First day at RTC. Getting there went a little better, now that I knew where to go and had a bit more time. It was an entirely different experience, walking through the same building with the same busy people all around me–but with confidence because I knew where to go and what I was doing.
I knew to see Dr. Wilkerson first from an email I had gotten, but was unsure as to why–couldn’t Al do it? When I walked in she greeted me but quickly sat me down. Al, as it turned out, had a brain tumor. He had found out two days after I had seen him. It was unknown whether it was cancerous or benign, but either way, he would likely not be back at RTC for awhile. She said that she would be my advisor, and that we would try and make things go on as otherwise planned. We would all hope the best for Al. As of this writing Al had surgery, it was a benign tumor, and he now back at home with his family, as healthy as can be hoped after brain surgery.
Much of the remainder of the day was spent doing paperwork–theirs and mine. I have to sign this to waive liability. This because I’m a minor. This so no one involved is sexually harrassed. I understood the necessity of all of these forms, but even still it was exhausting.
The last part of the day was the most enjoyable. I was walked through the operations of a FloCytometer and got to operate this machine that’s worth thousands of dollars. It was a little nerve racking, but a nice change from the paperwork. I left at 6:00, glad to have finally started at RTC.
