A sign that says "Golf Cart Xing" Note: This post has been copy-pasted from an older blog I started over the summer. It was posted on June 17 2023. The float trip was fun, and I got to go to St. Louis with another friend which was wonderful too. The Europe trip was also a great time, it was wonderful to see Aileen again and to experience a bunch of cool cities together.

This past year, I’ve been reading a lot more particularly good blog posts and write-ups. I’ve decided that my ratio of content consumption to production is too high, and I’d like to start writing on this creative outlet I have here. I’m inspired by a few classmates who have taken to blogging recently. I love the feeling I get when I read their description of what they’ve been up to recently and would love to pass that experience on to others.

This summer, I’ve been lucky enough to have an internship at Garmin. This is great, because I’ve been eyeing this company for a few years, ever since I got into backpacking and wanted to buy an inReach. But, it also comes with its downsides. Namely, I’m holed up in Olathe, a suburb just outside Kansas City. I’ve never been to the midwest, so this has been pretty fun. But, I am missing home, friends, and the mountains a lot.

Ironically, I’ve started getting even more into climbing in Kansas. We’ve got a really nice gym called RoKC, and I’ve been going once a week after work. Today some nice people (including my mentor at Garmin) were nice enough to belay me on a route! I had to make them proud, so I flashed both of them <3. I’m starting to regret not bringing my climbing shoes over from Vancouver, but oh well. And I may have just purchased a harness.

My roommate is from Springfield, Missouri, and he’s been driving around to some Midwestern cities 2-3h away from here. We’ve gotten pretty close, and I’ve been lucky enough to travel with him to Rolla, where he goes to school. This weekend we’re going to his hometown Springfield, and for 4th of July we’ll be on a float trip in Missouri. I lucked out when I got him as a roommate!

On the homefront, everyone’s left the house except my brother and our dog Tomio! My mom’s visiting Malaysia to see her family and my dad, who does business there. And I’m out here. It’s a tragedy that those mountains are calling my name and I have no chance to see them this summer. Sorry, hopefully Tomio is good enough company for the next few months 😦

At the end of this internship in August, I’ll be heading over to Europe for the first time where I’ll get to visit my girlfriend (who’s doing quantum imaging research in Germany) and a few friends from around the world. It’ll be a 21-day hop around mostly Germany. I’ve booked a bunch of hostels, and there’s gonna be a lot of “firsts” happening on this trip. I’m super stoked.

P.S. (can I end a blog post with a P.S.?) I think the funnest part about being in Kansas so far has been the fact that I get to try new restaurants that we don’t have in Vancouver. Waffle House and Sonic have now been checked off the list! (I loved waffle house)

P.P.S. But America doesn’t know what they’re missing, cuz we have…White Spot, Boston Pizza, and Cactus Club?