As someone who did not successfully find a summer internship, I had thought that my summer was going to go to waste. Most of my friends had either found research at somewhere cool or found an internship in another city. For a while, I envied them and wished that I had tried just a bit harder on my applications or worked a bit harder for a higher GPA, because then I could answer the question of "What are you doing this summer?" with something other than "I'm not sure".

Summer came, and while my friends started their jobs, I went back home to Taiwan for a month, then started spending my very first summer in my home in Seattle. The last time I had a summer so unpredictable and so free was my early high school days, and I had no idea what kinds of things I should even be doing. It quickly became evident that in the few years I had spent away from this place, I had basically become a stranger in my own city.

I didn't know about the places my visiting friends talked about, had never even gone up the Space Needle, and couldn't even tell people more than five things to do in Seattle. I couldn't easily figure out the public transport system here, and needed Google Maps to guide me to places I used to go to every week.

Shocked at my own unfamiliarity of this place, I realized that maybe not getting a summer internship was a good thing after all. Because of all this free time, I'm starting to explore this city I call home more than ever before, with more freedom as well. I'm able to reconnect with my friends and family that I've fallen out of touch with, and spend more time doing "fun" things with no clear asset to my future, just because I want to.

Of course, I've decided to still continue to look for part time jobs, but I no longer have that pressure and stress of not doing the same thing as everyone else. Having a free summer doesn't mean that I'm falling behind, it simply gives me a chance to recharge from the school year and focus on bettering myself for future opportunities. Whether it's working at a restaurant or camping with my family, everything that happens this summer will be an experience to learn from. Whatever happens, I'm excited to see all the things I'll be able to accomplish this summer.