Try, Try Again
Today was the second day working on my project; it was absolutely nothing like the first. The first day I had three people watching and even doing a lot of the work for me. Today I got all the independence I was looking for, which was extremely exciting for me. Since I am extremely familiar with the PCR process I was very confident I would breeze through my first day, no problem. However, this was not the case. I made two huge mistakes right away in the morning. Both were extremely obvious and even more so embarrassing! The first mistake I made was not adjusting the pipette when adding primers and the second was adding the master mix in the wrong sequence. Even though I messed up big time, my mentor and the other lab workers were kind and understanding. It was hard to admit my mistakes, which I realized I was making about half way through both times. I was so concerned they would watch me like hawks after I messed up a run. I was paranoid for the next hour or so, yet instead when I asked for confirmation my mentor just said “trust yourself; you will not mess up again”. That made me feel much better, and I did not mess up again. At least not for the rest of the day, I did learn a lesson today though. I learned that there is always room for improvement, and that mistakes happen, what is most important is learning from them and that is what I am going to try to do. My goal is simply to perform just a little better every day I am here.
A new day brings brand new problems. Sadly, half of the samples (8 primers) did not work because there was not enough DNA. A problem which was not my fault J. These have to be done again tomorrow. Still if all goes as planned, I will be done with trial 1 by the end of tomorrow. That would mean 24 primers without a hitch, which seems unlikely at this point. I will do three trials total, so either way I will be done in no time. I just hope I get some interesting results!
Today went surprisingly well. 24 primers which is half of the primers used for trial 1 showed up successfully. During my lunch and nap break which stretches from 12 till 2:30 every single day I started to analyze my results. In China, people take naps every afternoon; I usually can’t sleep during this time. I just can’t get past my “American” “get this thing done” mind set. I would much rather finish my day’s work, than take a rest, but that is not their perspective at all. The hybrid I am trying to identify should have 2 bands; the other varieties should have only one. There are a couple primers which have some potential; I want to check with some others before I get too excited though.
It is now Thursday. I was finally getting into a set schedule when it was disrupted for a most surprising new adventure. I went to meet with Dr. Xin in the morning to discuss and get advice about my data analysis. My plan was to get the information I needed than head into the lab, but when I was walking out the door she asked me if I want to go with her to see statues. I was slightly confused as to what this meant but I agreed none the less. She told me we would leave in a half an hour. We (meaning: Dr. Xin, a driver, and two other Doctors and I) set out as about 10 am, drove about a half an hour a location that could not have been less conspicuous. We turned into a narrow street just like any other in Changsha, until suddenly I was surrounded by statues. These statues were on all sides, and even roof tops! They were all so unique. When we arrived, we were escorted into a building where there was only one statue. A picture is worth a thousand words but Dr. Xin explained to me the meaning of this statue. It is based off a saying, that one grain of rice is all it takes to start feeding a hungry world. This statue will be placed in a park somewhere in Changsha. It will be painted gold, except for the magnifying glass which will have a map of the world inside.
Today went surprisingly well. 24 primers which is half of the primers used for trial 1 showed up successfully. During my lunch and nap break which stretches from 12 till 2:30 every single day I started to analyze my results. In China, people take naps every afternoon; I usually can’t sleep during this time. I just can’t get past my “American” “get this thing done” mind set. I would much rather finish my day’s work, than take a rest, but that is not their perspective at all. The hybrid I am trying to identify should have 2 bands; the other varieties should have only one. There are a couple primers which have some potential; I want to check with some others before I get too excited though.
It is now Thursday. I was finally getting into a set schedule when it was disrupted for a most surprising new adventure. I went to meet with Dr. Xin in the morning to discuss and get advice about my data analysis. My plan was to get the information I needed than head into the lab, but when I was walking out the door she asked me if I want to go with her to see statues. I was slightly confused as to what this meant but I agreed none the less. She told me we would leave in a half an hour. We (meaning: Dr. Xin, a driver, and two other Doctors and I) set out as about 10 am, drove about a half an hour a location that could not have been less conspicuous. We turned into a narrow street just like any other in Changsha, until suddenly I was surrounded by statues. These statues were on all sides, and even roof tops! They were all so unique. When we arrived, we were escorted into a building where there was only one statue. A picture is worth a thousand words but Dr. Xin explained to me the meaning of this statue. It is based off a saying, that one grain of rice is all it takes to start feeding a hungry world. This statue will be placed in a park somewhere in Changsha. It will be painted gold, except for the magnifying glass which will have a map of the world inside.
Next we were taken into a room, with an almost exact replica Yuan Longping! It was amazing how realistic the statue really was. I got to meet and take pictures with the creator of this masterpiece who is standing next to me in the picture below. After this we all went to lunch. They had seafood, so I was thrilled. It was a really good day, but I cannot wait to get back to work tomorrow.
This weekend has been very laid-back. I did a lot of brain storming, trying to think of ways to entertain myself. Days become very long when there is nothing to do, and no one to do nothing with. So I decided to take a walk, I did not go far, just outside of the center to the nearest market. I because I do not know enough Chinese to barter I needed a store with set prices. After browsing for a while, which is something I love to do in China I got a few strange looking Chinese candies and walked to the park. In the park I found a bench and started writing. A little girl kept circling around me, hiding behind the nearest rock or tree whenever I looked up. It was pretty cute. Finally she got the nerve to come over and sit by me. She was seven-years-old and spoke no English but it only took a minute before we were both drawing pictures. She would write the Chinese characters for the picture and I would write the English word. Soon several other people were standing around joining in our little game. It was a really sweet moment; we filled up two full pages before she had to go.
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