Skinny Boy Drawing Blood: Next Viral Video

Jody and Heidi joked around today, saying that I would make the next viral video.  I jokingly gave the video the title of "Skinny Boy Drawing Blood."  I thought about comically screaming as if I were in pain, but actually weren't.  In the end, nothing too exciting actually happened and I just got through the process.

My blood without the plasma and most of the red blood cells

That entire first paragraph was about our blood draw today in class, the lab that everyone has been waiting for.  The day started with everyone waking up 1 hour early to draw our blood.  We went to the lab where a light breakfast and juice was offered before extracting our samples.  I went close to last in taking my blood, and the experience wasn't as bad as it seemed.  People before me were explaining how blood was gushing everywhere and how they saw the blood, and I started to get really nervous.  When I walked into the lab, I was seated and the process began quickly.  The needle felt like a normal vaccination shot and before I knew it, it was over.  The process probably wasn't as bad as I thought it was because I didn't look, though. Nonetheless, I had a sample to use and I didn't die or faint, although I did lose some feeling in my arm.

The strands right above my thumb are my DNA

The lab was filled with waiting and filtering, but eventually I had an end product.  I had solidified DNA floating in a tube, although it was being weighed down by protein that I was supposed to filter out. Nonetheless, the experiment was a success.  It was quite interesting seeing my own building blocks in my own hands.  It's that DNA that my parents gave to me and the DNA that would be replicated into my future children.  It certainly was an experience that I wish everyone back home could try.

The rest off the day consisted of doing laundry for the last time here, a cluster meeting, and dealing with insects in my room, which somehow always get in despite our windows being closed.  We're fast approaching the end of our time here, and I'm sure many people are awaiting my return, and I do too. However, half of me wants to stay here and make more memories and absorb the culture.  I guess the only way to do that now is to apply to Brown this fall.