1) As the days roll by, my 2-month stint in Suzhou, China is coming to a close. For me it is a bittersweet moment - perhaps in many ways more bitter than sweet. For these two months, I have assimilated into a completely different culture than I am used to, made so many new friends and connections, learnt so much both in the labs and out of, tried so many new things, and experienced so much... all of this will remain ingrained in my memory for years to come.
2) July 30 - This evening, my lab mates/ seniors/ friends from the Medicinal Chemical Biology Lab invited me over for dinner. We went to Wenxing Plaza (文星广场), to a restaurant called "Youjia" (有家). This restaurant, according to them, specialises in "Suan Cai Yu" (酸菜鱼) - hot and sour fish with pickled mustard greens. We ordered two main dishes, both of them fish - along with some side dishes. They certainly weren't lying about the taste - the most tender fish slices poached in a rich broth made from chicken stock, fish stock, and Sichuan pickles - absolutely out-of-this-world delicious! And sitting together, the nine of us, engaging in small talk over what would be our second last meal together - that was quite emotional...
3) July 31 - This afternoon, Niamh and I were required to deliver a PowerPoint presentation on our research work here. It was the first time I got to listen to Niamh's research in detail, and it is really interesting. We presented our work to both Dr. Wang and Dr. Deng, as well as our "supervisors/ PhD friends" - Ming Mei for Niamh's department, and Chris for mine. After that, a short and simple ceremony was held, as we were given certs of participation and some souvenirs to take home. Then it was time for dinner, and we were cordially invited to a "farewell dinner" at a hotel in Renmin University of China (Suzhou Campus). It was yet another memorable evening for us, as we had a nice long chat with Dr. Wang and Dr. Deng (who are in charge with our well being for the duration of our stay here).
4) Aug 1 - A final "farewell dinner" was planned for tonight, by Professor Long. We went to a restaurant called "Bai Sheng" (百盛), located right beside Dushu Lake. Professor Long had reserved a room specially for the dinner, which came equipped with its own KTV (karaoke) bar. We had a lovely dinner together, thanks in part due to Prof. Long's exquisite taste when it comes to food selection. She had ordered a smorgasbord of regional dishes, each of which came lavishly decorated and plated. Prof. Long also presented me with some souvenirs; the most memorable was undoubtedly a photo album detailing all the wonderful memories of my time here in Suzhou. I truly appreciated everything that she, and my lab mates, have done for me during my brief stay here.
5) Gone but not forgotten. That is how I would like to think of my time here. Hopefully, in the near future, I will get the opportunity to revisit China (and its many provinces and tourist sites) and pay everyone a visit. It's still two days till I return to Dublin, and yet I am already missing the lifestyle that I will soon leave behind. That's it for today's blog, and thank you very much for visiting. Have a lovely weekend, cheers! :D
Professor Long presenting me with a beautiful photo album as a farewell gift ^^
What a beautiful sunset!
Flipping through the many wonderful memories of my time here in China
Customary pre-dinner photoshoot :)
Candid photo with Prof. Long
A feast of fish with friends - at Yu Jia
Farewell dinner #2
(l-r: Chris, Me, Niamh, Ming Mei, Dr. Wang, Dr. Deng :)
What a lovely backdrop of Chinese watercolour!
In between the many feasts, there was also the final round of Western Blots and MTT Assays in the Biology Lab...
Suan Cai Yu - marvellous broth!
Niamh with her Certificate of Completion - after both our presentations
Mandatory group photo XD
Nothing like some local Chinese wine (雪花) to lighten the mood
A gift from the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences
A huge mug embossed with the Soochow University logo :D
Thanks Chris for the ice-cream!
(For the successful synthesis of some really "precious" compounds :)
Look at the wonderful craftsmanship!
Beer tower was the highlight of the night!
(just kidding that had to be the red braised pork belly! (红烧肉))
"Lao Ya Tang" (老鸭汤) - "old duck soup" would be the literal translation of this dish, which contains huge flour balls filled with vegetables. This also happens to be Prof. Long's favourite dish :)
One cannot help but admire the magnificent presentation of each dish
And finally, on to dessert - presented as impeccably as ever
Dr. Hu belting out yet another Cantonese number!
(We later managed to figure out the large TV display)
Pu'er tea (普洱茶) was extremely soothing after a large meal
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