When I arrived this last weekend, my first task was to shop for some food. I quickly realize that the closest grocery store was 30 minutes away though. Without any vehicle or bike, I considered my options. Coming from Ohio State, a 30 minute walk was not a problem. However, I considered how I would get back with more groceries than I could carry. My roommates at this point suggested an app called . I was curious so I figured I would give it a shot. So after walking to the grocery store and checking out, I opened up the app and requested a driver. The app let’s me know my driver and how he’s 13 minutes away. Neat! So as I wait, the time until pickup isn’t decreasing. I debated cancelling once I started see the time until arrival start decreasing but I decided to stick it out. After 30 minutes, the driver finally arrived. He was nice and explained the situation about why he was late and I said it was no problem. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful but the driver was kind the entire time. Overall I enjoyed the experience even though it took longer than expected to get back.

Passed the headquarters of many big companies on my walk to the grocery store

In other updates, work has officially started and my time to write has drastically decreased. Although the week has been mostly orientation and becoming introduced to my workspace and co-workers, it’s been fairly exciting up to this point. I’ve learned the work culture out in San Jose is very different compared to Ohio. Instead of the work day starting at 7 or 8 am, the day here starts around 10 am. The work time though is extremely flexible. I’m able to show up when I want and pretty much leave when I want as long as I get my work done and am able to attend meetings over the web when needed. Dress code is as casual as you can get as well. I was specifically told that I can show up in shorts and a t-shirt and that would be appropriate work dress. The environment doesn’t quite feel like work!

So my observation of the week is that nocal is extremely laid back. This will take some getting used to.