The Fire Hydrant

The Fire Hydrant 

Box Man debrief

1. New thing I learned:
I missed the reference to the grandmother. I read it over and thought that it was an insignificant detail, and did not stop to reflect on the comparison to the box man. Yet now I see how his content and solitude can be paralleled to that of a grandmother.

2. I wished we had talked more about the women and their unchosen solitude, in contrast to the box man's chosen solitude. Although I see the obvious difference (chosen vs. unchosen solitude), I am sure that we could have dug deeper into their loneliness.

3. I wished I had brought up the contrast between the diction used to describe the box man and then the women that serves to show how willing and content the box man is, as opposed to the women who are unhappy in their solitude. For example, his "good fortune," and the way he "unselfconsciously" stood is very different to the description of the lonely woman as she breaks her crackers into "salty splinters" and carries herself with a "vacancy of expression."

I am a ...

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6uYnT6FIDnSaFRybWdINnFTMUU/edit

Nickel and Dimed Long Form (LINK)

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6uYnT6FIDnSYzNsQUlnUXlhRFk/edit

Senior Project

Before I chose my senior project, I knew that I wanted to do something service oriented. I also wanted it to relate to my future career goal of becoming a medical doctor. A service trip to the Dominican Republic where I would be interpreting for a doctor fit all of the criteria. 

For my senior project, I volunteered at the Somos Amigos Medical Missions clinic in Naranjito, Dominican Republic for one week in June 2012. Somos Amigos is a non-profit organization whose volunteers travel to the Dominican Republic three times a year to treat the people of Naranjito and others of the surrounding mountain regions. Because the community is so isolated from a major city, medical and dental care is not available. However, with a small clinic and several caring volunteers from the United States, those of Naranjito can receive medical and dental attention including medications, for free. 

Last year, I went on this trip as an interpreter for a cardiologist. This past summer, I translated for a pediatrician which was very different. It was a great opportunity for me, because I had considered going into pediatrics in the future. Also, it was very helpful to my spanish; since I was the only one in the room who could communicate with the patient, my spanish improved tremendously. However, there was a lot of pressure on me to comfort the patient, and at times this was very stressful. After working with a pediatrician for one week and seeing patients, I realized that this path was not in my future. The work was very rewarding, but it was very difficult to see small children that were very sick, especially since I had no way of helping them. 

Apart from the trip itself, I plan on continuing to operate as the president of the Somos Amigos Club I started last year at Napa High. I hope to raise at least $1,000 for the organization. In June, I saw that many children needed surgeries, but Somos Amigos could only refer a small portion of patients to other hospitals. I hope to make a difference in more children’s lives by restoring them back to health through a monetary donation.  

For the research paper component of my senior project, I will focus on the topic of health in the Dominican Republic. I expect to find numerous statistics about health issues such as low life expectancies and serious illnesses due to poor nutrition and sanitation, as witnessed by my own experience. 

My service trip gave me a huge appreciation for my own living condition and my access to health care, something that I constantly take for granted. I look forward to raising my awareness of the health conditions in the Dominican Republic, but most importantly, I am excited to make a difference and improve someone’s life. 

-Danielle 

Hi everyone, I’m Danielle. I’ve been dreading all this summer homework for quite some time now, but who isn’t? 

So, let me start with this summer - I believe it gives a pretty good summary of who I am. I started off by going to SLS, a leadership seminar at West Point, aka boot camp with a few classes mixed in. Let’s just say that after the 4:30 and 5:00 AM wake up times, I am certain that West Point is not the college for me, but it was a good experience nonetheless. Next I went to the Dominican Republic where I volunteered at the Somos Amigos medical and dental clinic (http://somosamigos.org/). I went on this same trip last June and fell in love with the community of Naranjito which we served. It was especially interesting because I hope to become a physician in the future, and it gave me a small taste of clinical work when I interpreted for a cardiologist last year, and then a pediatrician this past June. Here are some pictures: 

    

(btw, I started a club at school for this organization last year, so join it and help us raise money for these people who without us, would not have medical or dental care!)

The rest of my summer was devoted to tennis and work, which are pretty much one in the same. Each day I would be at the courts from 9 to 5 - coaching little kids in the morning, and playing in the afternoon. Most of my weekends were spent at tennis tournaments, as I tried to improve my ranking to better my chances of playing collegiate tennis. I have been playing since I was seven years old, but somehow there is ALWAYS something that needs some work or could use a small adjustment. But recently I have found great joy in playing, and I know that tennis will be a sport I will play and enjoy for the rest of my life. Just a side note, my favorite tennis player is Roger Federer, the best man on tour in my opinion. Just check out this video, seriously amazing (even for non tennis people)...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzNCN3WGGJg. 

I have also begun to volunteer at CARE, which is an equitherapy (horse therapy) ranch for children with mental and physical disabilities. I love horses, but I don’t ride anymore, because high school and other things have gotten in the way.

Most recently, I’ve been finishing up all my AP summer homework, which leads me into a very big part of my life: school. I have always been very dedicated and very much a perfectionist when it comes to my school work. My high school schedules have been challenging since freshman year, but I enjoy working hard (most of the time). My biggest hope, is that all my hard work pays off (the greatest reward would have to be an acceptance letter from Stanford - fingers crossed) http://www.stanford.edu/. In college (wherever I go) I would like to major in either biology, chemistry, or biochem. I consider myself a very logical person (English and Art are not my fortes).

I also hope that my future profession will allow me to use my spanish to help those who are not familiar with English. My mom is from Chile, making me bilingual - something I tremendously appreciate. My dad is from Slovakia, but unfortunately that language did not get passed down. Maybe someday I’ll learn it. 

My family loves to travel, so I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited Chile, Italy, Greece, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. I believe that all cultures are beautiful and must be appreciated, even those that are far different from our own. 

Lastly, I like ice cream, laughing, sudoku, and I dislike drama, debating, and pushups.  

--Danielle Mirda