I have been working on interviews for Genetic Counseling programs lately. Most of time, I flew to the school. But driven by the enthusiasm of driving on highway, I drove to Pittsburgh last Friday. It turned out that was an unforgettable experience.
I have two reasons to say it is unforgettable. First of all, I always, always trust google map. No any trouble to find the best route through checking google map before starting a trip. I keep my faith in google map until last Friday for my Pittsburgh trip. However, the map guided me to a personal house instead of medical center of University of Pittsburgh. I completely have no idea how it happened. But it did. By asking several people for correct direction, I finally managed to arrive on time. I believe GPS will make driving much easier. However, I also think GPS makes drivers stupid. People tend to listen to it and follow it without remembering the route and direction. But this time, I have to say google map is stupid, so was I.
If you think this is not funny at all. The following description would change your opinion. On my way back, I got lost again. So the funnies thing was I called a friend in NJ to ask the route in PA for an Ohio resident. Sounds complicated?! That’s why I said it was the funniest that day. My friend was very helpful and led me out of Pittsburgh. Isn’t it unforgettable?
I kept my habit of driving without GPS again when I drove to Indianapolis for another interview. Everything turned out to be perfectly fine. What I want to write down now is not for the interview or driving. But something touched the most tender and soft part of my heart. I saw many preemies again when we visited Children’s hospital. Those little, soft, cute things slept in incubators. Those little things definitely reminded me of my son, who was one of them at birth. Fortunately, my son was much stronger than most of them, especially his cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Majority preemies are born with certain major defects including congenital heart defects, abnormal organ orientation, etc. I echoed the feelings of those moms. Maybe, like me, this is the first unexpected thing happened in their lives. But with careful care and continuing development, I believe they will be as normal as full term babies. They will lead a better life in the future. Like I said to many interviewers, we can’t manipulate genes for human beings so they can live until 100 years old. But we can help them realize how to cope with their current situations, how to avoid the happening of certain disorders by paying attention to genetic makeup. Isn’t it meaningful?
