Saginaw, MI

Living in Saginaw, it’s extremely hard to exhibit a decent level of joie de vivre. We are always surrounded with what seems to be a once vibrant past, built on the blue-collar dreams of the now retired local inhabitants. The usual lively assortment you would expect to find in any small city is virtually nonexistent here do to the lack of employment and hard economic conditions brought on by the exiting manufacturing jobs and all that goes with it. This has left a very depressed area consisting of those who cannot leave, those who too fondly remember good times, and those who will leave soon.

The small exception to this is the medical community – which is our reason for being here. As with any area that has seen its share of economic hardship, it is the daily increases in the local hospital population that are always the most telling. This is how it is in Saginaw, and is an excellent opportunity for medical students to see the full gambit of hardships.

Unfortunately, this area has left me with little to no local employment prospects other then a level of underemployment that borders on humor to our friends and family. This situation is wholly depressing in the worst way. Nothing is more shameful and destructive to a man then the feeling of public inadequacy – and here, among this drab outlook and impending ennui, I will slowly rot.