DAY 645

Jun 8

1) Day 2 in Suzhou, and we have two main tasks to accomplish. The first is to go to the police station, to get our accommodation registered. We are staying at Parfait International Apartment, which is on Xuetang Street. After some asking around, we found our directions to the police station, and got the job done. Our next task was to present our letter of admission and register at the college itself.

2) So we had to ask for directions on how to get there, as neither of us had Google Maps at the time. Along the way, we passed so many other colleges and campuses, including Nanjing University, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU), and Renmin University of China - before finally arriving at our campus. We first went to the Department of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences to enquire, before being told to go to the 8th floor of the library.

3) We found our way up the humongous library and went to room 830. There, we were told that room 815 was the one that we were looking for, but the lady in charge was out and would only return at 2pm. So we took some pictures of the library and the surrounding campus, before looking for something to eat :) We tried to eat at the school cafeteria but were told that we needed a student card to do so.

4) Upon Niamh's suggestion, I asked a lady (once we were out of the campus) to recommend any food stalls nearby, and she very kindly offered to bring us there, as she was going for food herself. Turns out she brought us back to the same square that Dr. Wang took us to on the first night! I honestly had no idea it was so close to the campus. I had lunch at the same restaurant as before, and after wasting time we decided to walk back to the campus library.

5) We found the door open this time around, and went in. The lady checked our passports and made a phone call to Dr. Wang, and informed us of what we mostly knew already - that there was nothing to be done in the labs for the rest of the week, and that Dr. Wang would come and meet us at our apartment on Monday morning (8am). So with that, we had finished our two tasks for the day. Now, we decided to walk back to the apartment to rest a bit.

6) At around 6pm, we met at the lobby, and Nina would be joining us for the evening. She brought us to the same square as before, but this time we tried out a noodle shop for a change. Nina ordered a pork cutlet noodle soup bowl for me (only 13 yuan, or less than 2 euros!) and it was so good and sooooo filling! The portion sizes here are amazing! After our meal, Nina brought us to get Niamh a SIM Card for her phone. I was thinking of getting one too, but I thought since my phone doesn't have VPN on it there is not much benefit to having a SIM. I also figured I'd be in my dorm or at campus most of the time anyway.

7) The last stop of the night was Hanlin Neighbourhood Center, where we saw elderly women dancing in unison in the open space. After buying some fruits, it was time to head back. We said goodbye and continue on our walk home. It has been yet another productive day, and I'm looking forward to the next one. That's all for this edition of the blog, thanks for tuning in, and have a nice week ahead. Cheers! :D

Binglin Library, Suzhou University

*that looks mighty impressive if you ask me*

At Soochow University

Soochow University motto: "养天地正气，法古今完人" or "Unto a Full Grown Man"

My room (for the next two months)

Everything I could ask for, and more ^^

The police station

National University Singapore Suzhou Research Institute (NUSRI)

 Peace and serenity thy name is Suzhou :^)

Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU) - just taking a shortcut to our campus ^^

XJTLU Campus library - another impressive building!

Nanjing University - sculpture of students

School of Biology and Basic Medical Sciences

View from the 8th floor

Suzhou University No. 3 Plum Blossom Cafeteria (there's also No. 2 and No. 1 Cafeteria just beside haha)

Inside the beautiful library complex

Having dinner at a noodle shop

(with Nina and Niamh)

Noodles with Pork Cutlet

(Suzhou noodles are similar to Japanese Ramen noodles but use fine noodles instead of the thick ones used in Japan)

Hanlin Neighbourhood Center

Self-Service Laundry :)

DAY 643 & 644

Jun 6 & 7

1) The day has finally arrived. I hand over the keys to Emma, and afterwards she drives me to the Terminal 2 of the airport. There I meet Niamh and her mom, and after sending our luggage through the carousel and obtaining our boarding passes, it is time to say goodbye. We pass through customs, and spend the next two hours idling about and walking for no particular reason. Finally, it is time to board our plane, for the first 8 hours of the journey.

2) Emirates is a really nice airline in my opinion; the service is good and there is always something to be excited about. Usually it is food or some beverages XD. I finish two movies in the first leg of the journey - Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Both very entertaining I might add. Anyway, in no time at all, we reach Dubai International Airport, with an hour or so to spend before our next departure.

3) With much dilly-dallying and walking around, it is now time to board the plane for the remaining journey. I don't remember getting much sleep here, which might explain my tired complexion later. Anyway, we were served lots of food and as much beverages as we wanted. I remember fiddling around with their ice (info, communications, entertainment) system, before dozing off for a bit. Before I knew it, we had landed. We had to fill in an arrival form and obtain clearance before being allowed to leave.

4) At the arrivals gate, we were hoping to see someone holding a placard to come and greet us, and we were not disappointed. Nina and Walter met up with us and explained that they were students of Soochow University and were taking part in the international research summer school as well. We then put our bags into the van that they had hired, and we were driven all the way to Suzhou, Jiangsu province. We were dropped off right at our apartment, very aptly named Parfait International Apartment.

5) After unloading our heavy luggage bags in our rooms (which were very well equipped), we went downstairs again, to wait for Dr. Wang, our host in Suzhou. He came to pick us up in his car, and we all went to a nice shop called 老娘舅 (lao niang jiu) for dinner. I asked Dr. Wang what he would recommend and I ended up getting 梅菜扣肉 (mei cai kou rou - "steamed pork belly with preserved mustard greens" ). The dish came as a set with steamed egg and braised vegetables, so I was really full after the meal.

6) Next, we walked over to a convenience store to get basic items like bottles of water. We found out the tap water is not drinkable so we would need to buy bottled water ourselves. Niamh being Niamh bought her fair share of apples and fruits, and me being myself did not get anything. Then Dr. Wang drove us back, wished us goodnight, and that summed up our first day/night in Suzhou. It has been a very warm welcome we've received, and looking forward to the next day's adventures. Thanks for tuning in, and enjoy the pics. Cheers! :D

From l-r: Nina, Dr. Wang, Niamh, yours truly :)

Waiting for the plane from Dubai to Suzhou :D

Rice with cod and fresh vegetables

The beef set, with a glass of apple juice

A beautiful image of the aeroplane above the clouds just as the Sun rises :)

At Lao Niang Jiu ^^