DAY 686 & 687

July 19 & 20

1) On this day, Niamh and I were scheduled for a hospital visit to the Children's Hospital of Soochow University. So we walked to the campus together, to be greeted by Dr. Teng - our host for this visit. She hired a taxi (via Didi) to the hospital, which we reached in about half an hour. As per the other hospital visits, we were greeted by some pharmacists and doctors, who gave us a comprehensive tour of the hospital.

2) First, we were given a quick tour of the pharmacy and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) departments, before getting a chance to "scrub in" to enter the drug handling room. There, we had the opportunity to observe highly regulated medicine i.e. chemotherapy drugs etc. being synthesised and packaged for consumption. The practice of something called "PIVAS" intrigues me - it stands for Pharmacy Intravenous Mixture.

3) Essentially, in hospitals, the majority of the reconstitution of injectable drugs are carried out right before the administration to the patient by the nursing staff. The risks and errors associated with this are numerous. The standardisation and centralisation of these preparations by the hospital pharmacy, so-called "PIVAS", makes it possible to reduce these various risks and errors. In China, the first PIVAS was established in Shanghai Jing'an Center Hospital, and now 30% of tertiary referral hospitals own PIVAS.

4) All of that was in the outpatient department... now we would be shown into the inpatient department. Simply put, we were taken to the wards where families were watching over their hospitalised children. I found out that this hospital specialises in treating blood cancers i.e. leukemias, hence explaining the large number of patients who come from various provinces far and abroad. We cycled through ER, neurology, hematology, and cardiology ICU in quick succession, meeting so many children with varying degrees of illness. For me, it was not easy looking at a seven-day-old newborn, hands restrained to the sides of the cot (for their own safety, lest they tug at the numerous lines and intubations strapped to their chest and mouth), and face covered with an oxygen hood, desperately clutching at life due to a birth defect (ventral septal defect - VSD). We saw loads of other children too, some with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia), others with a subdural haemorrhage etc...

5) After all that, we returned to the staff room, where we had a short rest sipping mild tea. Then we were invited downstairs to an elaborate dining room, where we had an unexpected surprise - lunch! This was the last thing we were expecting, as in both the previous hospital visits we had always gone back to the campus before having lunch. Also, the fact that the lunch was served in such an elaborate fashion - complete with box set, herbal soup, cucumber, and yogurt for dessert - really touched our hearts! It almost felt as though everyone here treated us extra nice because they were used to working with children and their families. Just a theory of course ^^

6) After the marvellous lunch (in which we were bombarded with questions about our research here in China as well as our studies in Ireland), it was time to head back. Dr. Teng booked us a taxi, and dropped us right at the Pharmaceutical Sciences building. It has been back to experiments since, and nothing else worth noting other than the usual daily routine. That has been a gist of my day today (Thursday), and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Thanks very much for visiting, and have a nice weekend ahead. Cheers! :D

Dr. Teng Xinchen (third from right), along with all the doctors and pharmacists who very kindly accompanied us for the duration of our visit :))

All scrubbed in and nowhere to go...

(just joking we had just came back from PIVAS :)

The very impressive outpatient department of the hospital

(Behind the front building is the inpatient department)

Entrance to the hospital

Beautiful artistic drawing spotted, at the PIVAS room

They make chemotherapy drugs inside this chamber...

"Look at me!" Niamh's body language would seem to indicate.

"Kindly avert your gaze,' would be mine. XD

A busy environment at the children's wards, with doctors, pharmacists, and nurses shuffling about checking on their young patients, as their parents comfort their children

ENAS Cancer Center for Children

The Haematology Department

I could hardly believe this was meant for us

(to be fair, I could hardly believe when we were told that lunch was waiting for us downstairs...

I expected cafeteria food... XD)

Group pic with everyone! Bon appetit :D

Everything looks sooooooooo good! :DD

Quick snap before we had to board the taxi back...

DAY 663

June 26

1) Today was the big send off for two of our seniors in the lab. They have graduated with their PhDs and will be pursuing research as post docs in America. It was with this in mind that they invited Prof. Long, along with all of us (thanks so much for the invitation!) to a sumptuous buffet dinner at the luxurious five-star Kempinski Hotel. I may have failed to mention this earlier, but the research I am undertaking here is under Prof. Yaqiu Long - who, as well as a Distinguished Professor, is also Vice Dean of the Medical College.

2) I was first introduced to Prof. Long a few weeks after I came to Suzhou. She would always be present for the morning seminars, where she would ask questions and comment on the presentation in general. Today, we would meet up again with her, as my lab mates and I took the "Didi" taxi service (it's Western counterpart being Uber) to the venue. We arrived early, and were treated to a fantastic view of "Jinji Lake" (lit. Golden Rooster Lake - 金雞湖) from our seats.

3) Soon Prof. Long arrived with the others. This is the first buffet I've had since coming here, and it was noticeably different to the ones I have had in Ireland. Loads more seafood (including crawfish - a specialty here in Suzhou) and freshly made sushi and sashimi; a truly satisfying meal! And the beautifully crafted deserts were just the thing to cap off a perfect night out (and fitting send off) for our senior friends. We had a toast with everyone (as well as some group pics, as you can see below haha), before taking a leisurely stroll along the pier.

4) It was chit-chat and small talk with my friends, and we talked about how fast time flies, as well as our future. It was really warm outside, so were glad to return to the air-conditioned building. Prof. Long brought the girls home in her car, while us men (haha) took the taxi back to the campus. From there, it was a slow walk back at night for me - after a hugely memorable evening. I've made loads of friends in my time here in Suzhou, and it will not be easy when it is my turn to leave. For now, I can only hope to preserve these precious memories in both my words and in the photos you see below.

5) That has been my day today, and thank you very much as usual for tuning in. Have a lovely week, and see you all in the next post. Cheerios! :D

Group pic with everyone! <3<3<3

(Seniors Qin and Song will be leaving for USA very soon)

(Top l-r: Chris, Dr. Hu Wei, Zhou Jujun, Zhou Tan, Me)

(Bottom l-r: Qin Li Huai, Song, Prof. Long, Kong Jiao, Han Yu Qing)

Wefie ^^

With Prof. Yaqiu Long :)

That's Jinji Lake if I'm not mistaken XD

Buffet here I come :))

Not sure where to begin...

Smorgasbord of seafood

Freshly prepared sashimi

My platter

Rows of sushi

(the first pot contains "nattou" - or fermented soybean, truly an acquired taste!)

Very tempting if you ask me XD

Look at all the crawfish! :)

The desserts were de-lightful! 

Pistachio and mango gelato - YES please!!!

Night tour of the hotel pier ^^

The light-reflected water looks beautiful in my opinion

Kempinski Hotel at night <3

Yes - it is a five-star hotel all right :)

DAY 654

June 17th

1) Today was an excursion of epic proportions, as we visited yet another part of Suzhou's ancient heritage - Zhouzhuang Water Village (周庄). Nicknamed the "Venice of the East" (or is Venice nicknamed the "Zhouzhuang of the West" hmmm...), one can easily envision the well preserved ancient residential houses, the elegant watery views, and profound cultural background. Initially, this was going to be a trip for just myself and Niamh, but fortunately, two of my lab mates - Zhou Jujun and Kong Jiao - decided to tag along (and ultimately help us navigate our way :)

2) We began our journey early in the morning, and Zhou helped us book a taxi (called "Didi" over here) from our apartment to Zhouzhuang. Today was a holiday - the Dragon Boat Festival or 端午节 as it is known in Chinese - so we could expect loads of tourists. Luckily we went early, so we managed to uncover a lot of the area before the tourists starting pouring in. Also, by using an app called "Meituan" (美团) to book our entrance tickets, we managed to save 12 yuan! Anyway, printed on our tickets were the various places of interest, including Chengxu Taoist Temple, The Museum of Zhouzhuang, The Ancient Platform, Qiuyue Garden of Nanhu Lake, House of the God of Wealth, amongst others. While we did not have the time to explore each and everyone, it was all about embracing the atmosphere and soaking up the rich culture and heritage in this well preserved water village.

3) At around noon, it was time for lunch. So my Chinese friends helped us find a cheap and nearby restaurant to try out. We ordered six dishes which came to around 240 yuan, which I think is reasonable - considering this is a tourist area. After the authentic Chinese meal, we made our way back to Pinjiang Rd (via Didi) - an 800-year old historical street where Niamh bought a souvenir umbrella, and where we got to try chicken feet (鳯爪) or the much more appealing "phoenix claws" as it is known in Chinese. As evening approached, Kong suggested we try a hotpot restaurant which she found on Meituan. As we walked and walked, it became clear that the shop had either relocated or shut down permanently, as we couldn't find it!

4) Instead, we went to another Chinese restaurant for dinner. It was a very cheap dinner, but with quite unique dishes - including glutinous balls made with lotus root flour, deep fried lotus root, boiled dumplings with Chinese chives (韭菜), noodles, and beef fried rice. The entire fiasco cost us only 58 yuan - practically a steal! And our last visit of the day was to Suzhou Centre, to embrace the night life and view of the cityscape. Instead of spending much time in the shopping area, we went outside, and were very fortunate to see their water light show. Whether this was a one time event (due to the Dragon Boat Festival) or a daily occurrence, I am not sure myself. But we enjoyed the entire trip from start to finish, and had a nice walk back home afterwards. That is the end of today's amazing adventure, and thanks for visiting as always. Have a nice weekend, and do scroll down for a tonne of  pics. Cheers! :D

At Zhouzhuang Water Village - admiring the photos depicting everyday life ^^

Waiting at the apartment for our friends :)

In preparation for the Dragon Boat Festival

I find the costumes to be very vibrant and contrast-y

Myself, Zhou, Kong, and Niamh

(all smiles :)

A giant sticky rice dumpling (粽子)

(eaten specifically during the Dragon Boat Festival)

Entrance to the Zhouzhuang Water Village ^^

Our ticket (which has all the places of interest on it)

Thanks Zhou for helping us take the pic :)

Too many tourists prevented us from getting a nice photo of the entrance sign

Just one of the many boat rides along the canals of the village

Yifei Museum

The life of Chen Yifei - a renowned Chinese classic-style painter, art director and film director

Double Bridges (Shuang Qiao) (Shide Bridge and Yongan Bridge) are considered 

the symbol of Zhouzhuang

(This art piece by Yi Fei, depicting the Double Bridges, is called "Memory of Hometown" - and was chosen to be the first-day cover of the United Nations' postage stamp of 1985)

Zhang's House - Zhang's was a wealthy family in Zhouzhuang

(the mansion has gone for over 500 years, since the Ming Dynasty!)

A big rockwork (behind us) is made from stone from Taihu Lake

(the backyard of the mansion)

  

The scenery of Zhouzhuang at its finest!

Apparently the Zhang family had their own set of musicians to entertain them

This is the long, narrow pathway used to access the mansion on regular days

(only on special occasions would the main gate be opened)

Beautiful scenery everywhere

That is the name of the taxi company (Didi) that brought us here XD

Group photo in front of a "wishing tree"

(Wishes are written on red auspicious paper before being tied on the branches of the tree)

Time for lunch!

(Kung pao chicken) (宫保鸡丁)

Kung Pao Chicken, Sliced Potato Strips, Deep Fried Shrimps, Veggies

Much better lighting from this angle haha

(Thanks again Zhou for taking the pic)

Niamh can't wait to dig in

(and neither can I, to be honest :)

One of the many beautiful (and large!) gymnasiums in Suzhou

Pinjiang Road - our next stop hehe :)

Watching a master Chinese fan craftsman at work

Trying chicken feet for the first time (not me but someone else, obviously haha)

I actually like chicken feet, and it is used very often in soups for that extra flavour :)

Just above the red section is an entire MOUNTAIN-LOAD of durians!! Yum-yum :))

Our stop for dinner was unexpected yet delicioso :)

Fried lotus root - "tastes like onion bhaji", says food critic and culinary expert Niamh

That's glutinous balls made of lotus root flour, with black sesame filling :)

Nothing like a nice warm dinner to fill us up ^^

Beef fried rice. Absolutely delightful :D

Beautiful lighting on a nearby shopping complex

Marks & Spencer (Kuhan if you are reading this, which I highly doubt you would haha - here is your next go-to place after you finish trying out everything at M & S Ireland) 

Suzhou Center at night

The Gate of the Orient (東方之門)

Posing with Mr. Zhou himself :^)

Water lights show about to begin ^^

And a wave of colour to finish!

That's the last view we got before taking Didi taxi back, and walking home :)