Last Internship Post:
Dear Intern ep4. Fun Facts 1.0.1st mail
From: Nancy Zhang xxx@seurat.com
Date: Mon, Jun 23, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Subject: Dear Intern ep-1. Hidden Post, Flow of Mind.
To: JIAYI ZHANG xxx@g.ucla.edu
Dear Jiayi,
Hope all is well. It is freaking burning today, and the mornings feel like one of those Shanghai summers. Tender, no?
I was feeling like a serious mess. When I say information overload, I mean all the thoughts about civilization, state dynamics, history patterns, and Nancy's personal jargon. They've been flowing with me from the fountain outside of Prudentials to Seurat in North Wilmington. Occasionally, I would zone out in front of the screen. I mean, I wasn't doing anything anyway. I was doing what you told me -- talking to people, forming connections, yadayada. I was also doing what Xinpeng told me -- stay sharp in the circle, and homies will show up.
The kids near the fountain were so pure, like crystals. They were just running around half-naked, and there was no shame about it. There was this 10-year-old kid holding up his younger brother / friend and giving the most liberating smile I have ever seen in a while. Kids and animals! No holding back on anything. They were just cool like that.
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Kids are pure.
I met Anton (my boss/mentor) on the sidewalk. Small talks. He asked about my weekend. Somehow, I guess in moments of fragility, anyone will become your bestie. I said, I will tell you all about it...at lunch or something.
He seemed a bit stunned and said Sure! So, somehow I initiated a lunch. With my boss.
During lunch hours, I don't know if I should reach out. Anton messaged in the group chat to confirm, and we sat down at a table in the lobby. Bill, the SWE who is over 60 years old and has sharp blue eyes, joined later as well.
I was telling them about my trip to NY, sparing all the unbelievable details, of course. I only told them I missed the bus, had a team call at the street corner at 9 am, and spent 14 hours on rides as a whole. When hearing me say "I was sitting on my suitcase in a street corner..." Anton said "aww". Did I just remind him of the daughter that he's never had? Jkkk.
Somehow, everyone could resonate with a bit of crazy times in their life. I said, I arrived at Times Square at 12 am, and there was heavy traffic. What are people doing at 12 am? Anton said, city never sleeps! Bill said, 12 am?! That is when life just started! Try 12 pm at noon!
That just came from my senior colleague!
I said, Isn't that a European thing, where you go to the club at 12 am, and leave at 4/5 am? Anton said he did it once. Went in at 1, went out at 4. He said it with his husky, gentle voice.
I mean...
Circling back to some more normal conversations, Bill and Anton were talking about weekend things and their past lives. Bill was a hardware engineer?
”I thought you were... Computer Science?"
Now both Anton and Bill laughed. Anton said Bill became a software engineer from a hardware engineer. Bill had also done something related to ... explosives?
”So do you know like government secrets?"
Inappropriate question. Got laughed off. But what harm could I do? I'm just a 21-year-old intern who couldn't figure her own shit out!
Apparently, Bill was a pretty crazy-cool guy. He goes hiking, mountain climbing, parachute jumping, etc... But isn't parachute jumping super dangerous? It's your life, my bro.
No, you have to cross it off your bucket list! Bill said.
So do you still have your bucket list?
It is all in my head.
Bill pointed at his white hair / head.
So, have you crossed off most things / some of the things on your list?
I don't know if I phrased the question correctly or not, but I don't mean to imply he is old or something.
I have done a lot of things.
Bill laughed. He said he once went mountain climbing in winter, in which he used ice axes.
”That was so cool!!"
It was pretty "cool". Maybe a little bit "too cool". Bill said.
Bro's got humor.
In most to all cases, I assume age = wisdom & insights, at least experience. I asked Anton and Bill if they would feel the void from going out, to back being a screenager in the office? Phrased better, of course. I said I guess I am still too young to balance out the dopamine drop. Why am I here! (I didn't say this one.)
Bill was looking at me with his clear blue eyes behind the glasses. He just nodded.
He also asked about Shanghai: What is the population?
Let me do the number translation...
Light chuckles from Anton and Bill.
I asked innocently, What is it called in English, 3 with 7 zeros? (30,000,000)
30 million.
Bill started confirming the population in Shanghai on Google. I panicked. I said, I could be dramatically wrong! But it turned out I wasn't that wrong. It was precisely around that. Bill said, She knows her town!
I said, I always call Shanghai the cleaner version of NY without all the illegal activities. That gave Anton a laugh.
Anton's meeting was coming up, so we headed back. Bill asked if I was from Brandeis.
Yes.
Do you like your college?
Yes! I am already having emotional attachments to my school.
Woah. Emotional attachments already?
I mean, we always complain about our school, but deep down cling to it. I always say my dorm is shit, but I still love it.
...
You know, I think Brandeis is quite nice. I once dated a woman from Brandeis. decades ago. That was before you were born.
...
We [him and some Brandeis kids] used to plan for biking in Ireland.
Like you bike from the US to Ireland?!
No. We carry our bikes to the plane and go biking in Ireland. But that would be a good idea. Also, we had this biking trip from Boston to New York. We biked from Boston to New York. We had parents from Brandeis helping us organize places to stay along the routes. So we were basically biking for 60 miles per day. It was for something in 1982...(Shh!)
Legs must be dead.
Haha... You play tennis, right? It should be ok for you.
No! My mind is fragile.
You will be fine!
I guess! I think I will survive if it were for a good cause.
...
Thank you, Bill.
All the best,
Nancy Zhang
Software Engineer Intern
Seurat Technologies, Inc.
617-678-4891
xxx@seurat.com
2nd Mail
JIAYI ZHANG xxx@g.ucla.edu
Tue, Jun 24, 12:20 PM
to Nancy Zhang
What’s up Nancy,
Hope you are doing well and your start of the week is smoother than ever. I’m on my way to universal now. Today’s gonna be a fantastic day. So does yours.
Best regards,
Jiayi
Next Up Internship Shenanigans:
Dear Intern ep6. Fun Facts 2.0.🫡🫡🫡
Since you've made it this far... Why not connect with me on LinkedIn?
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