Enjoying my life right now.

/ Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I have not been updating on time these few days due to the lack of time.
Everyday was spent on attending lessons, competing tutorials questions, drying laundry as well as making observation to my surrounding so I have something new to update my blog.
It has soon become a part of my daily routine and habits.
I seriously think I'm much more independent now as I wash my clothes in Wuhan myself, at least knowing how to activate the washing machine.
I don't know even know how I activate my own washing machine back home in Singapore.
So back to the topic, I will blog about my three consecutive three days in this post.
It will be a heavy post, so endure!

Day 12

I spent my Sunday afternoon drying laundry and competing my tutorial assignements, before heading to Niu Xiang Square in the late evening with my XiuJin, Bernice, Lizhen and Yankhee.

We went to Ajisen for dinner and I had Ajisen noodles along with the Japanese dumpling.
The noodles and dumpling cost only 18 yuan and 9 Yuan respectively.
The egg tasts the same and similar as what I had in Singapore, still so delicious.
I was sweating and feeling warm when I was eating my Ajisen noodles, thus I start to realise the temperature in Wuhan has slightly increasing these few days.

The dumpling and the Ajisen noodles

Shop around the shopping mall and we spot the children's Merry Go-Around.
Of course, I didn't hesistate to take the picture with it.
I still remember as a kid, I love to ride the horse and will drag my parents there.
Like NiuXiang Square Shopping mall, all the shopping malls in Singapore have also children's playground facilities and Merry-Go-Around too.
There are not much different in there.
From what I have observed, all the shops closed and start to lock their doors as the clock strike 9.30p.m, much more earlier than in Singapore.
As compare, Singapore still have late night shopping at the last week of the month along the Orchard Road.
Adding on, most of the shopping mall end their business for the day at 10p.m or even extend their working hours on weekends.
However, we didn't see that happend here as well as the crowd.
Before we left, Yankhee went to buy drink from Macdonald with Bernice tagging on.
So the three of us went to sit on the benches found in the middle of the shopping mall waiting for them.
We spot the local security/police forming one straight line doing footdrills, follow by that was forming and standing in a row of three.

Furthermore, we also saw them running oustide of the shopping mall, wearing thick layers of clothes at night.
I can also see teamwork in them as I caught a sight of them cheering and encouraging their fellow mates to continue running.

Day 13

Weather was extremely good, the sun was shining brightly down from the sky.
I simply loved this kind of weather.

I just want to mention that the toliet bowl was stuck and flooded again, the third time we moved in.
The sewage system in Wuhan was terrible, it was a common sight of toliet bowl flooded here.
This can greatly explain why most of the public toliets are squat.
Furthermore, I have also observed that the locals have this habits of wearing slippers at home instead of barefooted.
Attend lesson as usual, Mr Wee taught Chapter 4 and 5.
Frankly speaking, both the topics are dry but I understand that Mr Wee was trying hard to make it more interesting.
At least I don't feel totally bored with Mr Wee adding and sharing his experiences.

I managed to take a picture of the local classroom, through the back door.
From my observation, the local students in the classroom don't have table in front of them indivdually.
The local students use a 2 in 1 chair with table at the side.
They sit pretty close to one another, unlike us have only 4 columns and 5 rows back in classroom.

I took a picture of my shadow under the sun.

As a group, we went to the street oustide the school together to have our lunch.
To me, the street are filled with surprises without fail everytime.
I will always see and experience something new each time I walk down the street.
Furthermore, I will capture the beautiful scene of it everytime.

I had YouTiao and Soya bean milk for lunch.
They taste pretty much similar like what we had in Singapore.
I love the Soya milk drink especially.

I got foods for lunch from this two stalls.

Mr Wee bought us to another street after we bought our lunch .
It was just a shortcut or path leading to the opposite street of our hostel .
There were shop houses like salon, , mahjor rental stall, small eating cafe or restaurant and pool cafe.
I catch the sight of the locals washing their clothes outside of their house using hands as well as the way they dry their laundry too.

They will dry their clothes hanging on the trees or outside of their houses regardless how dirty the area was.

The backyard of the houses

The local restaurants.

I also noticed that they stored their vegetables outside and not in the fridge, perhaps the weather was good.

The pool table.
I saw many locals playing pool in one of the shops.
Went back to our hostel to put down our stuffs and rest for 1 hours.
Follow by that, we went to the nearby supermarket again to replenish our snacks and cup noodles.
There were some promotion of the iced tea going on and each of us bought one due to the free gift.
The bottle of drink merely cost 2.50 yuan and it taste like iced lemon tea.

Went to XiuJin and Bernice 's apartment to have our dinner together as we were tired of eating outside.

Day 14: Weather was extremely sunny

On my way to school, I even spot the locals coming out to do farming on their plotted land.
It was definitely my first time standing so close to observe the farmers.
Adding on, it was also a rare of opportunity for me as I get to see how the farmers remove their grown vegetable from the ground.

Lesson on brief introduction of chinese culture was conducted by the local teacher, who spoke frequent English.
Her English name was Edith.
The way she spoke and taught us in English was up to standard and excellent.
I totally can understand what she trying to deliver to us at the end of her lesson.
From her, I understand the china culture even better as well as Tibet culture.
Furthermore, I get to know that only the rich people in Tibet can enjoy and afford vegetables and not the poor although it is basic food staple to us.
It is hard to grow vegetables in their country due to their weather.
On top of it , they will also wear fur clothing the whole day as the temperature will rise in the morning and fall drastically in the evening.
As for china culture, I also be taught that their culture can be in individual or collective.
Culture is the code of practice and could be one' background where they grow up.
Furthermore, I also learn that the local people like to emphasis on how people address them.
From what I had hear, the local people will respect one another in terms of experiences regardless of the ages.
Sometimes, addressing wrongly will also lead to misunderstanding and misleading.
The local lecturer Edith has shared with us some the incidents she had encountered.
It was something fresh and interesting to me!

Taken during her lesson.

Early dismiss today!

The local lecturer bring us to another street behind our university.

I didn't know there are a neighbourhood shopping mall, local bank, macdonald, bakery shop and a mini supermarket until she brought us there.

We spent the whole afternoon shopping and buying gifts once again.

Now I really understand our girl's buying and bargaining strategies.

We could slash prices way down to get the best afforable prices we want.

Had lunch at Macdonald again to get some bite.

Not to mention, I end up spending two hundreds for the day.

We went to the bakery before we leave.

The bakery shop totally looks like our breadtalk back in Singapore, their cakes are so lovely and beautiful.
I saw the pictures on their catalogue, the smell of the bread make me even hungry.
Bought some bread for tomorrow morning and went back to hostel.

By the time we reached hostel was late evening.