Mouse Castrations, Grad School, and Kenya

So, it seems this is going to end up being an actual blog, rather than a creative writing outlet.
In an effort to keep in that spirit, though, I am going to write the first part of this update as if it was a novel.

It was 12:49pm on Tyler's digital clock. As the 49 changed to 50, his heart jumped. He was going to perform a surgery today, and unlike last time, the mouse had to live. As he walked out of the house, he noticed his housemates playing Super Smash Brothers. He wished that he could just kick back and relax with them instead of doing what he had to do. Then he remembered that he didn't even like video games. As he got on his bike and headed to class he mentally prepared himself for the surgery, reviewing the steps in his head. "Inject the mouse in the peritoneal cavity at a concentration of 0.01 mL/g...shave the mouse from the penis to the base of the ribcage... sutures should be made at the base of the testis... tuck the fat pad back into the body cavity..."

He arrived at the Animal Science Teaching Facility 10 minutes before class began. In the last 10 minutes, he reviewed the procedure to make sure he wasn't missing anything. Finally, the minute hand ticked over to 1:10pm. The TA started to speak.
"Ok class, we are going to perform the survival surgery today..." he began, speaking in a soft Sri Lankan accent. He continued on in this fashion until he said something that made Tyler simulataneously horrified and relieved.
"If you are either on the waitlist, or did not complete the practice surgery, I ask that you do not participate in the survival surgery. We have a moral obligation to minimize the harm done to these animals..."
Now Tyler was faced with a dilemma. Last time, he had only removed one testicle. Technically that meant that he had not completed the surgery. Perhaps the mouse only had one testicle to begin with. On the other hand, he didn't want to injure the mouse or screw it up like last time. But he wanted to prove himself...
"Ok class, castrations on this side, vasectomies on the other side."
In the end, Tyler decided to tell the TA he had not completed the surgery, and so he was able to watch someone else do it. He still felt disappointed in himself though, because he didn't have a chance to prove to himself that he could do it. "It seems," he thought, "that life can be seen as a delicate balance between taking risks and considering the consequences of those risks. In this case, I risked looking foolish in front of my classmates in exchange for not taking the risk of injuring an animal."

So that's what happened, if you're interested. There is a part of me that wishes I had gone ahead and risked injuring the mouse, because there was a good chance I would have done a pretty darn good job. But I will never know. Guess I just didn't have the balls this time around. *laughter*

Speaking of risks, I just finished completing my two applications to grad school. I applied to very different programs. The first is a Master of Biotechnology program at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The second is the Master of Theology program at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. I've noticed that people have one of three reactions to this. They either wonder at the strangeness of applying to such disparate schools, they adamantly push one over the other, or they like my plan.

Many of my friends at school tell me that they could definitely see me in seminary. Futhermore they don't think I would be satisfied with a scientific career. Many people in my family tell me that I should pursue biotechnology, especially considering the economy. I had my old boss from Genentech tell me that he could definitely see me doing science. He also told me that I should apply to more science grad programs to even the odds. I agree with him, but I also chose Northwestern's program because it fits me perfectly should I choose to pursue science. At this point, I don't know if I'll even be accepted at either school. I know that I am passionate about both, and I don't think that I'll be happy if I only pursue one.

In the midst of all this, I am in the process of applying to participate in a short term mission trip to Kenya. If I go, I will spend the month of August living in an isolated Kenyan village. The team will be providing medical supplies, health seminars and construction work for the villagers, in addition to a Vacation Bible School. The trip is pretty expensive, so I have to raise support. As part of the application, I had to list the names of 80 people that could potentially support me. That was quite a harrowing task. I didn't realize I even knew 80 people. In any case, I would really like to do this. It would be cool to be able to serve people in both a physical and spiritual sense. I hope God wills that I go.