When I had arrived in China, I did all the registrations except the Resident Permit application. Somewhere in my mind, I was sure that I had 90 days after entering china to register for a permit. Looking at the limited money that I had when I arrived in China on 29th September 2019, and the next day to get my stipend being 31st October 2019, I had to manage my resources very carefully. And thinking that I had 90 days, somehow I felt safe. I had to focus on the pressing matters with the little mo [...]
Read MoreI was working in the open space. Chasing one deadline that was giving me a tough time. I was directly facing the steps. From afar, one would think that I was checking out all the folks who were passing through the stairs. Funny enough I was too zoned in into my work. Some minutes after, one of my classmates comes by. I have known her the entire semester, and I could tell that something was just not right. She neither waited to be invited to take her seat nor did she ask me if I was free to liste [...]
Read MoreHe coughed and corralled the rattle in his chest into her mouth and then ptui!-spat on the floor in a restaurant. Imagine just how disgusting that is. ‘This is the beginning of the third journal entry, with a very disgusting habit I have seen some Chinese folks do. Spitting! I didn’t even know how bad it was until when I saw one sign in my dormitory elevator which read ‘keep clean and no spitting…’ I guess spitting is a big issue. I must say that I have not come across spitting on campus. It is [...]
Read MoreThis is my second entry into my Public PhD journal. Week two of my PhD at Central China Normal University(CCNU), Wuhan, China. The transition from a working person to a student comes with various changes. As a working person in Malawi, I had a domestic worker who did most of the chores. As a student, I have to do everything by myself. I have to cook, clean, do the dishes, laundry, grocery shopping etc. This has not been hard for me, because I was aware of the change, and I was trained by my moth [...]
Read MoreThis is my first entry into my Public PhD journal. Week one of my PhD at Central China Normal University(CCNU), Wuhan, China. Week one started with travelling. Three flights and a Taxi to finally find myself in my room. 3 hours from Lilongwe to Addis Ababa, 9 hours from Addis Ababa to Guangzhou, 1 hour 30 minutes from Guangzhou to Wuhan, and about 45 minutes from the airport to the university. This is minus the layover hours. I was drained physically by the travel, but I was very hopeful that al [...]
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