The Mountain Awaits

I arrived in Seattle early this morning after an all nighter from Sao Paulo, Brazil with a two hour layover in Dallas. As the American Airlines 777 came in for its final approach, I glanced out the window at magnificent Mount Rainier and wondered if some intrepid souls were attempting its ascent. At the same time I contemplated my own trek, albeit more mental than physical, that would soon begin.

It was a short shuttle ride to Redmond to the Homestead Studio Suites on the edge of the Microsoft Campus. The conversation with the shuttle driver was focused on the earthquake proneness of the area and when the next big one would hit. Harbor Island, he informed me was smack dab on the fault line and would slide into the sea if given the chance. He assured me I would be safer in Redmond.

I checked into the quaint little suite that would be my home for the next two weeks. After unpacking, I made a mental note of the supplies and rations I would need. I began to get the sinking feeling that if I was not in class, I would probably be sequestered in my hotel room every evening, knee deep in more technical mumbo jumbo that I had ever wished to be in. The thought was sobering. An email from a fellow classmate came in on my IPhone, wanting to know if anybody was up for dinner. The thought was tempting but then I remembered that my pre-reading was not complete and that I would be sorry if I didn't finish it. Two laptops on the bed, one wired and one wireless, into the not-so-fast "cheap" Internet, spewed out tech acronym after tech acronym and I felt my mind begin to hurt. Geez, it's not even day one, yet, and my brain is already beginning to rebel.

I set the alarm for 6AM and decided to call it a night, praying that my jet lag would resolve itself by the next morning and thankful that at least I traveled north across three time zones instead of six plus as some of my international classmates had done. I sure hoped they had arrived yesterday instead of today.

I am both anxious and excited at the same time - anxious because I don't know exactly what to expect tomorrow, but also excited because I would be with a group of techno-peers and instructors who were accomplished and full of wisdom and experience that I felt would infuse a one of a kind learning experience.