, I can finally contact da-jie with my china sim card! :D Hehe..

Refelection

Today, we had a tiring day out buying stuff, but while walking down the streets, I thought it was an eye-opener because the streets are very different from Singapore. And some of the buses have solar panels on top! How interesting and environmentally friendly. I felt that it was challenging speaking to the shop owners as I'm pretty lousy in my chinese and hence, very hard for me to catch what people are saying. Thankfully, we had the china students to help us around. I'll try to improve my chinese during this period of time as I think it's important for communication. I hope for the next few days, I'll get to interact with the china students more so that I can understand their student life here. And I think it'll be something very different from Singapore.

Day 1- Flying off to Wuhan!

Today is a day that when I look at the moon, I look down, not up. Haha.. Why? Because I was on the aeroplane, 'flying above the moon'.

I woke up at about 7 plus today, and got all ready to leave for the airport. And I played monopoly deal with kor once while he was eating his breakfast :) (oh, he didn't eat breakfast twice today! Hehe) I shall not say who won. *ahem*

Finally left the house at about 10.20am. Said my goodbye to da-jie's bed. (aww.. will miss it lots!)

Reached the airport, saw the rest of the class, take some photos and checked in our luggage. In my mind, I was dreading the airplane ride though.. never really like them.

Boarded the plane at 1 plus pm, plane ride was 3.5 hrs. We reached Guangzhou and had dinner at the airport. Then waited for quite some time to board the plane to Wuhan.

And it was on this plane when I was looking down on the moon.

Finally, we reached Wuhan! Took a long, bumpy bus ride to the hostel. And by the time we've washed up and everything, it was already 3 plus am. And I dozed off to sleep....

Thank you Father for the safe trip and for relieving my headache.

Wuhan airport at midnight.