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What is work? A job – a monotonous, persistent pursuit of promotion? Is it sitting at a desk, eight hours a day mulling over some characters on a computer? Is it speaking into a microphone for four hours a day to an unknown source of people? Is it smiling at the camera, waving goodbye to millions of people? Or is it pointing the camera at such persons?

Well, whatever it is, the US social climate demands work to dictate the majority of one’s life. In addition, the first twenty years of a person’s existence involve learning how to survive and possible careers in the workforce. Oddly, it isn’t until the final three or four years that students receive the serious challenge of choosing a profession, but that’s a story for another day.

I’m entering that final stretch of education. College looms, and I’m terrified, but once the experience comes, the fear will pass. However, before any of that occurs, the prerequisites for the next education and even the real world include internships. So, as all encouraging Asian parents do, they toss their children into the teeth of the flames and ask them nicely to not die.

And, I would’ve much rather face fire than the hazards of a chemistry lab, as not only could I start a fire myself but also that there were plenty of other mysterious substances that could affect my well-being. With that fact in mind, my mother grabbed me by the throat and figuratively dropped me into a Jefferson Hospital Neuroscience Lab. Under the direction of Dr. Yu and Dr. Chen, her goals for me were to experience science and perhaps convince me to enter the scientific field. However, my goals were a little different: try not to waste grant money and don’t die.

If you are reading this, then most likely I have not accidentally gained an unhealthy disease. Most likely. On the other hand, in the lab, I may have screwed up a few times to my chagrin, but hey what’s new. Regardless, I picked up a few important details about lab work.

Last summer I interned at UPenn, and while doing similar experiments, a year changes a lot. First of all, it appears that the jump from 15 to 16 age grants a few extra perks. For example, I ran PCRs and electrophoreses, cut frozen tissues and stained samples, and even received an intern badge! Suddenly, I found myself in a lab coat casually pipetting DNA samples into Eppendorf tubes for analysis alone (sounds cooler than reality).

While nothing changed between my experiences this year and last, there is a more professional notion at Jefferson-- possibly due to a larger amount of Asian scientists. It was a different type of work as well; a lot more individual projects in an open lab space. I’m pretty sure I could’ve gone an entire day without communicating if needed.

As for this experience granting insight into my future… well, I remain undecided. While science-ing in a science lab, work wasn’t particularly *fantastic* or sensationally appealing. There were parts I enjoyed – experiments, mostly – and parts I didn’t. Thus, I suppose I’ll try again next year, but maybe not in a lab.

【红霞译文】

什么是工作？工作──一种单调乏味、无休无止追求晋升的职业？或是坐在办公桌前，一天八个小时苦思冥想计算机上的符号？或是一天四个钟头对着麦克风跟素昧平生的人谈话？或是在摄影机前面带笑容，向成千上万的观众挥手道别？再不然就是负责把镜头瞄准对象？

不管它是什么，美国社会环境决定了人生大半辈子必须工作，而且头20年不光要学习生存能力，还得培养打拼职场的潜质。滑稽的是，学生们直到最后三、四年才抉择职业，不过这个问题留待以后再谈。

我正进入最后一个阶段教育环节，大学生涯迫在眉睫，心里像十五个吊桶打水七上八下，但好歹知道“兵来将挡，水来土掩”。然而，在事情发生之前，接受高等教育乃至迎接新世界的前提条件少不了实习见习，如此说来，身为普天下所有望子成龙望女成凤的亚洲父母，都会激励自己的孩子在所不辞，哪怕上刀山下火海。

我宁愿跳油锅爬太阳，也不想身受化学实验室的危害，因为火焰之外，尚有许多其它可能影响本人健康的神秘物质存在。考虑到这一点，妈妈抓住我的注意力，象征性地把我丢进杰弗逊(意指“安详之子”)神经学医院实验室，在于博士和陈博士的指导下，她期待我体验科学，没准还能说服我投身科研领域，而我的目标则有所不同：尽量不浪费研究经费，千万别作死。

如果你读到这里，恐怕我没意外染上有害疾病。极有可能。另一方面，我也许免不了几度懊悔搞砸了实验，嘿，这有啥新奇的。无论如何，我从实验室工作中收获了一点重要心得。

去年夏天，我在宾州大学实习，尽管当时做过类似实验，但一年来变化很大。首先，从15岁飞跃到16岁，我赢得一点特殊待遇。比方说，我动手做聚合酶链式反应和电泳跑胶、给冰冻组织切片并染色、甚至领到实习生身份证！忽然间，我发现自己穿上白大褂麻溜地将脱氧核糖核酸样品移到微型试管里进行分析（听起来比现实还酷）。

虽然今年与去年相比我的经验没有多大长进，但杰斐逊大学有着更加强化的专业信念―可能缘于亚裔科学家较多，工作类型也不尽相同；在一个开放实验室内，很多人都在从事各自独立的研究课题，我敢肯定，如果必要的话，我可以整天闷头不语。

至于这种经验为我的未来提供多少指南……这么说吧，我依然拿不定主意。在科学实验室做科研，工作并非特别*了不起*或别具诱惑力，我有喜欢的部分──主要是实验──也有不喜欢的地方，因此，我想明年再试一回，但可能不进实验室。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2018: Venice—Last Day in Water City, Italy(意大利威尼斯─道别水城)

2017: Budapest—Pearl of the Danube, HUN(匈牙利水湾市—多瑙河明珠)

2017: Budapest—Matthias Church, Hungary(匈牙利水湾市—神赐教堂)

2017: Budapest—Queen of the Danube, HUN(匈牙利水湾市—多瑙河女王)

2017: Budapest the Heart of Europe, HUN(匈牙利水湾市—欧洲心腹之地)

2017: Budapest the Capital of Freedom, HUN(匈牙利水湾市—自由之都)

2016: Belfast—Linenopolis, NIR(北爱尔兰沙洲市—亚麻大都会)