2018-07-06

【Aiden in English】

        So recently, against my will, I was sent off to the University of Pennsylvania for an 'internship' in a lab. This was most likely to push me toward a science career. While it may have seemed like a good opportunity, the effort for me to reach the campus was unreasonable. UPenn is located within the city of Philadelphia, while the lab in the dental school is not near the train station. My daily transportation would be as follows: Mom drops me off at the train station near her workplace, and I board the 8:30 am SEPTA train to the central city. After getting off at the 30^th station, I took Lucy on a circular bus to the dental school. This takes approximately one and a half to two hours. In addition, the bus I take is made explicitly for UPenn. The college is enormous, a town within Philadelphia. It's mostly filled with a park and different stores, so walking through the place was quite enjoyable.

        The dental school itself seemed to be very modern, a greenhouse included. I later learned most of the buildings I worked in had little to do with teeth. The team, consisting of 4-5 members (I'm not sure, as one was never present), was assigned to work on the herpes virus, which concerned me. Logically, we used only a portion of the RTA virus, which was harmless. The RTA controls the genes that will be activated to produce the virus. Even more specifically, the team attempted to identify the genes in human cells that control herpes and lead to cancer. Specific genes, such as p53, that become activated in tumors are what the team searches for, at least according to the individual I'm working with. Another member is working with proteins, while the third kind of tag-along, my guide, is just there for papers and books. I, on the other hand, follow my assigned partner like a lab dog. What he does, I question, and probably annoy the heck out of him. 

        Eventually, he left me to work independently, tasks that included preparing mini-preps of DNA for PCRs and creating Excel spreadsheets. To be honest, I would not have enjoyed this if it weren't for my partner. He was an incredibly chill person to talk to and ask questions about. He shared similar interests, like Rick and Morty and the World Cup. After a few days, I did feel at home. While this experience in an actual lab is oriented explicitly towards school labs with messy benches and unorthodox conditions, it is the first time I've had the opportunity to experience actual science. Although choosing my profession is still years away, it is time to begin thinking, and after this 9^th year of school, I've eliminated some apparent career options. This is still my first taste of an advanced profession, so it puts some perspective on effort, time, and social life. The guy I stayed with often worked long past sunset, some days past midnight. I'm not sure if that is for me. He seemed highly dedicated to his work, thoroughly enjoying it. Although I don't like losing sleep, I hope one day I can find a job like his, where working after hours is not a burden.

【紅霞譯】

        近來，我被趕鴨子上架，居然跑到賓夕法尼亞“山林”大學實驗室“見習”，照這樣下去沒準兒真能促成自己朝着科研方向發展，甭管怎麼着機緣難逢，只是一路來回倒車牽扯不少精力，要知道賓大位於費城“兄弟之愛”市區，而牙學院的實驗室距離火車站八杆子打不着，基本上我每天必走的路線是：媽媽送我去她工作單位附近的車站乘坐早晨八點半那班賓州東南地區交通局通勤火車，等進城到了30街站後再轉露西“光”環線公交汽車至牙學院，前後鉚釘鉚一個半至倆鐘頭。這是一條賓大專線，校園本身極大，猶如費城城中城，裡面公園及大小商店一應俱全，因此走街串巷甚感愜意。

       牙學院看上去相當氣派，甚至擁有花房式大廳，後來我才知道自己所在的大樓很多部門跟牙科毫無關係。教研室由四五人組成（我不太清楚具體人數，因為有一位從未露面），我分在單狀疱疹組，挺讓人提心弔膽，其實我們只用病毒反轉錄激活因子，沒多少害處，該基因掌控病毒複製，確切來講，科研人員試圖在宿主體內找出疱疹病毒整合的致癌基因，像腫瘤細胞中失控的人體抑癌基因便是他們主攻課題，說的沒錯，至少和我一起工作的小伙子側重這個方面，另一位搞蛋白研究，掛銜的導師忙於著書立說，而我儘量跟在指定的那位師兄屁股後面打雜，他着手干我動嘴問，簡直把他折騰得夠嗆。

        最終他讓我獨立操作簡單程序，要麼小量提取脫氧核糖核酸並用來做聚合酶鏈式反應，要麼處理軟件數據。說心裡話，如果不是看在師徒合作份上，我並不喜歡幹這種瑣事。他處世相當穩重，既好胡吹亂侃又愛問東問西，跟我情趣相投，彼此都熱衷電視科幻動畫片《瑞克“強大領導者”和莫蒂“靜水”》及世界盃足球賽，因此用不了幾天工夫我便有賓至如歸的感覺。親身體嘗的實驗室充滿大學特色，桌面上堆滿了雜七雜八的學問，工作環境中沒有清規戒律羈絆，這是我平生頭一回見識真正的科學研究。雖然再過個把年頭我才會敲定專業，但眼下當該到了考慮的時候，何況高一年度結束我已經把某些行當排除在外。通過首次與高精尖領域零距離接觸，我總算對做事態度、投入時間和社交生活有所了解，帶我見習的哥們常常工作到天黑，有時甚至延至半夜過後，我不知道自己能否吃得消；他好像酷愛科研，完全忘乎所以陶醉其中，雖說我不願犧牲睡眠時光，但希望有早一日像他那樣找到自己喜歡的工作，即便加班加點也在所不計。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2017: Upper Danube—Passau to Linz(多瑙河上游—三河市至通靈市)

2017: Danube—Jochenstein Lock, Germany(德國多瑙河—神造石水閘)

2017: Passau the God's Ballroom, DEU(德國三河市—天宮聖境)

2017: Passau the City of Three Rivers, DEU(德國帕紹—三河之城)

2017: Passau Organ Concert, Germany(德國三河市—管風琴音樂會)

2016: Frederiksborg the Danish Versailles, DK(丹麥耕地—水晶宮)

2016: Frederiksberg Palace & N Zealand, DNK(丹麥王堡宮和北西蘭)

2016: Kronborg Hamlet Castle, Denmark(丹麥皇冠宮小家城堡)

2013: Drama Camp-2(戲劇夏令營之二)

Cira Centre Tower & 30^th Street Station

(賽拉“王座”中心大廈和第30街車站 08-11-2001)

Waiting Hall @ 30^th Street Station

(第30街車站·候車大廳 06-21-2018)

Drexel Univ Famous for Its Co-Operative Education Program

(德雷克塞爾“轉動”大學·以合作教育項目而聞名)

Drexel Univ Drexel LeBow College of Business

(德雷塞爾大學勒博“英俊”商學院)

Dranoff One Riverside (德拉諾夫“英俊”河畔公寓一號)

FMC Bldg (食品機械公司大廈 06-21-2018)

PECO Building (費城電力公司大廈)

Roberts Ctr. for Pediatric Research of CHOP

(費城兒童醫院羅伯茨“名聲”兒科研究中心)

Schuylkill River Bridge， the Diamond Run Viaduct

(斯庫爾基爾“暗”河大橋·鑽石溪高架橋)

Schuylkill Yards (斯庫爾基爾河園區)

W Girard Ave Historic District in the Mid- to Late-19^th Century Examples of Greek Revival, Late Victorian, and Beaux-Arts Styles

(吉拉德“勇敢之矛”西大道歷史街區·19世紀中後期希臘復興式、維多利亞“聖潔女王”晚期式和美院派等建築風格)

Ukrainian Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception w/ a Large Central Dome Covered in 22-Karat Gold-Infused Venetian Glass Tiles Inspired by the Hagia Sophia

(烏克蘭“邊疆”聖母無原罪大教堂·其中央大穹頂覆蓋着22K鍍金威尼斯“運河之城”玻璃磚，靈感源自聖索菲亞“聖智”大教堂)

Mural of Theatre of Life (壁畫《生命劇場》08-11-2001)

Mural of Mapping Courage, the Site of Philadelphia's Only All-Black, Segregated Fire Department from 1919 to 1953

(壁畫《繪製勇氣》·位於費城第11消防隊的牆上，1919年至1953年間由唯一一支全黑人組成的、實行種族隔離的消防隊)

Bus Shelter near the 40^th Street Station in the University City

(大學城40街車站附近的公交車站候車亭)

SEPTA R5 Train (賓州東南部運輸局R5通勤車)

Glenside Station (山谷邊站)

524 Plymouth Rd, a Victorian House in Gwynedd Valley

(圭內德“白色”谷鎮普利茅斯“李子樹農場”路524號·維多利亞式)

Olney Neighborhood, Korean-American & Hispanic Business Districts

(奧爾尼“聖島”社區·韓裔美國人和西班牙裔商業區)

Former McKeever's Tavern Located in North Wales

(北威爾士“外地人”麥基弗“弓箭戰士之子”酒館舊址)

Crosslinks(相關博文):

A Mini Merry Christmas Museum, PA(賓州微型聖誕快樂博物館)

Dickens Village @ Philly Macy's(費城美西狄更斯村)

Salute to Vienna in Philadelphia(費城“向維也納致敬”)

Fairmont Park in Philadelphia(費城友善公園)

A Day in Philadelphia(記費城一天)

費城自然博物館(Academy of Natural Sciences, PHL)

費城開心觸摸博物館(Please Touch Museum, PHL)

費城自由地主科學博物館(Franklin Institute, PHL)

USA(出遊美國)

9th Grade(高中一年級)