I was like 15 and I got an volunteer position at a hospital.

Even though it wasn't a paid job, it was a pretty big application process.

But I needed to choose something in order to complete a program at my high school.

It was one of those honors types programs.

One of those things that get you to stress out over AP exams and a ton of homework.

We learned things like gardening and how to use cool software.

I'm not really sure what I was doing there since I wasn't particularly smart, but I was

still being pushed to go into the medical field.

Maybe to be a doctor or something.

I still don't know exactly what I wanted to do, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to volunteer

at a hospital in order to put it on my college applications.

It was at a Kaiser Permanente hospital.

I figured it was pretty big and more official sounding than going to volunteer at a smaller

clinic would mean more.

I don't know.

It was a strange time for me.

I chose a pediatric department over the gift shop, but there were other things you could

choose too.

My job was just to go around and talk to the kids or invite them to play in the playroom,

or just lug around the video game systems from room to room.

Our office, the one for volunteers, was in the parking garage of the hospital.

A musky little thing with a smell of stale bread and coffee.

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