Allison Ball: A Feature in Four Parts

Who is Allison Ball?

Six years ago, Allison Ball sat next to her sister, Emilie, who was just recently diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a type of cancer that originates from white blood cells called lymphocytes and thus affects the part of the immune system called the lymphatic system. In the simplest terms, with this kind of cancer, as it progresses, it makes it harder for the immune system to fight off infections.  Both sitting in a hospital room bed, they went back and forth beating each other in the game they played on the hospital-owned Playstation 2. Both screaming and laughing as they took turns pulling ahead in their Spongebob game. It was a breath of fresh air for both of them to be having so much fun. 

In the middle of a race, Emilie fell silent and sat very still – she was having a non-epileptic seizure. Emilie then began to throw up all over the bed, herself, and Allison. The doctors rushed in and analyzed the situation, diagnosing the episode as a side effect of the cancer therapy medication they gave her. In Allison’s mind, she thought that they would quickly take Emilie off of the medicine and replace it with a less harmful one, but this did not happen. Instead, the doctor stated she must continue to take the medicine no matter the intense side effects, and in that moment, Allison knew what she would say when people ask, “What do you want to do when you’re older?”

Now nineteen years old, a week from being twenty, Allison is enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh focusing on a double major in Molecular Cell Biology and Ecology/Evolution with a double minor in Creative Writing and Theater. Many of Allison’s work and accomplishments are influenced by her love for both science and theater. She is currently the President of Charitable Act – a nonprofit, student-run organization that gives elementary age children the opportunity to pursue their passion in theater. Outside of the organization, Allison pursues her own love for theater by performing in both plays and musicals. Shows she has performed in include but are not limited to Beauty and the Beast, Hansel and Gretel, Little Women, and Once Upon a Mattress.

Growing up, Allison also always had a love for science, and it progressed when she was enrolled in the Loudoun Academy of Science in her hometown Ashton, Virginia. This meant, that not only would she attend “normal” high school, but she would also attend a STEM academy which is focused in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine. Here she would be completing hours of independent research for multiple projects within her focus of molecular cell biology. All in all, when combining Allison’s love and passion for science with her experience in cancer treatment centers, it isn’t shocking when many people hear her answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you’re older?”

Answer: Complete research to find less invasive and harmful cancer therapy methods, specifically for leukemias and lymphomas – both cancers that originate in blood cells.

Singapore and the Language Barrier

In her junior year of high school, Allison was on her way to reaching her goal of one day creating less invasive and harmful cancer therapy treatments. How? Through research. In Allison’s junior year, at her STEM school, she began her independent research project. With this project, she worked with another partner to study the effects of nanoparticles and infrared phototherapy on cancer cells. Following a school year of research, in the summer between her junior and senior year, Allison and her fellow STEM classmates boarded a plane and headed for Singapore. Here, they would partner with a student from a Singapore STEM school, who was completing similar research in the school year, and together, create a presentation for the end of the week’s competition.

While a lot of the trip was dedicated to completing research and creating a presentation with their partner, a good portion of the trip was still open for traveling and exploring the country. With exploring a foreign country, it is easy to fear the language barrier you could possibly face. Despite Singapore only being roughly similar in size to Manhattan, NY, it has a population 4-5 times bigger – resulting in four different languages being recognized nationally. The four languages include: Mandarin, Tamil, English, and Malay. In regards to the four languages, which are used on every sign in the more populated areas of the city-state, Allison said:

“Kind of a hassle when it comes to writing things out on signs in train stations because everything is repeated four times. They used a lot of pictures, too, which I found really weird. Like there’s a fruit called a Durian that isn’t allowed in the U.S. because of bugs, but it smells so bad. To the point where it is banned in public transportation in Singapore. To communicate this they didn’t say “No Durian” four times, but instead put a picture of it on a sign with the ghostbusters symbol over top of it.”

With her experience, Allison would advise others to not back out of international trips due to language barrier. It is easy to go in and expect others to speak English and accommodate to what we know. At the same time, a lot of the modern world – including Singapore – is equipped to speak English in the more populated, and touristy parts. Specifically in Singapore’s big tourist areas, like the Gardens by the Bay and Botanic Gardens, many of the workers in these areas spoke English to accommodate to tourists. However, when they visited the local markets outside of these poplar areas, the four languages turn into three – leaving out English. Which, as Allison stated very confidently, was slightly intimidating or almost scary, but not at all something that would prevent her from traveling internationally again.

For those curious, in the competition, Allison and her partner received a ranking of A*, which “means nothing in America, but everything in Singapore.”

The Truth about Manic Depression and Travel

“Being manic half the time, it means one day I will wake up and be like, ‘Oh my god, I am going to go to Spain tomorrow or over winter break.’ But then two weeks later I don’t want to get out of bed, let alone go to Spain. I think having that tenacity and being so ready to go and do things, but then tying that into not wanting to do things. It is conflicting. But the reward you get from doing the traveling, if that makes sense.” And it totally did make sense. Manic depressive disorder or Bipolar disorder is when somebody experiences episodes of mood changes or “swings” from really low lows to extreme or “manic” highs.

Allison Ball was very familiar with the impacts of manic depressive disorder. Some days, she would lay in bed, staring at the world right outside her window – never wanting to get up and enter it. Other days, she is ready to hop out of bed and right onto a plane heading for Spain. With such an imbalance in life, she believes that travel helps her find the balance she searches for in her day to day life. Since she is in college, she can’t travel everyday, but what helps her find the balance is that drive for travel.

     “This is going to sound hella depressing. But like, it (travel) gives you something to want. Beyond the borders of what you are used to. Beyond the borders of your routine.”

“Beyond the borders of your routine,” what exactly does this mean?  To her, it means the balance she searches for comes through any kind of change she is in control of. An example of this is when she chooses to rearrange her bedroom furniture, creating a change that she created and was in control of – making her happy because of the break from her routine. Travel is an extreme form of this good change. Having the control of planning the itinerary for each day and making sure it is put into action gives her the sense of change that pushes her emotionally in a positive direction.

When many people think about travel blogs, they don’t necessarily think that they are capable of covering deeper topics, such as politics both nationally and internationally, gender rights, mental health problems, etc. This is not true, and I, myself, realized this when interviewing Allison.

Allison’s Tips and Tricks for International Travel  

“What are the three main tips you would give to those who plan to travel internationally.” She sat across from me, pausing to think of an answer. After a few minutes to think, she responded.

Tip 1: Give yourself buffer time when making your schedule

“If you have a bus or plane to catch, or you are with people who are pokey and take forever to get ready, or even if you get lost – give yourself time to figure it out. If not, you could miss things you have tickets for, miss transportation.” She had wide eyes and moved her hands a lot as she spoke, meaning she was very serious about this piece of advice. When it comes to planning things for the day or week, Allison (being the organized person she is) suggests for people to have at least two to three big things for each day, and to have the “buffer time” include more time to explore around the areas of the larger tourist attraction. This allows you to have time to see all of the tourist attractions you bought tickets for, but also find the hidden gems around the area.

While in Singapore, Allison and her classmates went to Little India, which she compared to Chinatown in New York City. In this small district, there is a temple in the center that during the day is filled with many people. Allison found the temple fascinating, and had plenty of time in it, but with their buffer time they visited the Indian restaurant “Hole in the Wall,” which she found more fun because it immersed her into the culture.

Tip 2: Use Uber as much as possible

“Uber.” She put it plain and simple. For many reasons, she suggests to use Uber, especially if the local transportation is really confusing. In Singapore, the bus system travels in one direction and only in one direction. The train system travels in both the same direction as the bus, and in the opposite direction as the bus. Allison said that as she traveled with students from Singapore, they would take the bus to go away from their destination to get on the train to go towards the destination which saved them time – but also didn’t make sense to her.

With other countries’ local transportation being different than what we are used to, and sometimes confusing like Singapore’s, Uber is a solution. Many don’t think of Uber being anywhere other than in America; however, Allison said that Uber is just as popular outside the country if not more. The app is always in English, and even if your driver speaks another language, you will still know how your trip is progressing through the app in your hand. While listening to her speak of the transportation, it is safe to say I will take her advice and use Uber as much as my bank account allows when I travel internationally.

Tip 3: Try Everything and Anything

“The great thing about traveling is that you have no idea about what you have seen until you see it. And I think that’s why it was really appealing to me as someone hated their life in high school. It was nice to realize that there was so much more to life that I haven’t experienced and so many things I haven’t been able to see.”

Travel allows us to see many things that few people will experience in their lifetime. Sometimes, knowing there is so much out there can be what pulls us out of bed on the gloomy Monday mornings. For her third piece of advice, Allison simply stated that everyone should try everything, no matter what. “You’re going to regret it if you don’t in the end. So plan to try things.” And if you take this advice to heart like Allison did on her trip to Singapore, then you will be open minded to new things- even the different foods. While abroad, her classmates tried sticking to foods they recognized, or eating a meal they tried and liked over and over to “play it safe.” Allison did not. Outside of her one American meal – Spaghetti and meatballs that she claimed did not taste like the American dish she loves – Allison took it upon herself to try a multitude of the country’s traditional dishes. She made sure to try a different dish every night, including their chicken tofu, “which tasted just like chicken. I was impressed.”

Allison Ball is one for corny quotes and well known phrases. After staring off into space for some time, she looked up at me, laughed to herself and shrugged her shoulders, “The world is your oyster.” Sounds corny, well it is corny, but also true. After listening to Allison speak of just one of her international trips, it was hard for me not to follow the interview by going online and booking a flight next week for Singapore. Travel, and the blogs that publicize people’s experiences with travel, can be much more than just itineraries and stories of the good and bad times people had. Instead, it can show those who also struggle with mental health disorders that hopping on a plane and seeing the world out there can make life seem a little more possible to accomplish each day. Allison Ball is a nineteen year old with manic depressive disorder, a kick ass friend, amazing singer/actor, a future researcher and developer of less invasive cancer treatments, and an international traveler. She’s ready to take on the world one country at a time, and as her friend, I can’t wait to watch her do it.