The Lone Ranger
01-27-2005, 02:26 AM
Back in December, I was working in the lab one Friday night. It was about 10:00 p.m., and I was just getting ready to leave as I was planning to go see a movie.
So, I was carrying a bunch of specimen vials and wearing a white lab coat as I headed toward the lab to put away the last of my equipment and head out. As I was passing by the elevator it opened and out stepped two young women and a young man. Each of them had an aura about them that fairly screamed "Freshman." Somewhat to my surprise, one of the girls -- a slim young woman of Asian background -- asked me if I worked there. When I replied that I did, she asked me if I'd show them around.
I was a little taken aback by the boldness of her question, but not displeased. I figured that I didn't have to see the movie that night after all. So, I told them that if they'd give me a moment to put away the things I was carrying, I'd be happy to give them a tour. So, I took the three of them on a tour of the Biology Building. I took them through the Marine Biology lab and showed them Sea Squirts and Sea Stars (Starfish) and whatnot, and explained their biology. I took them into the Vertebrate Anatomy lab and pulled out a bunch of skeletons and regaled them with fascinating insights into vertebrate morphology and whatnot.
They told me that there was simply nothing to do in Pullman on a Friday night except party, and that they had decided it would be more interesting to explore the campus instead.
They were very polite but very forward, and asked all sorts of interesting questions. When the impromptu tour was over, they thanked me quite sincerely for my time. In truth, I had quite enjoyed the experience. Far too often, you have to deal with students who would clearly rather be doing anything other than listening to you ramble on -- so it was delightful to have such an attentive audience.
Before they left, I pointed out to the three of them that there are plenty of things to do on campus. I told them that there are numerous martial arts groups (I didn't mention kendo or Kyokushinkai specifically), there are theater groups, there are various sports, there are political groups, and so on and so on.
Flash forward.
On Sunday, I received an e-mail from a "Ruth" informing me that she has heard of the Kendo Club, and that she would be interested in attending practice. So, I gave her some basic information and invited her to attend Tuesday's practice. When she showed up, "Ruth" turned out to be none other than the young lady who had asked me for a tour of the Biology Building. She had brought along two friends as well, though not the same two whom I had met back in December.
Ruth and her friends seemed to quite enjoy themselves at the practice, and they were all quite respectful, serious, and well-behaved. They each insisted that they'd enjoyed the experience a great deal, and promised to be back for the next practice session.
Sometimes, I just love what I do!
Cheers,
Michael
So, I was carrying a bunch of specimen vials and wearing a white lab coat as I headed toward the lab to put away the last of my equipment and head out. As I was passing by the elevator it opened and out stepped two young women and a young man. Each of them had an aura about them that fairly screamed "Freshman." Somewhat to my surprise, one of the girls -- a slim young woman of Asian background -- asked me if I worked there. When I replied that I did, she asked me if I'd show them around.
I was a little taken aback by the boldness of her question, but not displeased. I figured that I didn't have to see the movie that night after all. So, I told them that if they'd give me a moment to put away the things I was carrying, I'd be happy to give them a tour. So, I took the three of them on a tour of the Biology Building. I took them through the Marine Biology lab and showed them Sea Squirts and Sea Stars (Starfish) and whatnot, and explained their biology. I took them into the Vertebrate Anatomy lab and pulled out a bunch of skeletons and regaled them with fascinating insights into vertebrate morphology and whatnot.
They told me that there was simply nothing to do in Pullman on a Friday night except party, and that they had decided it would be more interesting to explore the campus instead.
They were very polite but very forward, and asked all sorts of interesting questions. When the impromptu tour was over, they thanked me quite sincerely for my time. In truth, I had quite enjoyed the experience. Far too often, you have to deal with students who would clearly rather be doing anything other than listening to you ramble on -- so it was delightful to have such an attentive audience.
Before they left, I pointed out to the three of them that there are plenty of things to do on campus. I told them that there are numerous martial arts groups (I didn't mention kendo or Kyokushinkai specifically), there are theater groups, there are various sports, there are political groups, and so on and so on.
Flash forward.
On Sunday, I received an e-mail from a "Ruth" informing me that she has heard of the Kendo Club, and that she would be interested in attending practice. So, I gave her some basic information and invited her to attend Tuesday's practice. When she showed up, "Ruth" turned out to be none other than the young lady who had asked me for a tour of the Biology Building. She had brought along two friends as well, though not the same two whom I had met back in December.
Ruth and her friends seemed to quite enjoy themselves at the practice, and they were all quite respectful, serious, and well-behaved. They each insisted that they'd enjoyed the experience a great deal, and promised to be back for the next practice session.
Sometimes, I just love what I do!
Cheers,
Michael