Yea..it's been a long while since I last checked in. Let's just say that my 2010 spring & summer weren't so ideal. To make a long story short, I left the lab and advisors I was previously with (for reasons I'll keep to myself) and decided that I needed a new focus. At the time, I wasn't sure if that meant to switch to another lab, leave my program and find a job in industry/government, or switch directions altogether. While I was at this crossroad, I was involved in a serious car accident where another car ran a red light and ended up totaling my car and almost taking my life (just suffered one broken bone in my hand). I could only thank God for His mercy that day!
Needless to say, that put a pause on my activities for a while. However, in the middle of the summer (2010) semester, I was able to find another lab to work with. With this new research focus, I was able to complete an internship that allowed me to dive headfirst into my new research area, which immersed me into the area of microbiology. I'm really interested in my new project, however, since this is a completely new area for me and I'm working with an entirely new lab and advisor, I'm required to go through the proposal process again. Yes, the same proposal process that I vented about before, saying it was "one of the most stressful periods of my life".
I'm in the process of writing my first proposal draft and it's not easy. Yes, I've gone through the process before, but it's a completely new area of research for me, which requires some heavy investigation into the published literature in a shorter amount of time (compared to the first go-around). I can't lie when I say I've been discouraged at times at the fact that I have to go through this again and even doubtful if this is the right path for me. When I really stop and think though, God worked so much out for me to be where I am today and I just have to hold fast to His promises. A couple of verses just came to mind:
Philippians 1:6 "...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"
2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
I pray to God for the strength to complete the task at hand and I will be sure to share my testimony once I'm through with this phase again! : )
Needless to say, that put a pause on my activities for a while. However, in the middle of the summer (2010) semester, I was able to find another lab to work with. With this new research focus, I was able to complete an internship that allowed me to dive headfirst into my new research area, which immersed me into the area of microbiology. I'm really interested in my new project, however, since this is a completely new area for me and I'm working with an entirely new lab and advisor, I'm required to go through the proposal process again. Yes, the same proposal process that I vented about before, saying it was "one of the most stressful periods of my life".
I'm in the process of writing my first proposal draft and it's not easy. Yes, I've gone through the process before, but it's a completely new area of research for me, which requires some heavy investigation into the published literature in a shorter amount of time (compared to the first go-around). I can't lie when I say I've been discouraged at times at the fact that I have to go through this again and even doubtful if this is the right path for me. When I really stop and think though, God worked so much out for me to be where I am today and I just have to hold fast to His promises. A couple of verses just came to mind:
Philippians 1:6 "...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus"
2 Corinthians 12:9 "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
I pray to God for the strength to complete the task at hand and I will be sure to share my testimony once I'm through with this phase again! : )
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