What has 20 legs, 10 smartphones and one Spotify playlist? A group of Silicon Valley interns going to Lake Tahoe for the weekend! Early Friday evening, a few of my fellow Courserians, two friends of the Coursera crew and I dipped out just as Happy Hour was getting started to begin our weekend in the woods.
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| We survived the snow-fed waters above Emerald Bay! |
It was a little surreal being back in the Tahoe area. I kept reminiscing about summers spent with my family at Fallen Leaf Lake and when I saw someone wearing a Pinecrest Lake hat, I was immediately transported back to times at Grandma's cabin as a kid. Akin to those trips, this past weekend I got to swim in a chillingly refreshing lake, enjoy a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone on a hot afternoon and play board games around the living room table.
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| Who knew they'd let a five-year-old drive the jetboat? |
A big difference between my childhood trips and this past weekend was my travel companions. Rather than family whom I know very well -- how they grew up, past experiences, interests -- I learned a great deal about my fellow interns. Many of them travel abroad yearly to visit family in other countries. Everyone speaks at least two, if not three, four or five, different languages. All of them are incredibly kind, thoughtful and curious people. The car rides to and from Tahoe were filled with compelling conversation (for example about this really neat site 80,000 Hours) and good music. Being in Silicon Valley almost feels like I'm in a new country -- understanding the unique culture, recognizing different norms and meeting new people. Oh, and not to mention a whole new language!
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| All of those white specks on the water are boats. |
Lake Tahoe itself was a nice little breath of familiar (literal) fresh air after two weeks being immersed in the Valley. As it was Fourth of July weekend, it was a bit of a zoo, but we hiked a little ways away from the crowds of Emerald Bay. Apparently Lake Tahoe feels busier than ever at the moment because of the high waters this year, making for smaller beaches. It made me really appreciate the areas in Oregon that are less explored and still feel wild.
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| Happy Fourth of July, everybody! #Munchkin4ever |
It's hard to believe I've only been in Mountain View for two weeks. Already I've met wonderful people, put in quite a bit of mileage and learned more about PR and the tech world than I could've anticipated by this point. They say full immersion is the best way to learn anything and I'd say that's true, be it a language or a trade. Can't wait to see what the weeks ahead will bring!