Apologies for not updating sooner! I am still getting used to blogging!
In my previous blog, I mentioned that I was having visa/passport trouble. Luckily, my passport has been returned and I now have my residence visa. ☺
In October, I made the journey to Shanghai to meet the Rotary Club and give a presentation to introduce myself to everyone. The week before my presentation was National Day, which is a weeklong holiday. During this time, I traveled to Shenongjia and attempted to go camping. The weekend was a series of interesting events and beautiful scenery. Upon my return, I attempted to buy a train ticket to Shanghai; however, due to the holiday, all the tickets were sold out. At this point, I still didn’t have my passport, so my only other option was the bus. I was a bit apprehensive to take the bus after reading horror stories online about buses in China. The bus itself is the same size as a Greyhound bus but instead of seats, there are mini-beds. I didn’t realize when boarding the bus you can choose to sleep wherever so I ended up in the back. Next time, if there is a next time, I will try to sit towards the front. Much to my surprise, I was really comfortable and fell asleep within a matter of minutes.
After arriving in Shanghai at approximately 6 a.m., I located a subway station and tried to figure out what to do for the day. I decided to go to the Yu Gardens and Bazaar and took the subway there. After arriving at the right subway station, I called my host counselor, Jukka, to let him know that I arrived safely. He kindly invited me to meet him for coffee near his office, then go back to his family's home to refresh myself before the meeting. I was lucky because his office turned out to be only a few blocks from the subway station I was at, so I was able to walk to his office. If I had planned that, then I would have been lost.
The Shanghai Rotary Club meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Regal International East Asia Hotel . I found the club members to be a lively group. The Club is actively involved in many activities to improve the their community. Overall, I feel that my presentation went well. One of my goals for this year is to overcome my fear of public speaking, so this was a great way to start. While there, I also had the opportunity to meet with another fellow Ambassadorial Scholar, Jacob, who is living in Shanghai. I hope that I will be able to attend future meetings!
Below is an excerpt from their weekly Pagoda:
RC Shanghai “Gift of Life”A 1 year old boy, born on October 13, 2007. Address DuZhuang Village, PingDian Town, ShangShui County, Henan. His parents are poor farmers.
Candidate No 1 for 2008-9 Year
Diagnosis: Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD). Date of operation was on August 13, 2008. Operation: He suffered from perimembranious ventricular septal defect unlikely to close spontaneously.cardiopulmonary bypass. The defect in diameter of 8 mm was closed with Dacron patch through atrial incision. It was a successful operation. He was discharged from SuZhou Kowloon Hospital on August 28, 2008.
He was operated on August 13, 2008 under general anesthesia and
*Also, if someone could tell me how to move pictures and insert them into the text rather than all in a straight line that would be very helpful! :)
