USA

 It has been almost a month since I got here, to the USA. 

I was VERY nervous and scared when I first arrived at Seattle Airport. My first impression of the city was 'grim.' Other Westies were uploading Airport pictures from Los Angeles and San Diego. I was kind of expecting that, but Seattle was just - meh. It was cold, rainy and cloudy, no shiny buildings, no beaches. Clearly weather was not boosting my mood, and my one-week stay at Airbnb was horror stories. 

It took a while for me to loosen up the guards. Ji Yeon, my co-worker who arrived a week earlier from Korea, was a silver lining. She showed me local areas, helped me make a bus card, let me have a sleepover in her room, and much more. So, it makes sense to say her presence calmed my nerves. With her, I started to see the city with fresh eyes. Slowly, weather was getting better too. Things were not as same as in Korea, and I learned how to find the fun out of it. Looking other people's gardens was fun, so was the grocery shopping. Way to cross the road was different(pressing buttons?). Poor public transportation and casual weed smell in the streets were shocking. My roommate took me to casino, and the other day, I enjoyed little bonfire with other roommates. It was exciting to learn new things and norms because they were new! 
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Michael, and his company, Liftport was new encounter, too. It's a small, struggling company in a messy office. I am NOT complaining here because there are clear advantages in doing internship in the small company like this. Usually interns do not get to get the opportunity to be involved. Michael was different. I had a rare chance to speak to the CEO directly, make suggestions, and see the change making an impact right away. 
I am excited to learn new skills and challenge myself. I wish to contribute to this company in some way until my internship ends. 

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