First Impression of Florida

As I visited Florida as an intern during the summer, it was either VERY hot or VERY wet. Although the weather was extra dry when I was there, I did see some of the characteristic sun in the morning and showers in the afternoon. If you visit in the summer, you would probably get used to being drenched in the rain--and you probably wouldn’t mind, since it would be a refreshing relief from the burning sun in the morning. Even though I visited during hurricane season, my mentors told me that actual hurricanes usually form right after the hurricane season. The area where I lived, Satellite Beach, was very close to the ocean--it was basically just a strip of land with ocean on both sides, connected to the mainland with a highway bridge. Although some of my mentors surfed and swam, I was warned that the waters were shark-infested--and shown an overhead photo as proof. So, I decided not to try out surfing in that particular area.

Besides the day-to-day environment, there was something about the culture that particularly stood out to me--perhaps because I grew up in Silicon Valley. The people who I worked with had a variety of pursuits, and computer science was hardly mentioned. The sudden lack of pressure that I had felt in Silicon Valley was something that I both didn’t want to live without and something that I cherished. It just shows that living in different areas may throw some of one’s own beliefs and accustomed behaviors into question, and my visit to Florida most definitely helped me broaden my horizon.