Missing home, but we saved Millie!

10 September 2012

  " We have 15 mins to get ready! It is already 6 50 in the morning, wake up Jin Wei!" Jin Wei shot out of bed and hurried to get her clothes as I packed my bag. We were determined to wake up by 5 30 am but we ended up oversleeping by an hour.  Today is the day when all OIP members were to attend the grand opening ceremony for the new students, locally and abroad. Our guide skillfully weaved through the crowd and motioned for us to follow. We sat in the front rows of the seat as we waited for the ceremony to commence. The ceremony must have been a major event as many parents and outsiders surrounded the venue staring intently at the students who wore military garments. The students sat straight, as though a plate of metal was attached to their backs, their hands rested on their kneecaps and no one wavered or swayed a bit. In the front row stood men that wore blue military uniform, they boomed out commands and shouted angrily at the local students when they fidgeted.  Military training is compulsory for the local freshmen of this University. I was born and raised up in Singapore a democratic society and is used to what many calls the “pampered life”. This event has made a big impact on me. In Singapore the youngsters are often referred as the “ strawberry clan”. You may ask why is this so, but it basically means that we are unable to take any form of hardship. We are delicate like the strawberry. Strawberries cannot touch the dirty soil or they will rot because it is so delicate most farmers have resorted to grow strawberries in greenhouses.  My greenhouse is Singapore and it is now that I realize how lucky I am to be born in a country that shelters me from wind and rain. The Singapore system looks into the tiniest details of my welfare and gives me all that I need to grow. This is very much a new experience for me. It is common for me to miss my family and friends when I am overseas but to miss my country, this would be my first and this trip has clearly showed me how much I have missed Singapore. I find myself looking at the skyline of Wuhan started to mutter to myself that the building at the corner had looked like the national library in Bugis. My eyes are also constantly looking for something similar to Singapore, be it a car, a shop (Breadtalk), food or any store my eyes still search.  The food here is still hard for me to accept, it’s too oily even if I enjoy its spiciness.

The entire opening ceremony for us was boring as we didn’t understand much and having to listen to them chant “taun jie jio shi li liang” many times was wearing down many from the strawberry clan as we stare listlessly throughout the speech. It was almost to the end of the ceremony when I realized that many of the local students looked exhausted, some beginning to slouch others yawning in their seats. I admire the students resilience and discipline.  Much as I miss home, this immersion has given me an insight of the student lifestyle here which I had wanted to learn about for a very long time.

After a quick breakfast, we started our TCC lesson, Miss Anita taught us the 6 steps to create a good composition, using gradient and to overlap our value masses were just a few that I learned to use in my composition. We then spread out to draw thumbnails. Xin Yi, Jin Wei and I found a spot near the pavilion and started our sketches. The weather was hot and I could hear a familiar buzz as my hand itched to slap at the uninvited recipient that constantly visits " The blood bank of Cheng".   

I ate a big bowl of fried rice  for lunch and it was later that I realized in my rush to feed my starving belly I had forgotten to talk pictures of my meal.

TCC lessons continue after lunch and soon we we trudging of to paint our paintings around the campus. Water colouring can be quite demanding and I looked in dismay as my paper starts to smudge and water dripped from the corners of my paper. I continued on in my desperate attempt to improve faster for the upcoming assignments. Is it possible to improve in such a short time?  I pray that Miss Anita would be lenient in her assessment of our work.

4 hrs past quickly and soon we were heading back to meet with the rest of the members. We chatted lightly for a while, till Keegan came over a said a very disturbing news. "There is this lady kicking a baby kitten that was just born, its covered in blood." That was what he said, and I believed everyone was stunned for a moment and he soon convinced us. We started to seek out the injured cat and sure enough we heard a loud meowing sound. I froze at the sight of a white kitten, his fur , face and tail were dark red that looked like blood. The kitten was attempting to enter the dorm in search of food and the cleaning lady was not going to have it. She swiped it out of the dorm with her broom and kicked it to chase it away. The sight made me so mad, but I understand that she sant allow the kitten into the dorm. When we asked the cleaning lady if she could offer some food to the kitten she shook her head and said she had no food to give. Miss Anita gently picked up the kitten that soon fell silent. It looked so pitiful and we tried to wash it was water. It was not blood , but paint, dark red paint and it made the situation a lot worse, because the poor kitten tries desperately to lick it off. we have to bring her to a vet fast and remove the paint off her, we dont know if the paint may cause any server damage but we decided not to risk it. Arron rushed the kitten to cultural street in a cardboard box  wrapped in a towel, while we waited for the rest and moved of to the pet shop as a group.

 It was very much like an operation room, 3 members with Miss Anita were in the small interior of the pet shop already taking most of the space will the rest stood outside peering through the glass as we watched the kitten being shaved.  The kitten was shaved till it almost had no fur, but the skin was still covered in hardened paint. The vet had no choice but to pluck out the hairs that were stuck to the skin. The kitten mew and cried and it was a painful sight to bear as it was plucked and rubbed with thinner. It screamed when the thinner was rubbed on and my heart went out to it. Finally after about an 1-2 it was finally clean enough. We named her Millie. Our sweet Millie fell right to sleep after nibbling on a little bit of cat food. She's still teething! Some went to have their dinner while some watched over Millie. Than came along another cat names Mimi and the two cats got along quite fine when Millie woke up  to look at Mimi. Mimi belong to a waiter that worked in one of the restaurants and we asked if they could adopt Millie, but the waiter was afraid that Millie is to small and will be stepped on by the others customers. We went around asking if any one wanted a cat and soon after the Japanese restaurant said that they were wiling to keep Millie!  We went back thrilled and overjoyed, determined to visit Millie at Cultural street again. I want to thank Mr Tan , Miss Anita  and Luo lao shi for all chipping in and helping us save Millie. Today would be a memory that I'll always remember. I guess “taun jie jio shi li liang”!