Years ago, as a young working professional living in San Francisco, I studied Choy Li Fut kung fu. From an influential demonstration of manipulating Qi by Grandmaster Doc Fai Wong, my seeds of conviction were sown about the incredible but fundamental entity of Qi. Now, with additional years of life experiences and proper timing, these seeds have sprouted and bloomed into my resolute desire to learn how to improve the lives of myself and others by the expert rebalancing of Qi.
In this endeavor, I am inspired by my maternal grandfather, an herbal doctor in rural Taiwan. My family immigrated to the United States when I was three years old, and growing up, the times we spent with our relatives in Taiwan were precious but few. I had an opportunity to visit my grandfather’s old apothecary, lined with neat grids of drawers, their contents as mysterious as they were pungent. My jokester uncle delighted in pulling shriveled objects out of the drawers and cackling that my grandfather had been a “witch doctor.” I know that in his lifetime, my grandfather was proud that I became a civil engineer like my father, but I have no doubt that he would have been immensely pleased to have his granddaughter following in his footsteps in Oriental medicine.
In 2002, I made one of the most difficult but enlightened decisions of my life, by choosing to voluntarily leave my career as an environmental engineer to become a stay-at-home mother for my two daughters. I have treasured the years spent nurturing my children, and they have heightened my resolve to enter a profession that nurtures myself and others. My desire to study acupuncture and Oriental medicine stem from my intent to forge an enduring career in a field that will enable me to use my heart, hands, and mind for positive benefit. With the valuable expertise I will gain in my studies at AOMA, I see myself practicing traditional Chinese medicine in both private and community service venues. My sister is a doctor of family medicine, and perhaps someday we may integrate our western and eastern medical traditions in a joint practice.
Since moving to Texas four years ago, I reinvented myself as a freelance writer for the “Hill Country Sun,” a local tourist publication, and “Home on Derange,” my personal blog about relocating to Texas. In the course of writing several articles about interesting Hill Country personalities, I honed my interview and communication skills, enabling me to capture the essence of their stories in my articles. I believe that my skills in communicating with people to learn their life stories will be an asset in my role as a healer in traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, I intend to use my writing skills as a passionate and persuasive advocate of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, to educate the public and promote our profession in a world that is in dire need of balance and healing.
Unexpectedly, I find myself embracing my Chinese heritage more and more while in Texas. As an Asian American in the San Francisco Bay Area, one can easily take for granted all of the cultural connections, opportunities, and cuisine available in the area. In Texas, I find myself attempting to cook more Chinese and Taiwanese food, studying the Mandarin that I eschewed as child, and researching and crafting Chinese handicrafts. In journeying to Texas, I learned to better appreciate my cultural heritage and recognize my desire to practice Chinese healing arts. Although I am analytical, I am also intuitive by nature, and believe that we may choose to interpret patterns of coincidences as more than mere coincidences, but as directional markers. Fate has brought me to the time and place where I can best study acupuncture and Oriental medicine, and to become the expert I wish to become—at AOMA Graduate School of Integrated Medicine.
*********************************************************************
Wow, who writes such drivel? Certainly not *I* pre-professional wannabe writer. OK fine, so you've caught me at a weak moment. I have to admit that as I was writing this for my application to AOMA, I purposely scaled back my efforts at rosy prose. I didn't want a repeat of my experience applying to veterinary school five years ago, when I was just finishing up bombing my interview with the admissions panel at UC Davis, and a panel member remarked (rather wistfully), "But your essay was so good." The other panel members nodded solemnly in agreement, each bobbing head like a hammer putting the final nails in the coffin of my quest.
But applying to the Master's program at AOMA was oh so much easier. I have had four years to ponder the largesse of life in dealing me this hand that ripped me away from family and veterinary dreams in California, and have concluded that sometimes the easier path is the true one. As I have embarked on this new goal in my life to pursue studies and a career in Oriental Medicine, I have met surprisingly few obstacles. Best yet, I don't have to worry about whether this is the right path for me to take. I am convinced of it.
John (shown above, getting final instructions from Dr. Grace Tan) was particularly excited, as this was his first experience inserting acupuncture needles. John is a music professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and he is not in the degree program but is taking AOMA classes as he can. Nicole, who began her Master's degree classes at AOMA this summer, lent him an ear.
