Day 2 - Introduction to the school and shopping! Posted by SuperJuniorF , Friday, March 5, 2010 at 11:12 PM, in

Ring! The alarm clock rang exactly at 8am and it was raining! And guess what? Me and my roommates finally know how to on the heater in out room! I find it really lucky as the weather for the next few days is going to be less than 5 degrees celsius. Today I wore 4 layers of clothing. My body was rather warm except for my hands and face! And I had to walk from the domitory to the school under the rain. This is very different from Ngee Ann Polytechnic because in Ngee Ann, there is shelter almost everywhere in the school. So I saw many of the students in WUST walking to their classes in umbrellas, raincoats and even ponchos! I do not think that I will ever see students in Ngee Ann wearing raincoats and ponchos to school.

After I walked under the rain for about 10 minutes, I arrived at the building where my classes will be held at. It was much warmer in the class room because the room was airtight and there was a large heater in the room. As Ms Neo briefed the class about the schedule and the rules and regulations, there was a surprise. Ms Wong, my first semester mathematics teacher appeared at the door of classroom! It was very surprising because I would never thought that I will see her in Wuhan, and even teaching in Wuhan! However I was glad that I could talk to her for a while. ^_^

Next up, me and my classmates were being brought to the staff room where we were allowed to keep our passport and laptops in a cabinet. The staff room seemed rather new because it was very clean, refreshing and there were many empty cubicles. Despite the teachers being in the room, my group still had the time to take a group photo! Cheers! ^_^

Next was the computer laboratory. The computer laboratry was fantastic! Although the building may seem old, but the technology was first-class. The computers were similar or even better than the computers in Ngee Ann. The interesting fact about computer laboratories in WUST that I found out from one of the local student is that the students there often use the computers provided in the computer laboratories during class and they use their laptop to do their homework. This is not the case for Ngee Ann Polytechnic students as students in Ngee Ann Polytechnic often use their laptops rather than the computers in the computer laboratories.

After the tour to my classroom, the staff room and the computer labortories, we headed to the school's clinic/hospital before heading to the WUST's biggest canteen. I was told that the school's clinic/hospital was for the students who do not feel well to consult a doctor and be given the neccessary medication. As for me, I do not want to get sick in Wuhan because the cold weather will just make the sickness even worse. Just imagine having a fever and running flu in a weather less than 5 degrees celsius! That finally made the quote "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" something worth adhering to.

Its lunch time! As I enter the biggest canteen in WUST, I can see steam high up the ceiling, huge flames in the kitchen, students rushing for their food at the stalls and large signs put up above each stall. It was one of the most amazing thing I have ever seen because at that moment, I can see everything happening at the same time. The noise generated by the students also added to the chaotic atmosphere. There are two interesting things I noticed about the canteen in WUST compared to the canteen in Ngee Ann. First, the canteen in WUST uses a card system which enables their students to pay for their food by using a card whereas Ngee Ann uses solid cash to pay for the food. I think this is good as it actually quickens the process of lining up and increases efficiency. The second thing is that the chef has no privacy and he cooks in front of the public. This is not the case for Ngee Ann as most of th chefs in Ngee Ann cook behind the walls. I find that cooking in front of their customer is a good thing because I think it actually allows the customer to see what exactly the chef is doing and this will help the chef gain the trust of the customer. Not to forget that the food is very cheap! Compared to Singapore dollars, a plate of fried rice only costs about $0.80!

As the day's class was cancelled, me and my friends spent the day out shopping for neccessities. The day ended will a delicious steamboat meal nearby! It only costs about $4 per person. ^_^

Reflection
The second day in Wuhan is quite a memorable day because it is the first time I experienced rain in such a cold country! I was quite glad that I wore enough winter clothing to keep myself warm because some of my friends were shivering from the lack of clothings. Looking at how WUST has its own clinic/hospital, I think the students there are quite priveleged to have such facilities because back in Ngee Ann, we do not have the luxury of walking 5 to 10 minutes within the school compound just to get medication. I also could not help but noticing how cheap the food is in WUST. It actually makes me appreciate all the food that I eat in Singapore because the price of food in Singapore is much more expensive than in Wuhan. As usual, the WUST students were very friendly and I am very glad that I am making more friends by the day! Now I am leaning Mandarin slowly from the WUST students and from my friends so that I can at least communicate with the locals a little bit and not allowing language or race to be a barrier. Day 3, coming to you soon! Take care ! ;D