Bumblebee

When I was a little kid, back in Albania, I used to spent my summers at my grandparents’ house in a God-forsaken village called Delvina. I have a lot of memories from these summers; memories that come back to my mind as old black and white and sometimes yellowish/greyish photos. The ones I remember with the utmost nostalgia, though, are the times my grandparents used to buy me little treats, like an ice cream or a piece of warm, freshly-baked spinach pie or something like that. It was my Grandfather’s way of showing me that he was proud of me, a way of showing his affection, which very few other people would receive. It was also my Grandmother’s way of nurturing me and making me feel safe, that I was loved. My reaction to their gestures was infinite gratitude and affection, or in other words that I would forever respect and love them; they had won me.

Today was my first day at Google. I spent my first moments being in awe of that beautiful, sunny, green campus and it wasn’t long before I started feeling nurtured: free food, free bikes which you are welcome to use inside the campus, technical assistance whenever you need it, several ways to have fun while taking a break from the job (from billiards to ball pits to salsa lessons), people welcoming you and saying that they’re happy that you’ll be working with them, classes and labs so you can familiarize yourself with their infrastructure…I mean wow…wow. I didn’t know a place like this existed and I wouldn’t believe anyone had they told me so.

As a person, a simple ice cream from my grandparents was enough to win me, so I started thinking how can I possibly react to nurture of this magnitude. What is the “right” way of showing that yes, I do appreciate it? Then something occurred to me: sometimes I think too much, I overanalyze. So, I decided I should simply enjoy this while it lasts and never take it as granted, ’cause tomorrow I might be paying for my food again. I also decided that I will not surrender my soul to this company, in the sense that I won’t try to dedicate my entire day to Google even though I am thankful for the opportunity, even though everything in the campus is cool; there are other things that are as cool and equally important: my healthy development as a person, for instance.

So, that’s the contract I made with Google on my first day: Google will take care of me, protect me and make me feel safe and I will do my best to develop as a Computer Scientist and as a person, so I can make a difference, however small it may be.

It’s been three years since the last time I travelled via an airplane, when I came from Albania to Canada. Yesterday I flew once more, this time to San Francisco, California, where I’ll be living for the next three months. What brought me here is my summer internship at Google, the biggest school for Computer Scientists. I came here to learn, work, explore, have fun, meet new people and take another step towards my becoming independent.

After I finished what I had to do in the airport I decided not to take a cab to my new home in the center of the city, but take public transit and experience first hand what the ride is like, how people treat you as a hopeless-looking tourist who carries two heavy suitcases and a backpack. Fortunately, they treated me well: several people approached me in the train and the bus station and, after joking that I must be really crazy for carrying two suitcases by myself, offered me valuable directions, help for changing my bills into coins, and even gave me a transfer to get on the right bus… what more can a hopeless tourist ask for? They also told me not to miss today’s Carnival which is going to take place in the center of the city.

I’m looking forward to the experiences this summer has prepared for me, and of course, I’m looking forward to my first day at Google, which is going to be this coming Tuesday.