Hideaki

The final Day

I am writing this log in Hawaii. I returned to Hawaii yesterday to submit an internship report to JAIMS.

The final day in San Francisco was a concentrated day. I enjoyed San Francisco from dawn till night. I will remember the day.

In the Dawn

I started cycling before dawn. In the half way, the sun came up. The town was beautiful in the early sun light. After a while, I arrived at a hillside park. That was my destination. It had a forest. Big trees looked native. But they were actually planted. The history of San Francisco tells that any trees here were planted. When the first adventurer arrived at San Francisco, they only found a bald hill. The CEO once told this story. I respect those who planted trees. San Francisco is now one of the most beautiful cities in the US.

The last Day in my Workplace

Unfortunately, the CEO had a critical job today. But he could spare time at the end of the day. We promised to keep in touch. We may submit an article to Microsoft Developer’s Network to share a programming technique that we found.

The last Cycling

After work, I went a good-bye cycling. I went along the water. I went by Giants stadium, Bay Bridge, and Ferry Terminal. Then, I headed for a steep hill. On top of the hill was Coit Tower. I enjoyed the last view of the downtown and the bay. After that, I went down to Chinatown.

The last Language Session

I hurried to the Haynes Valley. The time of the last language session was coming.

In the last session, I asked many questions. I was curious to know his idea on cultural issues, including what I expressed in “Being Suspicious in Public”.

His explanations expanded my view. I wish I could share all with you. But the log would become too long. So, I will write on only one question. I asked him why quality of American service was so diversified. I told him some of my experiences. His reply was that it was because companies and people were diversified. For some companies, customer service can be ignorable. For some customers, such service does not count, either. American customers are accustomed to this situation. However, this does not mean that their expectations are low. Many American prefer better service. Thus, they have two measures for better service. First, they study competitive situation. Companies in hard competition could provide you better service than those owned by the government. “United Airline was more kind than Caltrain, wasn’t it?” he asked. Yes, definitely. Second, they are accustomed to negotiate with service people. They even enjoy the negotiation sometimes as a game to win the service.

It was over nine o’clock when I was back to my accommodation. My flight to Hawaii was scheduled in the next morning. I found that I have not even started my preparation to leave. But this is the other story.

So, this was my entire experience in the internship. Now, I like to show my appreciation to the CEO, my friends, the JAIMS people and many other people who were kind to me. I also appreciate your patience. Thank you for tolerating my Japanese-English. I hope to see you someday.

A Blog for Joy

Keeping a blog made my days in San Francisco more joyful. That did so in three ways.

First, the blog actually helped me to find new joys. Such joys can be discovered by tasting new things. But I used to feel hesitations to the new. It was my friends who helped me to overcome. But the blog was also helpful. Explaining why is not easy. But it seems that I was controlled by a feeling. I felt as if I were acting a role in blog. That conception made my mind more open to the new.

Second, the blog helped me to discover what I enjoy. By writing explicitly what I was happy about, an unconscious joy became a conscious one. This enabled me to create a plan to maximize my joy in the stay.

Finally, the blog helped me to initiate a joyful communication. I heard from people such as my friends, my Hawaii host family, and staffs, an alumnus, and a future student of JAIMS. A new comment and a new e-mail message made my day. But I have more to say. Some of those also helped me to write better. T, Funa, and Daiji gave me their impressions on logs, enabling me to review those logs with their point of view. Furthermore, Funa offered useful techniques. He has been using them in his own home page. Lance helped me to solve spelling problems, too.

When I started the blog, I imagined that I would have a day when I had nothing to write any more. But actually, I encountered something new everyday. Believe it or not, writing on discoveries is fun. I wonder if some future students would start blog about their internships, too.

In my workplace, I finalized my projects. Then, I spent some time on the internship final report. But in fact, I was only groaning in front of a white paper. Keeping a blog seemed not to ease my agony over reports. Maybe, I wrote too much on funs.

After work, I went to Japantown to enjoy the last bite of Japanese-American crape. I found their crapes delicious recently. Here is a picture. I wanted to write more on it, if I had more days.

By the way, a design exhibition is being held in the lobby of my workplace. Here are pictures. I wanted to write more on it, if I had more days.

Being Suspicious in Public

Days in San Francisco are coming to an end. I miss San Francisco. People are kind. The city is beautiful. That’s why I have a slight hesitation to start today’s topic, people’s suspicion in public. But anyway, I want to express my feelings, as a Japanese who stayed in the US for the first time in his life.

My observation is that people in the US have a suspicion to the anonymous in public. We come across a number of anonymous people everyday. But many of them come into two types. One is pedestrians who are walking around you. The other is service providers such as a train conductor. People seem to have suspicion to both types of the anonymous.

First of all, people are cautious of the passers-by, the first type of the anonymous. That may be why they never leave their belongings in cars, never keep much money with them, and never sleep in trains. Japanese people are more off-guard. I reconfirmed this when I talked with a man at the book club last weekend. He told me what he had felt when he had been in Japan. He saw an old woman counting money in a train. She was as if inviting crimes, he said. In the US, such behavior does invite crimes.

People are also cautious of service providers, the second type of the anonymous. People seem to be prepared for troubles. Here is my small experience. I used Amtrak first class compartment service when I went to Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, my room had scratches all over the window. So, I asked the conductor to change the room. His answer was consisted of only one word: “No”. The case was closed. But this was not the end of the story. The guests at the next room also had a trouble in their room. They requested the conductor to change the room. He seemed to have rejected or at least hesitated. This was same as me. The direction changed when they mentioned the right for a refund. I did not hear all, but they seemed to say that the room did not meet the standard which Amtrak promised somewhere. This worked. They moved to a new room. So, they had done their homework beforehand, mentioned what they knew effectively, and won the service.

I confess that those aspects of American life consumed my power. In fact, I used to be a person who enjoyed a nap in trains and used to assume standard-level-service anywhere. I needed to be more conscious here.

However, this may be one side of the coin. The fare of Amtrak is way less expensive than that of Japan Railway. Also, people in the US make more efforts to know anonymous others than people in Japan. People use small talks often to break the ice.

A Meeting at an Airplane Hanger

I had an opportunity to attend an airplane meeting.

That was a meeting of EAA, an organization for recreational aviation. The CEO had a membership. He invited me to the monthly meeting.

We went there by his car. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and headed to the north. After a while, vast vineyard came into our eyes. The airport was surrounded by a vineyard.

I learned about leadership on the way. He said while driving that leaders follow one rule of thumb, that is: be open to help people. He continued that by doing so, you would get a help in need and that you could also widen your network. I see that this may be what distinguishes leaders from employees.

The meeting place was set up in an airplane hunger surrounded by airplanes. I enjoyed a dinner of home maid hamburger, soup of beans, and salad. Then, the meeting started. They discussed things such as planning an air trip for fun and inviting an artic pilot for speech. What a different world! The discussion was followed by a speech. The speech was done by two airplane craftsmen. I did not understand what they were talking about. They used too many special words. So, I was surprised when many attendants made questions. They also used unknown words. They were knowledgeable.

After the meeting, the CEO had a talk with his friend. I was listening beside him. It turned out to be a good example of what I learned in the car. His friend seemed to have invented a new aircraft construction method. His concern was how to protect his right. The CEO helped him by sharing his experience of submitting patents.

In the trip to San Francisco, I asked him a question. I asked him what distinguishes leaders from employees. He actually knew employees well because he once had been an employee of big companies. His reply was that it was the vision. Leaders need the clear vision for their success. But more than a few employees does not have it.

What I still like

I like most of the San Francisco’s public transportation system, even though I encountered an unhappy incident yesterday. Especially, I like three aspects.

First, the system is made well. We can live conveniently without cars. We have Streetcars, BART, ferries, and buses. They complement each other and provide a integrated service.

Streetcars are the back bone. I saw them at tourist attractions, residential areas, and the business district. BART goes suburbs. The airport became near thanks to it. Ferries are convenient in this city surrounded by the bay. And finally, bus routes fill spaces among those transportations

Second, those transportations are environment-friendly. Not only streetcars but also buses get power from electrical wires. In addition, they allow bikes. I can bring my bike into BART and ferries. Mmany buses have a bike rack in front of them.

Finally, the system uses old and new method wisely. Streetcars are an example of the old. They are still widely used, while in Japan, most of them have been abolished. Their appearance is also traditional. They are elegantly old. The city looks more elegant with them. However, using the old does not mean denying the new. New technologies are used wisely for our conveniences. One example is the latest pre-paid system of BART ticket machines.

It was a happy surprise for me to find this here in San Francisco. To be honest, I did not expect so much. My understanding was that infrastructures were tailored only to cars in the US. But for San Francisco, it was not the case.

However, I have one thing that I do not like. It is safety in the waiting place. I had a hard time about it. When I was waiting for a streetcar on the road, I was tenaciously asked money by a man. So I had no choice but giving up waiting.

By the way, I had my bike’s flat tire fixed at a bike shop. Now, it runs nimbler than before thanks to the air inflated to both tires.

The last week has started. I need to finish my projects within this week. After finishing them, I will explain to the CEO. I also need to start my internship report to JAIMS. It seems the week will be busy.

Bad at First but Good at the End

I had two troubles and two nice experiences today.

The First Trouble

I went to a stadium. I was to see an American Football game with T. The stadium was located in the Southern bay area of San Francisco. I went there by bike. The bike trail was part of Bay Trail, a 600 km trail which surrounded entire bay area.

In the morning, I started cycling to the south. Unfortunately, the more I went south, the worse the atmosphere became. That’s why I was relieved to find policemen along the road. About an hour later, I came close to the stadium. It was at that moment when I encountered my first trouble today. I got a flat tire. It seemed that the bike went above a snail or something. The road was dirty. Fortunately enough, I made myself to the stadium. It was only 1km from the point.

The Game

I met T in front of the stadium. We went into the stadium. A ritual was held before the game. In fact, today was the first day of this season. We were astounded at the end of the ceremony, when jet fighters went right above us with big sound.

The game was exciting. He explained me what was happening in the game. His commentary was helpful. Without it, it was difficult for me to understand the game. He sometimes guessed the next move, and did it right many times.

Cheering was also exciting. The entire stadium cheered San Francisco 49ers enthusiastically. Sometimes, I even felt as if I were standing in front of Niagara Falls.

The Second Trouble

The second trouble hit me when I went back to home. I used Caltrain, which connected the south and the north of San Francisco. I knew that they allowed a bike. But I was forced to get off at the next station.

It was my mistake. I got on a wrong car. Right after the train started, a conductor came. He said that the car was not for bike riders. He continued that I was making a serious crime because I posed danger to other passengers. Even though I could not find a single passenger in that car, I did not speak against him. I knew that I was wrong. I moved to the deck. Then, I explained to him that this was my first trip by Caltrain and I did not do it on purpose. I also asked him what I could do next. He ordered me to get off the train and go to the other end of it, where a bike is accepted. I rushed to there on the platform at the next station. But the moment I grabbed the handrail, the train started to move. I was left on the platform.

Next train would not come for an hour. So, I gave up using train and started slowly with a flat-tired bike. I knew that it was me who made the mistake. But to be honest, my mind was not very calm at that moment. They could indicate the waiting position on the platform, if that position mattered to them that much. They could stress the serious crime that a bike rider could commit in their homepage.

I made a mistake. It might be more than the position to ride. Caltrain accepts a bike. But the fact does not have to mean that Caltrain welcomes it. If so, I should have studied their rule very carefully. I remembered BART and ferry people. They assisted kindly when I used their service for the first time. So, I simply assumed that San Francisco was kind to help bike travelers. But come to think of it, I can interpret this in different way. They were kind just to protect their business. For example, ferries are popular among tourists with rented-bikes, so it might harm some of their business if the company takes a hard line to them.

It may be dangerous to jump to the conclusion. But I feel that I can be more aware of the company’s interests whenever I get a service from them in the US. It may help me to know whether they may take care of my interest.

The Book Club

I had hard time, but finally, I came to home. I was in time for the book club gathering. My language partner kindly invited me to the gathering. The club was held in a house. We discussed while eating dinner. Today’s book was about Japan. The theme was about US military’s occupation policy after the World War II. It was surprising to find how well they knew Japan. The intellectual level was high. For me, only to catch up with the talk was hard. But in the end, I had an opportunity to speak something. They encouraged me warmly. I enjoyed the atmosphere. One of them told me that this kind of book club gatherings were not so special in San Francisco. How wonderful it is to keep interests in things other than leisure and job!

Today was the day of troubles. But it was also the day of experiences. The warm atmosphere in the book club remedied my feelings. The day was good at the end.

From the Sky

The last weekend in San Francisco has come. I enjoyed the view of this beautiful city again, but from the sky this time. I came on board a seaplane.

The Pier

The seaplane departed at Pear39. It was a famous tourist site in San Francisco. I arrived a bit early. So, I had time to stroll around shops and stands. At one stand, I bought fresh orange juice and handmaid donuts. Then, I went to a deck to see wild sea lions. They came there spontaneously years ago. Now, they attract tourists.

The Seaplane

The departure time has come. A beautiful plane was waiting at the end of a deck. Passengers were five, including the pilot and me. I was lucky because the sky was clear. But that was not all. I could seat myself next to the pilot.

The plane left the pier slowly. I felt waves below me. The pilot pulled the stick. We were in the sky in no time. Just below us were cruisers moving slowly. First, we headed for Muir Woods. Mur Woods was where I went by bike about a month ago. It was fun to find where I struggled to climb up and where I stopped to enjoy the view. Another thing that I found were trails that I have never visited. I wish I had time. At that moment, an island came to my mind. I saw it just after the take-off. It had a bike trail around it. I came to remember that it had an easy access by ferry. It won’t take more than half a day to enjoy cycling there. Thus, my plan in the afternoon was decided.

The plane started going back to the city. It flew above Golden Gate Bridge, which was covered by clouds today. It started to go down. It flew next to the downtown, and landed near the pier. The trip was only for thirty minutes, but it rekindled my good memories here.

The Island

I hurried to the ferry terminal, which was next to the Pier39. The ferry was about to leave. But I was in time. I was lucky again. They had only three departures a day.

I started cycling after I arrived at the island. The bike trail had a quiet forest and a view of nearby bay area. I saw the city of San Francisco above the clouds from the Ocean. So, the direction of the wind might have been reversed again.

"A Dangerous Bike Trail"

I came back to San Francisco bay. From there to my accommodation, a bike trail was available. The trail connected two places directly. But I had never used it because it went through an area that was designated as dangerous by a Japanese guide book. So, I went cautiously into the trail, checking if there were people whom I can shout for help. There were a few suspicious-looking buildings. But I encountered no danger. I arrived at my accommodation safely.

Night Cruise with Bike

I happened to enjoy a short night cruise.

The sky was clear. So, I went cycling to the Golden Gate Bridge to enjoy Friday evening.

I have visited Golden Gate Bridge twice. But each time, fog was covering the bridge mysteriously. But today, entire bridge was seen. The bridge and the evening sky made a beautiful contrast. Come to think of it, most travelers see the bridge either in the fog or in the sky. Seeing both must be the privilege for staying long.

I crossed the bridge. I went slowly to enjoy the view from the bridge. When I arrived at the opposite bank, the sun went down under the ocean. It was getting dark. So, I had to give up returning by bike. I went further to the nearby town to catch a ferry to San Francisco. This ferry trip turned out to be great. I enjoyed the night view of San Francisco downtown and bridges, yet it was only for twenty minutes.

In the workplace, I began finalizing my job. I started completing modules that I was making. I also started writing manuals so that the CEO could take over my job to others. These jobs would take my final week. I also interviewed a programmer next to me.

The Blue Sky

Every day is sunny.

For exmaple, I found no clouds from horizon to horizon today. The sky was deep blue. An airship was floating in that sky. The temperature also became high. People walking outside were in short-sleeved shirts. We have such weather for more than a week.

This is a major climate change. San Francisco was a city of mist and cool air before. What happened? Did the global warming finally come?

The CEO told me the secret. It was the wind. Clouds of San Francisco are provided by the Pacific Ocean. They come here by the wind with cool air. Now, the direction of the wind has reversed. The wind comes from hot California land. He said that this happens every year in September for a few weeks. So, if you like to experience the cable car ride under sun shine, September may be the time.

After work, I had a language partner session. The writer whom I first met in late August and I have been continuing this session every week. The place was the same café’s courtyard. Nice weather made there an ideal place for a talk. Today, we talked about a difficult topic. The topic was whether or not Japan should allow immigrants. On one hand, Japan can be renovated by exposing ourselves to new people. On the other hand, those new people can divide Japanese society in pieces. We discussed some aspects of this big topic.

A Business Lunch with the CEO

I had a long lunch with the CEO.

It was related to my goal in this internship. That is to understand situation in a company better. Having a view of what is happening in the company is important to work well and with fun. But when I was in Japan, I sometimes lost such a comprehension. The key seemed to be communication.

CEO is a position that is required to have the widest view of the company. That’s why I asked the CEO to have an interview session with me. He had a lot of things to do, but he allocated time at lunch. His view was both informative and inspiring. Here is the outline.

He started by saying that communication was so important for an executive that it could safely be said “everything” about business. Any outstanding skills can not be outstanding without communication. However, communication is not easy in two ways.

First, we cannot improve our communication in one day. We can improve it only gradually. The CEO has made long efforts to develop it. For example, he makes it a rule to have a talk once a week with other CEO. He selects a CEO who is new to him. Then, he has an opportunity to develop a new interest. The more interests he has, the more people he can establish communication with. It’s because people want to communicate with those who share the same interest. Have as many interests as possible, he advised me.

Second, we cannot avoid miscommunication. Foe example, if the CEO says his idea to his subordinate, that idea will be interpreted differently, a little or dramatically, in the head of the subordinate. The CEO has his own communication style to avoid such misconception. That is, what I named recently, “goal-oriented project management style”. He shares the goal of a project with others. Then, misconception in details will not lead to a catastrophe. Thus, any work here is treated as a project with a goal.

He said that there was no quick way to improve communication. But he also said that steady efforts were really rewarding. He recommended me to try some. I am now thinking what to start after going back to Japan.

After work, I went to see a musical with T. Today’s musical was an original of San Francisco. It means that we can see it only in San Francisco. We positioned ourselves near the stage, in the forth row. Beautiful songs, surprising dresses, and stylish music made us all happy. After it finished, we went to a fancy Italian restaurant for dinner.

Similar, but not the Same

I visited San Francisco Public Library after work. It takes only five minutes from my accommodation.

I have reports to write both to JAIMS and to the company in Japan. It may be a good idea to have some time and place for them. At home, I tend to use up time for this blog.

A big entrance hall of the library was impressive. It reached to the top of the building. But other than that, the atmosphere was similar to that in Japan. Layout of shelves and desks were similar. The air smelt paper as well. Such an atmosphere may be universal.

However, it was not all the same. Especially, three differences stroke me. First, each desk had an electronic tap and an Internet connector for computers. Such service is not common in Japan. Some Japanese libraries even discourage us from using computers. Second, people left no personal belongings on desks when they went to shelves. In Japan, people sometimes leave pencils and electronic dictionaries. Finally, uniformed security officers guarded the gate. Libraries in Japan may also have officers. But they usually stay out of our sight.

Those differences seem to reflect cultural differences between the US and Japan. A library can be a good place to look at culture.

Cycling in the Valley

In the morning, I felt inner energy enough for cycling. So, I went out for a slow cycling in the valley.

The Cycling

The trail was in the middle of a coniferous forest. Far behind the forest, I saw high mountains with snow. The trail passed by quiet lakes, crossed a railroad track disappearing into the forest, and went along a gentle creek. The trail shaped a big circle. I came back to the village three hours later. It was a refreshing trip.

The Bus

I got on the bus for the airport. It was sad to say good bye to the last high mountains from the window of the bus. Soon, a huge lake appeared in the deep valley. The lake was actually connected to the ocean. So, it was a fiord. After a while, a city appeared from the forest. It was Vancouver. The bus went into the downtown slowly before going to the airport. So I had some time to glance at the city.

The Airport

It took time for me to complete procedures at Vancouver Airport.

First, I had hard time to find the entrance. I found it behind the check-in counter at last. So, what I had to do once I received a boarding ticket was walking by the counter and got inside. This was my first experience.

Second, immigration of the US authority was located in the Vancouver Airport. The counter blocked the way to the boarding gate. Unfortunately, I was a foreign student. It took long time for the check. The officer recorded my fingerprint and iris pattern. I had to fill out a new I-94 paper. Fortunately, I was admitted at last. I was happy that I was also in time for the flight.

On the other hand, it took no more than ten minutes to get out at the San Francisco Airport. In fact, the plane arrived at the domestic terminal. I wonder how the US and Canada agreed on this system.

A Long Walk

I walked 30km. This was almost my record for one-day hiking.

I went with a hiking guide. I needed a guide to take me to the trail, because the head of the trail today was more than 20km from the village. Before we started, I expressed my wish of the day. I wanted to go “as far as I could”. I knew this was a challenging request. But my stay in Canada was only for three days. The guide fulfilled my wish by making a flexible plan that had several exit points. Of course, I went to the farthest point. A volunteer assistant joined us.

The Lake

Our first destination was Garibaldi Lake, the core area of the Garibaldi Provincial Park. The trail started in a deep forest of Black Tusks. They can be seen only there.

I talked with the guide while we were walking. He was an adventure lover. He experienced deep mountains and steep rocks. He was going to go into South American mountains that had no trails.

As we talked, the trees got shorter and shorter. Finally, the lake appeared in front of us. The water was emerald green. He told me that the color came from particles brought by a glacier. Indeed, a great glacier was at the opposite bank of the large lake. We ate lunch in front of the lake.

The Summit

After lunch, we started toward our next destination, the summit.

The big climb started from a small lake in front of the summit. The trail became steep. Trees disappeared soon. We walked through debris, from where high pitch calls of marmots came.

After about 40 minutes, we arrived at the summit. Nothing blocked our view. In front of us was the green lake that we left a few hours before. Behind us was the glacier. The water of the glacier was gathered in a pond and then flowed into a creek. All of these were in one view.

The Meadow

The time to return came. We walked down in a peaceful meadow. We went by flowers, streams, and marshland. Everything was lively thanks to the mist yesterday. After a while, we came back into the deep forest again.

I asked the guide how hard the trip was. It turned out that it was not hard for him. He could walk up to 50km a day. Me? I was also all right. The trail was too great for me to get tired of.

We finished our trip at 6 o’clock. Once I felt asphalt beneath my foot, I began to feel pain in my leg. So, my ability limitation was still there. I went to the bed early, hoping that I recovered enough to enjoy cycling tommorow.

In Mist

I was walking in mist. In the mist, I was day dreaming about the past and the future.

One friend once said that now could be the best time in his life. The situation is same for me. I encounter funs and discoveries almost everyday. I feel that I am realizing what I wanted to do. It surely is not easy to find the better time. So, it may be seen strange if I feel that I do not want this moment to be the best time in my life. But I feel there are more to find. Experiences here can be like my hiking in Yosemite. I enjoyed 10km walk. But the entire trail was over 300km.

I enjoyed hiking in Whistler. Whistler is about 2 hours by bus from Vancouver. The place is famous for ski in winter. But in summer, hikers can visit beautiful lakes and glaciers.

High Mountain

I arrived at Whistler at 8 o’clock in the morning. So, I had a full day for hiking. To come to the place this early, I took the earliest bus of 5:30 from Vancouver.

After taking a short rest, I got on a gondola and went near the top of the Whistler Mountain. That was the start point of the hiking.

I walked on a plateau. I passed by small lakes on it. As I went, clouds came near. They surrounded me at last. Because the trail was well maintained, I could find the trail clearly in the mist. So, I continued. After a while, the mist went pale. A high mountain appeared over trees. It had a great glacier on it. Only the glacier got the sun at that moment. Others were under clouds. The glitter of the glacier was striking in dark.

Down to the Valley

I started going down a valley to the village. The clouds began to disappear. The trail was wide. The slope was gentle. I enjoyed the view while I was walking. I encountered many fountains. They were all full of fresh water.

I arrived at the village in the early evening. I went to the hotel. The hotel had a Jacuzzi. The hot water was refreshing after a long walk.

Flowers

I saw flowers on the trail. They were lively in the mist. I found flowers also in a restaurant at the village.

I want to start this blog again.

The unexpected passing of our fellow student shocked us all. For a few days, I had no idea what to write. But now, I become to think that this is not the time to stop.

I heard from my friends what they felt. It was really good for me to hear from them in that time. I asked my friends about my blog. Their feelings and their advices helped me to sort out my thinking.

I will do my best to make these final two weeks of my stay in the US as good as possible. I will record events that I may encounter as vivid as possible. While doing so, I will keep him, especially his warmness and his openness, in my heart.

I am writing this blog in the San Francisco International Airport. I am about to depart for Canada. This weekend has a labor day, the only holiday in our stay in internship program. I use this opportunity to realize one of my lifetime dreams, to go hiking in Canada. I began to plan this trip already when I was in Hawaii.