I am excited to be a part of the Epics of India course at OU. I chose to take this class because of my own ethnic background and interest in the vibrant stories that have become so much a part of Indian culture.
I'm currently in my last year at OU, and my major is Planned Program/Pre-Med. I am also minoring in Music and Medicine. I hope to continue my education after graduation in medical school. One of my favorite aspects of medicine is that it encapsulates several disciplines. As pioneering neurosurgeon Dr. Harvey Cushing once said, “A physician is obligated to consider more than a diseased organ, more even than the whole man - he must view the man in his world.” Medicine is one of my main passions, and I am so excited to use what I learn as an undergraduate and expand my knowledge in medical school.
If I were given a full month to do whatever I wanted, I would like to do four things. The first would be to travel to a foreign country that I've never been to, immerse myself in the culture, and document it all with my camera. I would love to do humanitarian/volunteer/medical mission work in the country I visit. Also, I would go horseback riding as much as I could. I used to ride horses in high school, and it is one of the most liberating feelings in the world. There is a special bond between a horse and her rider and utter trust and control on both sides of the relationship. The last thing I would love to do is to write fiction. My imagination has only grown as I've focused my studies in the sciences, and writing is the perfect outlet. Although I am limited by time in college, I still enjoy dreaming up adventures.
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| (Image information: Sunset at Lake Thunderbird; personal photo from August 2013) |
Wow! I really love your writing style. Your introduction itself blew me away. If there was a such thing as reading introductions before picking your friends, I hope you know that I would definitely pick you! I love that quote by Dr. Cushing and I love your view and positive energy. Good luck with getting into Medical School! I do think that with your passion and involvement, you would make the perfect candidate and doctor. The four things you picked are pretty similar to the things I would pick! I love love love traveling and I think learning about culture and heritage are two of the best ways to get to know a place. I have also always dreamed about doing medical mission work but i've never really had the chance to do that. I'm hoping that this year I can attend the Medical Brigade that OU sponsors in Honduras! A couple of my friends went this past summer and they absolutely loved it. I've never ridden a horse, but I've always wanted too. And I'm not that much into writing as I am into reading. I love reading and for me, that is the perfect outlet with all these science classes and work overload. Good job on your introduction though! And good luck with everything :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, Abigail - and what a FABULOUS photograph. That could be a poster or something; it's beautiful! Your interests here all have such strong connections to Indian traditions, so I think this should be a great class for you - medicine! music! horses! these are all incredibly important in the ancient traditions of India, so maybe you can connect up in that way with your project for the class! Nobody has done a horse-oriented project before, but there is wonderful mythological material there, like the great Uchchaihshravas ... the seven-headed flying horse!
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail! That is awesome that you are so passionate about medicine! It will definitely help you in making an excellent physician someday! I actually was pre-med up until this summer, and am now hoping to go to nursing school! I couldn't imagine not going into the healthcare field. Aside from being passionate about biology, I think we are just given an incredible opportunity to touch the lives of the people we help! I also used to ride horses in high school, and it is such a liberating feeling! It definitely makes a huge difference when there is trust between the horse and his rider! I think you're really going to enjoy this class with your interest in fictional writing. I took mythology and folklore with Dr. Gibbs two semesters ago and did not even realize how much I loved creative writing until then. I also like to use it as an outlet too! It was so nice to read your post, and I look forward to reading more!
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail! That was a really great picture and a really great introduction. It sounds like you are really passionate about becoming a doctor. It sounds like you are going to be great at it. I have never gotten the opportunity to ride a horse, but all of my friends that have told me similar things and sounds really fun. I really enjoyed your writing style and cannot wait to read more from you.
ReplyDeleteI really love the quote you mentioned within the beginning of your introduction. I feel like it is already a glimpse into the type of person you are: driven, goal-oriented, and inspirational. You seem like you have such a personality and a big heart. All of the things that you wish you could do, I know that you will get to do them some day, even if it is not soon! You have such great passions and I can already tell those alone are going to propel you into a bright future.
ReplyDeleteIt’s great that you love creative writing—and it’s even better that you have an excuse to do it this semester (this class)! It’s great that you want to be a doctor and do medical mission work with that. The attitudes you express here make me think you have qualities of a great doctor. I understand that life during med school and residency is tough so I wish you the best of luck!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like this is a great class for you - I've only read one of your stories now (week 4) but I can see that you have a love for creative storytelling.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true that medicine involves so much more than just the physiological science. I'm a Religious Studies major, and here and there in different classes I've taken we've mentioned various aspects of medicine/healing, and how it relates to/is interpreted through religion and culture. That is just one niche perspective on how even the 'hard sciences' are so holistically integrated into the human experience in general.
It sounds like you'll make a very aware and well-rounded doctor.
Hey good morning Abigail. I really enjoyed your introductory post. I totally hear you on the horse back riding and how liberating it is. I used to compete in rodeos back in the day and It was an absolutely amazing experience. I've always had a great respect for those that are pursuing a career in the medical field, it's something that takes a great deal dedication and commitment. I wish you the best in your endeavors.
ReplyDeleteHey Abigail. This is a great introduction! I haven't actually read any of your stories yet because I like to read the introductions first, but I can already tell that you're a very strong writer. That being said, I look forward to reading your story for this week. Like everyone else that's commented, I really liked your picture. I have a lot of respect for people that can take pictures like that because I'm terrible at taking and editing pictures. Anyway, it was nice to get to know a little bit about you!
ReplyDeleteHey Abigail. Great reading your introduction! I like how you mentioned that you would travel the world if you had a free month. That sounds amazing. I would love to do that if I had time on my hands. Just like you, I am also applying to medical school and hope to continue my education in medical school. I also really liked your quote by the neurosurgeon. It really solidified your introduction and shows your dedication to medicine. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi, Abigail! I really love your passion for medicine! I also love your idea for a month off. I’ve always been captivated by other cultures and I think truly being able to delve into the middle of a culture to live and capture it in action is beautiful and enlightening. I think it’s a trip you should definitely shoot for!
ReplyDeleteAbigail, the four things you would do in a month seem really incredible! I hope one day you will be able to do all of them. Traveling to a new country sounds amazing and I cannot wait to travel more myself. I also love horseback riding! I hope I can go again soon! It is so much fun!
ReplyDeleteAbigail, what a great introduction about yourself! I enjoyed getting to know you through your introduction. I like that we share the same love for medicine. I hope you get into medical school and become a great physician one day just like I hope to one day as well. I enjoyed getting to know you and hope to read some of your writing as well. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHey Abigail, I'm Catherine! It is very nice to meet you! WOW med school that is incredible!!!!!! If I had four weeks to do anything I wanted, I too would go to a foreign city I've never been to and immerse myself in the culture!! I was so excited when I read that. This love of different cultures was one of the main reasons I was even interested in this class in the first place. I wish you the best graduation and going into med school.
ReplyDeleteHi Abigail, I really love your introduction!
ReplyDeleteI like how you included four thing you would like to do in a month, you got creative with your intro. I would love to go to a foreign city also. I love photography so my camera would be the number one thing I would have to bring.
This class has been so different than I expected. it's given so much light to the culture and it is really more interesting than one would initially think.
Goodluck with graduating and med school!
Hi Abigail, that is a really cool picture of you I wonder how you managed to take a picture like that. It seems like you are really passionate about going into medicine so I wish you the best of luck because medicine is super hard. Overall you seem like a passionate person and it was really nice to meet you.
ReplyDeleteHello Abigail! I thought your introduction really was a great representation of your character-even if I do not actually know you in person you seem like a passionate and driven person. It is neat how you are going into the medical field and also minoring in music and medicine, I have never heard of that! I read on your famous last words post this week that you are caught up in this class and are able to focus on your research paper so that is awesome and I wish you good luck with that!
ReplyDeleteHello Abigail! Wow, it seems like you are just one of the many people in this course who are major- and minor-happy. How everyone can manage to keep up with all of the varied coursework in so many different and unique fields of study is astonishing! In any case, I love the way you view medicine, and the quote you use to describe this view is enlightening and yet obvious. And it’s always exciting to find someone who has (or is going into) a career in medicine who looks beyond the treatment to the individual; these people make the best doctors, in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean when you talk about writing fiction! I personally have tried to start a few novels (even got up to over 20,000 words in one before dropping off, haha), and there is nothing better than losing yourself in a world of your own creation. As a fellow person in a STEM major, I also have realized that even while focusing on systems and facts, my imagination is continually growing. Anyways, I cannot wait to read more of your posts and see how you insert your own style and viewpoints into the stories you tell!!!