a little over six months into the adventure and what have i learned…

sunshine is good for your soul, there is worse traffic than N/S I5 Seattle, and expanding your boundaries outside the US broadens your way of thinking.

at the 6 month mark things are starting to come together. the ‘fruit’ is ripening in the super sunny Cupertino sun, i’m finding my way, sharing my knowledge and I think I’m beginning to add some value which feels good.
living in the city has been a lot of fun, and I am adjusting! I am in a much better place with the neighborhood than I had been in the beginning. I’ve learned that my environment is more important to me than I thought. concrete jungles are great to visit, and even live in if there is GREEN available somewhere. birds, grass, trees are a must have. and coming from the cascade foothills where we had bear watch signs everywhere, I now understand why nothing but cold grey pavement has been tough to accept as my new hood. the next 6 months will consist of looking for places that are more green and hopefully still in the city.
the commute remains a killer, but the private wifi enabled buses that the fruit provides continue to make it bearable. even if the move at the end of this year takes me to berkley (which is a possibility), there are still buses – so no need to deal with the insane traffic from a driving perspective.
speaking of travel, i’ve had 2 amazing opportunities to travel in the first half of the year. both of which have pushed my mind to think beyond my bubble. it was enlightening to meet people from more than half way around the world who think about us in the states. To work with colleagues who have to consider customer engagement, translation, phrasing, relevance for 10+ countries at a time. what a fun challenge, but it made me stop and think that as Americans we rarely think beyond our circle of friends and family. how often do we think about the impact of what we do on the rest of the world? my two little trips have definitely impacted my thought process.
I am looking forward to the summer, or winter in the city and scorching dessert heat in the south bay. The temperature changes are easily 30-40 degrees between home and work – in the same day and within 30 mins of leaving either location. the climates (yes, multiple) just here in the city are pretty spectacular and ever changing! you really never know what you’re going to get.

I am really looking forward to what the next six months have in store!!

Drive safe, stay warm and think BIGGER than yourself.