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Day 3 of Week 2 Blog Post (Nick Donaldosn - IT Software Developer)
April 27th, 2026
In the morning I was feeling tired after re-adjusting the hotel situation, but I am ready for what will come next! (Even guys like us enjoy selfies on trips like these!)
We got down to the lobby of the hotel at 8: 40
We walked down the street and passed many commerce stalls. I walked there during the night and it was lively with people and activity. There was so much food that was available and it smelled very good. The smell of the oil and spices was strong and made me want to get something. Then we finally got to the gate where we took a group photo and met with people from the university.
We took a group photo and talked and laughed as we walked through the gates on the side.
We continued deeper into the beautiful campus. There was so much greenery and it looked very well maintained with care and attention to detail. We then saw the group of students and walked with them into the building where Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering hosted the opening ceremony. During the opening ceremony the staff from Wuhan and GTC gave introductory speeches. Then the Chinese students and us did a gift exchange on the stage. Then we took a group photo in the building lobby. I am surprised that in China it is very standard to have many dedicated buildings and rooms for specific purposes and only that 1 purpose.
Then we took some more photos. During the opening presentation I learned that president Xi Jinping promoted schools like the one in Wuhan to cooperate with international schools to learn more about the culture and life of other people.
The campus of this college is absolutely beautiful and each one we have been to has always had something new to bring.
We then went to the gym where we learned how to kick Jiangzi and we passed it to each other in exercises with the Chinese students. Then we went to the food hall for lunch where we had lots of great food and we were treated to private dining rooms.
This is the exterior of the gym building. It was very big and I was impressed that the school had an entire building dedicated to it. There were many specialized rooms and we only saw a portion of what it offered.
Next we learned about Wuhan and its significance to China. In Wuhan, in 1911, the 2000 year long rule of emperors ended and the republic began. Then we learned how to make oil painted fans. It was a great time and we shared it with the students during the preparation. Then we played gomoku and I really enjoyed my time playing it. It is a game of 5 in a row on a grid.
Then we made Chinese lanterns and we wrote characters on them. I wrote freedom on mine.
We were going to visit a company next door but we ran out of time. So instead we skipped that and went to dinner back in the food hall. There, we made dumplings and there were many options to choose from. I made only corn and cabbage, spinach and egg dumplings and they were very good. We had a Chinese student sit with us and I talked to him.
Overall I thought I had a great experience and I would visit here again. The college had so much to offer and they wanted to share so much with us. Throughout the whole trip, my favorite part was being able to talk to the Chinese students. I had deep conversations and we learned a lot from what we shared. I added them on wechat and we talked about what school is like in America and China. I learned the basics about how Chinese characters work and how Chinese names work. I shared my experience as a Chinese growing up in Racine and it helped them understand what American life is like.
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