In the second week in Ottawa, students embraced more wonders and challenges. Now, let’s look back on our study tour this week!

ESL

After a full week of adjusting to the new environment, the students have noticeably become more engaged and animated in our English sessions. The teacher's meticulously crafted lessons, complete with captivating and intriguing warm-up exercises, have successfully facilitated our transition into a focused learning state. Moreover, beyond the realm of English vocabulary and syntax, the teacher has also expounded upon topics related to the medical field.

Concurrently, we embraced our inaugural presentation since our arrival in Ottawa with enthusiasm. We have mastered the skills of navigating through web pages to retrieve information and corresponded via email with our volunteer supervisor to delve into the details of the project. Subsequently, through a dynamic and exciting lottery draw conducted with a spinning wheel, each member of our team had the opportunity to ascend the podium. There, we delivered meticulously crafted presentations that eloquently conveyed our enriching volunteering experiences. This dual benefit was realized as we delved into the intricacies of Canadian volunteerism, engaging in fruitful dialogues that were both instructive and linguistically challenging.

PSYCHOLOGY

Previously, the assumption among students was that the psychology course would primarily focus on mental health issues or psychological disorders. However, as they delved into the course materials, we discovered a wealth of diverse and substantial content. The subject matter was not confined to mental illnesses but also included areas such as cognitive development, intelligence, personality, and numerous other fascinating topics. This realization helped to clarify that psychology is, in fact, a sprawling and comprehensive academic field.Simultaneously, our instructor stands out for her exceptional patience and vibrant personality. Endowed with a exceptional sense of humor, she employs captivating examples to facilitate our comprehension of the subject matter. Enthusiastically, we participated in class discussions and proactively sought her guidance with inquiries both during and after sessions.

ANATOMY

This week we ushered in our first anatomy class. This is the first time our entire class has been exposed to anatomy. It is also the first time that most students have walked into the anatomy laboratory to observe human organs up close.

The focus of our study in this class is the human brain. We first conducted theoretical study for about an hour. Dr. Christopher's lecture was not only rigorous and scientific, but also lively and interesting. Through his explanation, we gained a general understanding of the sectional structure, corresponding functions, and relevant physiological and pathological knowledge of different divisions of the human brain. Next, we put on white gowns and gloves, and started the long-awaited anatomical study in small groups. We then followed the teachers 'explanations and observed the human brain from various angles such as different cortices, different sections, and different tissues, and understood gray matter and white matter, sulci and gyrus, etc. We students fully demonstrated their enthusiasm for learning, actively asked questions to teachers, communicated and discussed with each other, and touched the brains... By the end of the course, everyone had a more complete understanding of the human brain.

The anatomy class left a deep impression on the students, leading them from theory to practice, from listening to courses to hand-on experience, fully appreciating the precision of anatomy, and paying respect for the dedication of the silent mentors. This is undoubtedly a vivid lesson on our learning path of clinical medicine.

VOLUNTEER

Gardening

We had our second Community service learning this Thursday. After checking the vegetables and flowers at where we do voluntary work last week, our gardening group expanded the new area called community garden. We came here to help take care of those abandoned community gardens, to do lots of weeding to remove those weeds almost as tall as us. The cool weather after the rain and many cute insects made our community service become more interesting and joyful!

EDI Office

This Thursday, the volunteer service group of EDI Office conducted our first offline activity. We were divided into four groups, each responsible for investigating information from different  universities. The instructor confirmed the progress of each group and provided us with guidance and new tasks accordingly.

Kitchen

This week, we actively participated in community service. We go deep into the kitchen, washing and cutting vegetables with care, carefully preparing food, and personally serving fresh and hot meals to those homeless people, conveying love and hope. During busy work breaks, the staff specially brought us delicious pizza, making this dedication even more heartwarming.

After preparing the kitchen, the people who needed help started arriving, and our focus shifted to the food serving area. Everyone worked hard in their own Windows, and distributed the staple food, fruits, porridge points, etc. prepared by the students to the people who lined up according to their needs. The content of this job may be repetitive, but every time we faced a new face, and every time we gained a new response, we gained a great sense of satisfaction and achievement. Through labor and volunteer service, we have a deeper understanding of community help and volunteer service. This experience makes us understand that the significance of helping others lies not in how hard we have to pay, but in our interaction with others, rooted in our kindness to help.

HISTORY MUSEUM

As a part of our English class, we visited the Canadian History Museum this week. In the slightly chilly, misty drizzle, we walked along the Rideau Canal, passing by the ByWard market, churches, and the National Gallery of Canada. Eventually, we crossed the rushing Ottawa River to reach the Canadian Museum of History, nestled among flourish trees.

As we wandered through the three exhibition galleries, the vivid history of Canada unfolded before our eyes. The fishing, hunting, and farming of the early tribes, the encounters between French colonists and Indigenous people, the British takeover of the colonies following their victory in the Seven Years' War, and finally, the Canadian people's quest for autonomy—all these intricate historical threads weave together the diverse society of modern Canada.

For us, visiting the history of different regions is a novel experience. The most special part was following the English-language tour throughout the visit. It was not only a challenge for our listening skills, but also required us to guess many unfamiliar terms. This deeper understanding of history also gave us greater insight into this country.