Frequent Mover

My dolls used to fall ill quite frequently, and it was my job to take care of them. At four years old, at my grandparents’ house in Holguin, I played doctor. Back then, I knew that I liked syringes and medical utensils. I liked the feeling of responsibility when I used them and the care that had to be used when prescribing “medicine.” Even then, I felt that it was my duty to care for the health of others, and today that spirit has not changed -- but it has evolved.

Having lived in four countries with cultures as different as the seasons of the year, I have come to see that the poverty-stricken of the world need physicians more than ever. Today, I hope to build on my scientific education and my experiences in medicine to become one such physician.
At age five I moved with my parents to the Russian city of Dubna, where I lived for ten years. Growing up in Russia allowed me to develop both a great sensitivity towards people and an everlasting interest in science. The Russian people in my neighborhood held a great respect for their past and their culture. My interaction with these individuals encouraged me to develop a sense of gratefulness for what I had been given and to resolve to give back to society somehow. At the time, however, I had not realized that medicine could be a career of service. When I returned with my parents to Cuba at age fifteen, however, the poverty there showed me precisely how hard physicians work and how much they give. In horrendous conditions, these professionals gave themselves completely to curing the sick, with the only reward being the satisfaction of fulfilling their duty. Such images impressed upon me the intense yet fulfilling nature of work in medical care.

Three years later, I returned to Russia and found that I would be unable to continue with my studies due to lack of funding. I had no choice but to enter the workforce. With my fluency in multiple languages, I was able to find a job in the Czech Republic with Condor East. Still just twenty years old, I moved yet again. The years I spent in Prague's business world were filled with a variety of characters from different cultures, and my work allowed me to develop necessary communication skills. Nevertheless, I yearned for a career that would also give me the chance to help the underprivileged. Shortly thereafter, the most important event of my time in Prague took place, one that would change my perspective forever.

On Christmas night my grandmother suffered a heart attack. She was taken to Staromestka Hospital, a Catholic hospital where nuns of a nearby convent provided free care for elderly people. If I have ever felt the presence of God, it was at that hospital, for I had never seen care given with so much devotion. My appreciation for those doctors and nurses and for the environment they created at that hospital remains immense to this day. As my grandmother's condition stabilized, I came to realize the nobility of medical professionals. From that point forward, I could only aspire to join that special community of people myself. Although I ultimately lost my grandmother, I still feel fortunate -- I had the unique chance to observe medicine from a highly humanitarian perspective, an experience that has shaped my values since.

Finally, in 1997 Condor invited me to work for them in Miami. I welcomed the opportunity and saw it as a chance to move to a country with new possibilities, where I could perhaps finally acquire my education in biological science. I had lived in Miami for several months when I figured out how to begin college. During two years at Miami-Dade, I developed my goals for the years to come, and my energetic studies enabled me to transfer to Yale. The transfer process proved challenging, as I had to complete all of the requirements for my molecular biology major in half the usual time. Indeed, the first semester did prove difficult, but I experienced continuous progress with every term. Eventually, I became comfortable enough with the course work that I moved past my classroom education and performed laboratory research on the immunohistochemical characterization of the new gene SSDP. My interaction with a wonderful biologist in the lab proved rewarding, and I found the scientific part of the job extremely interesting.

Today, I hope to redouble my efforts to provide patient care to the ill by building on my diverse past. Having grown up amidst the backdrop of communism, both in Russia and in Cuba, I have a broad perspective on humanitarianism. Indeed, I have remained persistent to learn, no matter what my surroundings. Moving a number of times from one country to another, facing new circumstances and challenges, only confirmed my aspiration to become a physician. At this point in my life, I have a clear understanding of where I will be most useful and happy.

點(diǎn)評：

文章嘗試塑造一個(gè)從小就有志于關(guān)懷他人健康，富人道主義精神，對于醫(yī)療事業(yè)不懈追求的形象。通過看似零碎的片斷，我們可以隱約感受到這個(gè)形象。然而這個(gè)形象并不非常突出，原因在于文章涉及了太多的素材，從而導(dǎo)致每一素材都不能深入描寫。

作者企圖通過輾轉(zhuǎn)于多國的經(jīng)歷表達(dá)“在四個(gè)國度感受了如四季般迥異的文化后，我最終發(fā)現(xiàn)，被貧窮所折磨的人們比以往任何時(shí)候更需要醫(yī)生的關(guān)懷”這樣一個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，然而，由于對細(xì)節(jié)表現(xiàn)不足，以致此觀點(diǎn)略顯牽強(qiáng)。

總體來說，文章花了絕大部分的篇幅在敘述個(gè)人價(jià)值觀，而幾乎沒有涉及學(xué)術(shù)方面的思考。這種寫法并不適用于每一個(gè)申請人。

譯文：

匆忙的“行者”

過去，我的洋娃娃總是生病，因此照料她們就成了我的工作。四歲大的時(shí)候，在祖父母Holguin的家里，我扮演“醫(yī)生”。自此,我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己喜歡針筒及醫(yī)療器具，因?yàn)槲蚁矚g使用它們時(shí)的責(zé)任感以及開處方時(shí)必備的關(guān)切之心。也是從那時(shí)開始，我感到照料他人的健康是我的職責(zé)，而且直到今天，這種信念也沒有改變—反而越發(fā)堅(jiān)定。在四個(gè)國度感受了如四季般迥異的文化后，我最終發(fā)現(xiàn)，被貧窮所折磨的人們比以往任何時(shí)候更需要醫(yī)生的關(guān)懷。今天，我希望憑借我的科學(xué)知識與醫(yī)護(hù)經(jīng)驗(yàn)去努力成為一名這樣的醫(yī)生。

五歲那年，我跟隨父母移居到俄羅斯的DUBNA市。一呆，就是十年。在俄羅斯成長的經(jīng)歷，使我培養(yǎng)了與人交流的敏銳觸覺，以及對于科學(xué)的持久熱情。我的俄羅斯鄰居們對他們的歷史和文化都非常引以為榮。與他們的接觸中，我建立起了對我所擁有的一切的感激之情，以及去回饋社會的決心。可惜，當(dāng)時(shí)我并未意識到醫(yī)務(wù)工作會是一份為人民服務(wù)的職業(yè)。然而，當(dāng)我十五歲那年和父母重新回到古巴時(shí)，當(dāng)?shù)氐呢毟F狀況，清楚地告訴我，醫(yī)務(wù)工作者們工作的艱辛以及巨大的付出——在那種可怕的環(huán)境中，他們?nèi)硇牡赝度氲搅酥委煵』嫉墓ぷ髦校ㄒ坏幕貓?bào)就是徹實(shí)履行工作職責(zé)所帶來的滿足感。這番景象，讓我對高度緊張卻又能帶來巨大成就感的醫(yī)務(wù)工作銘記于心。

三年后，我回到俄羅斯，由于缺錢，我不得不中斷學(xué)業(yè)。別無選擇之下，我開始找工作。憑借我流利的多國語言，我在Czech Republic with Condor East找到了一份工作。才20歲，我又再一次遷居。在布拉格商業(yè)世界里度過的那些年，我接觸各種各樣的人，他們有著不同的文化背景，這樣的工作使我磨練了必要的溝通技巧?？墒牵铱释@得一份職業(yè)，使我有機(jī)會幫助社會底層的人民。打那以后不久，對我有著最重要的意義的事件在布拉格發(fā)生了，它永遠(yuǎn)地改變了我的看法。

在圣誕夜，我的祖母心臟病發(fā)。她被送到了Staromestka醫(yī)院——一個(gè)天主教醫(yī)院，附近修道院的修女們在這里為年老體弱者提供免費(fèi)的醫(yī)療服務(wù)。如果說我曾經(jīng)感覺到上帝的存在，那么就是在那個(gè)醫(yī)院內(nèi)，因?yàn)槲覐奈纯吹竭^有如此盡心盡力地照料病患的人們。我非常感激那些醫(yī)生護(hù)士們以及他們在醫(yī)院內(nèi)所營造的環(huán)境，時(shí)至今日這種感覺依然強(qiáng)烈。隨著祖母的病情逐漸穩(wěn)定，我意識到醫(yī)護(hù)工作的崇高。在那之前，我只是非常單純地想加入這一特殊團(tuán)體而已。盡管我最終失去了祖母，我仍然感到幸運(yùn)——我得到了一個(gè)獨(dú)特的機(jī)會，使我從人道主義的高度，審視了醫(yī)學(xué)，這次經(jīng)歷促使我往后的價(jià)值觀的形成。

最后，在1997年，Condor邀請我到Miami工作。我欣然接受這個(gè)機(jī)會并期待在這個(gè)新國度有新的發(fā)展。在這里，我或許可以最終獲得在生物科學(xué)方面的教育。當(dāng)我了解到如何開始大學(xué)的學(xué)習(xí)時(shí)，我已經(jīng)在Miami生活了幾個(gè)月了。在Miami-Dade的兩年里，我找到了接下來幾年的發(fā)展目標(biāo)。積極的學(xué)習(xí)使我轉(zhuǎn)學(xué)到了YALE。轉(zhuǎn)學(xué)的過程是富挑戰(zhàn)性的，因?yàn)槲乙瓿伤蟹肿由飳W(xué)的必修課程，而卻只有正常學(xué)習(xí)過程的一半時(shí)間。事實(shí)上，第一學(xué)期相當(dāng)艱難，但我在往后的每個(gè)學(xué)期都獲得了持續(xù)的進(jìn)步。最終，我適應(yīng)了學(xué)習(xí)上的壓力。我不再局限于課堂內(nèi)的學(xué)習(xí)，而參與到SSDP新基因的免疫組織化實(shí)驗(yàn)室的研究當(dāng)中。我與實(shí)驗(yàn)室內(nèi)一流的生物學(xué)家的接觸使我獲益良多，我發(fā)現(xiàn)這些工作中的有關(guān)科學(xué)的部分非常有趣。

今天，我希望借助我的豐富的經(jīng)歷，加倍努力為病患們提供耐心的照料。在俄羅斯及古巴的共產(chǎn)主義的環(huán)境中長大，我對于人道主義有一個(gè)清晰的了解。事實(shí)上，無論環(huán)境如何，我一直在堅(jiān)持學(xué)習(xí)。多次在國家間遷移往返，多個(gè)新環(huán)境和新挑戰(zhàn)，這一切的經(jīng)歷只是堅(jiān)定了我要成為一個(gè)醫(yī)生的決心。而在此刻，我清楚知道將在哪里找到我的價(jià)值與快樂！