Hello I am Samantha!
Call me Sam though. (I know Samuel is in ALP too but I don’t care)
Note: I am a girl so I stay in Zijingang #goodlife
It was cold. And wet. Freezing, actually. So we huddled together from the airport to the bus, the bus to Zijingang Block B Lobby, and from the lobby to our respective rooms. My roomie is Amalina and she is very nice. We met other international students that were extremely helpful, carrying our heavy luggage up flights of stairs. Once up in our room, we had a good look around at our home for the next 3 months. It was comfy.
I would also like to showoff our room’s pantry.
The next few days were all about trying to adapt to the new environment. We had to accept the fact that wifi could only connect to only one device at one time and rejoice that there were marts everywhere. It was wonderful to have IDI, where our workspace is, near us too. This applies to only those staying in ZJG though, because the poor Yuquan boys have to travel far to come over for lessons. With the help of Nicole and Zhan Hao, our lovely patient seniors, we found necessities in life, like food, creation of bank accounts, and solving wifi issues. And Taobao! (thank you Nicole and Zhan Hao! I miss you guys) In the midst of settling, we also went exploring to different parts of campus and the areas a little further.
And husky plush toys, which I could not get despite many attempts. But I will get one eventually.
Our first lesson in Design Thinking & Expression was to create a ‘sitting’. Basically a chair, but not exactly confined to the definition of a chair, so long as it supports body weight.
We were split into groups of about 3 or 4 and given 5 pieces of cardboard.
My group focused on the problem of back pains and created a chair to correct sitting posture. This assignment led to many nights of brainstorming and cutting. Though tedious, the company and teamwork was fun. It felt like the times back in SUTD where we will camp in class to finish our work.
That week, we also went out for buddy day. My group went to Hu Pao Yuan and Xi Hu Lake, which had a lot of green. It was beautiful and tranquil. The details on the architecture were so fine that it amazed me. The lake was vast and the reflection of sunset against the waters was stunning. I believe it would be a wonderful place to urban sketch. Maybe I will next time.
And lastly before I end off, I would like to share this absolutely enchanting image to refresh your eyes.
Yes, I went a bit high.
-Sammm
