Welcome to my first post in a weekly series that I like to call Summer With A Bing! Get it? It’s supposed to play off of the catchphrase “Kicking off summer with a bang” but as a Microsoft Intern, throwing Bing in there would be appropriate, right?
Anyway, I’ve been in the Seattle area for these past two weeks, and it has been fantastic! I’ve never lived on my own away from my home state, so I knew this would be quite the adventure! Here’s a brief overview of my trip to Seattle, and how life has been here for my first week.
In The Cloud[s] – The Flight to SeaTac
On Thursday, just two hours before my last final exam, I received a call from my soon-to-be manager. I was told that I was assigned to the OneDrive Team for the Service Engineering role. I was so excited to fly out that I couldn’t sleep for the next few days. After much anticipation, May 11th finally came, and it was my time to fly out. I kissed my mother (on Mothers’ Day) and hugged my father goodbye, and walked into the airport with two suitcases in hand. After going through the normal motions of security screening, I waited at the gate until it was time to board. The plane took off from Indianapolis, and I immediately noticed something eerie. They demolished the old airport terminal, and the building layout is still clearly visible on the tarmac.
Indianapolis’ old terminal remains are clearly visible upon climb out.
For the next four hours, minus an hour layover in Minneapolis, I found myself “in the cloud”. I didn’t really see any “OneDrive” activity. I guess they, and other companies, must be talking about being in a different cloud. Eventually, I found myself landing in Seattle to the stereotypical weather: gray skies, but at least it wasn’t raining. The approach was scenic and quite breathtaking. Below is a YouTube video of my arrival to Seattle. People who have visited this city would be able to recognize the downtown skyline, the WA-520 and the I-90 bridge connecting Bellevue/Redmond to Seattle, and Boeing Field. It’s my favorite approach into the city.
When the plane parked at the gate, the aircraft’s radio started playing, and the first song that played was Justin Timberlake’s “Not a Bad Thing“. I started thinking the title of the song defined my summer and this internship – “not a bad thing” (ignore the actual meaning behind the song). After I grabbed my luggage and checked out my rental car, I headed to my apartment.
I live in Downtown Bellevue, which is about a half-hour from Downtown Seattle, and just fifteen minutes from Redmond (where Microsoft’s campus is). If anyone wants a tour of my apartment, come visit me in Bellevue!
Week One – And They Already Told Me To Take A Hike
During my first week, I spent some time getting familiar with the city and the Microsoft campus. We have an internal distribution list that is built just for Interns. I came across an email about going hiking, and I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity (not only to work out) but to spend some time with Mother Nature! My first “legitimate” hike would be the Lower Gray Wolf River Trail, located in Olympic National Forest. Eight miles didn’t sound bad, right? It was quite a challenge, but it was certainly worth it. Here are some pictures from the journey:
I was wearing my Fitbit that day, so I was able to capture the stats on the day of the hike:
Yes, by the end of the hike, I could barely walk. Luckily, there was a two hour car ride that was long enough to be sitting down. I guess you could say that the hike improved my endurance, and that’s “not a bad thing”. I’m looking forward to going on more hikes, and taking advantage of the trails out here in order to appreciate the scenery.
