Kurumi writes

In this post, I will review the highlights of each month in 2024.

January

My internship, which started in November, was still going strong. I was working as a software engineer on the Google Chromium/Google Chrome team!
As I reached the halfway point of my fourth month, I had a much better grasp of the entire project and my role within it. At the same time, the realization that I only had two months left to finish everything was starting to sink in.
Especially as a third-year undergraduate, I had a heavy course load, and balancing school and work was incredibly challenging. Many of my classes weren’t particularly interesting to me at that time, and I often found myself questioning why I had to skip work to attend them.

February

While I couldn’t entirely complete the project within four months (which would have been quite an achievement), I believe I made meaningful contributions that aligned with the team’s goals. You can view my commits to the Chromium codebase here: https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/q/owner:mkurumi@google.com

(I know this might be hard to understand without the full context XD)

Through this internship, I’ve given a lot of thought to the kind of work I want to do. When I decided in my sophomore year, out of the blue, that “I want to be an engineer even though I’m majoring in the humanities,” I simply dreamed of becoming an engineer. However, after three software engineering internships, I’ve developed a keen interest in backend development, specifically in optimizing runtime performance and processing complex data. I also find the idea of being a developer with a clear end-user in mind more exciting than research-oriented roles.

March

I spent three amazing weeks in Toronto, Canada!
I finally got to see Niagara Falls, a quintessential Canadian experience! The area near the falls was so mist-filled it felt like rain, and the roaring sound of the massive amount of water made it hard to have a conversation. The photo is of the US, as seen from the Canadian side!

Other areas I visited include Downtown Toronto, Bloor-Yonge, Finch, and Dundas.
I get asked this a lot, but no, I wasn’t studying abroad!

April

A new chapter begins. I started living alone in a small shared house in Tokyo.

May

I had a chance to submit the project, which I worked on in my third-year seminar, to an academic conference.

June

I went through a tough time with some family matters and ended up feeling very depressed. I decided to move back home and put an end to my brief experience of living alone.

July

It was really summer summer! I went to Taiwan with my mom. Although I love Taiwan, it was surprisingly my first time visiting. We stayed in Taipei, and I was amazed to see so many buildings from the Japanese colonial era. I’ve always wanted to learn more about Taiwan during that period. …I love Taiwan so much, but I don’t want to be just another Japanese person who simply consumes its culture.

August

I hung out with friends almost every week this summer.
I also participated in the “Facing the Ocean” hackathon hosted by Code for Japan. It was my second time joining, and I stayed in an Airbnb with a Taiwanese friend I met last year. A great example of Japan-Taiwan exchange! It is always inspiring to interact with people from g0v.

September

I got mycoplasma pneumonia and had to spend a month in bed. I had a fever of 39 degrees Celsius for two weeks. It was awful.

October

I traveled to Hokkaido. The Asahikawa City Museum was fantastic. They gave a detailed explanation of the lives of the Ainu people and the development process by Japanese people (和人) who immigrated after the Meiji period. I realized that my perception of the Ainu people was quite one-sided that was developed by Japanese people in Honshu (the main island of Japan).

I also went to Fukuoka. I presented at an international conference held in Kitakyushu and was awarded the Presentation Award! (Link to my school’s page)

November

It was all about papers, papers, papers. I finished my graduation thesis and wrote a paper for another international conference.
Just when I thought I could finally relax, I got an interview invitation on LinkedIn. Now I’m swamped with LeetCode prep. Hello again, LeetCode!

Also, on a personal note, I got engaged!

December

Thankfully, I received the job offer, so I’ll be changing jobs. It’s pretty rare for someone to change jobs this late in their senior year.

I’ll be working on something related to handling large-scale traffic with microservices (a rough description haha). Such positions are quite rare in Japan, especially for new graduates or junior engineers. I’m so lucky!

I was also able to submit my graduation thesis. I’ll probably (& hopefully) be able to graduate in March. And even better, I have a trip plan to Singapore scheduled for March for an international conference! Yay!

A quick reflection:

I realized this year how much I enjoy traveling. Learning about the history of cities and their connections to Japan is so much fun. I’m already excited for 2025 because I have trips to Taiwan and Singapore planned!

I’ll be starting my first full-time job in April! First, I want to learn as much as I can with an open mind.