Parent, grad student, writer. I write stories about Asian American women, their parents, and their children.
Independence day
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HOLY GUACAMOLE it has been 3 months since my last email, WHOOPSIE-DO This semester has been TOUGH on nearly every front: school, social, (co)parenting, physical and mental health. But, now it is April. The seasons have turned, the earth has warmed, the sun has re-emerged, the plants are greening and blooming, and I am feeling rather the same. Today is also genetic counseling Match Day, which I think may always be my personal declaration of independence day. Two Match Days ago I began the journey of leaving a marriage that forced me to be small, although I didn't know that at the time. One Match Day ago, I had finalized the legal process, reclaimed my true name, finished a year of classes remotely, and begun preparing to move to Cincinnati and finish my education. On this Match Day, I saw two patients and, frankly, did a slam-dunk job for both. Since October, I've seen over 35 patients with growing independence and I am still wildly in love with this work I'm learning how to do. In a week I will present my masters thesis. (Next Wednesday 4/23 at 11am ET if you want to join! My research is about adolescents and young adult decision-making when learning about their own genomic information.) In a year I will complete my training and start another chapter. If you're reading this, you have been part of my story and I am grateful for you. See you in hopefully less than 3 months! JSD |
Jennifer Duann
Parent, grad student, writer. I write stories about Asian American women, their parents, and their children.
Since my last email I have... (because a regular cadence is clearly not a realistic expectation lol) Presented my master's thesis, submitted it for publication, and got it sent out for review Finished crucible semester with a 4.0 GPA (SURELY IT GETS SIMPLER FROM HERE?????? spoiler alert...keep reading lmao) Subbed at L's school a couple times, including field day because I have a complex about being an involved mother, don't worry about it, hey at least I got paid Gone on 4 dates with 2...
Last week the Cincinnati area had way too much snow and not nearly enough school days in session. Our apartment management team did a great job of clearing the streets and a kind neighbor even dug my car out for me, so I didn't have to lift a finger for snow removal! But it did make me think of something I learned shoveling the driveway a few years ago in Bloomington. It was one of those storms where an inch or more of snow fell every hour. At some point someone (a neighbor, perhaps)...
A few weeks ago I went for a hike at Keehner Park, which I had never been to before. I looked up a route on AllTrails to check mileage ahead of time, but decided to just follow the trail signs when I got there. Which worked fine until about 10 minutes in when I encountered this: Like...literally what lol. A red signpost with the number six and three arrows pointing different directions. There is a QR code labeled "Scan me for trail map." It turns out that there are WAY MORE TRAILS at Keehner...