Grey Li's Blog

My Trip to Seattle and the Microsoft MVP Summit

Every time I travel, I always plan to write about it—but end up giving up. From my first trip to Taiwan in 2019 to my most recent visit to Japan, I always told myself I should document the experience, but it never happened. This time, I’m determined to finish this travel journal—after all, this was the farthest I’ve ever traveled.

Before Departure

I received the email about the Microsoft MVP Summit Scholarship on a weekday in early December last year. I spent about an hour during lunch writing the application. At the time, I thought, “Surely not many people would take this so seriously.” Later, I found out I was the only one who received the scholarship from mainland China—so I guess I was right.

This was Microsoft’s first time launching the MVP Scholarship program. It offered up to $2,500 in travel and accommodation support, which basically covered the main costs of this U.S. trip. I’m really grateful to Microsoft for that.

I got the scholarship approval email at the end of January, just two months before the MVP Summit in late March. But I still lacked the most important thing—an American visa. Looking back, the whole visa application process was a roller coaster:

After countless moments of anxiety and endless refreshing, logging in, and waiting, I finally passed the visa interview in Beijing. I was overjoyed walking back to the hotel from the embassy. Things were finally calm again. If I hadn’t passed this time, I honestly wouldn’t have known how to justify all that stress over the past two months.

I received my visa one week before departure. On the morning of the trip, I picked up some gifts for American friends. An hour before heading to the airport, I intercepted my freshly printed English business cards at a SF Express pickup point. Amid all the chaos and delays, I somehow managed to get everything done.

First Impressions

The flight from Shanghai to Seattle took 11 hours. It was hard to endure in economy class, so I watched three movies back-to-back. My very first impression after landing? American geese are big, bold, and fearless—just casually strolling on the sidewalks.

I got lost at the airport for a bit, but with some help from the staff, I finally found the bus stop at one of the exits. I wasn’t sure which type of ticket to buy, so I asked the driver. He simply waved me on and said I didn’t need to pay. And so, my free U.S. journey began.

My second impression: people here are polite and friendly. On the bus, almost everyone said “thank you” to the driver when getting off. This continued for the rest of my trip: cars would stop to let you cross the street, drivers would smile and gesture for you to go first, and shop staff would greet you with a smile. Even random strangers walking past you in quiet neighborhoods would say hello. I wondered if it was because there were so few people—if you’re not warm to each other, maybe it just feels too lonely.

The Microsoft MVP Summit

During my first visa interview, I realized it’s hard to explain what the Microsoft MVP program is if you're unprepared—what it means, my relationship with Microsoft, and why they invited me to attend a conference in the U.S.

MVP stands for Microsoft Most Valuable Professional—a global award from Microsoft for people who make outstanding contributions to Microsoft technologies or open-source communities. I became an MVP in 2019 and was the first MVP in China for the Python category (my MVP profile).

award

The MVP Summit is essentially a global gathering of MVPs. It’s held annually at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, near Seattle. The event includes all kinds of sessions and product talks, offering opportunities to meet and speak directly with Microsoft product teams. Although I became an MVP six years ago, I never attended in person because of the high cost. This year, thanks to the scholarship, I finally made it.

I stayed in Bellevue, close to both Seattle and Microsoft HQ. My hotel was right by the light rail, and it only took 30 minutes to get to campus. Every day, I left around 9 a.m. and came back around 5 p.m.—it felt like I was working at Microsoft.

MVP Summit

Since attendees sign an NDA, I can’t share the specifics. The summit lasted three days, and there were additional activities before and after. Over 400 sessions were available, including talks, meetups, panels, theater presentations, and campus tours. You could browse and plan your schedule in advance online.

Since I’m not deeply familiar with most Microsoft technologies, I mainly chose sessions related to Python, GitHub, VS Code, or general tech community topics. I also picked up a lot of ideas about event planning—might be useful for future CodeKitchen events.

The Microsoft campus is huge—you often need a shuttle to get between buildings. The atmosphere was great and everyone was enthusiastic. My English isn’t great (I resolved multiple times during the trip to study harder), so I often didn’t catch why people were laughing during sessions. But the food was plentiful, and every meal offered a different variety.

photo with clippy (by Christina)

MVP Nominations

If you’ve contributed to open source or tech communities—whether through blogging, writing books, organizing events, or giving talks—even if not directly related to Microsoft tech (AI, Python, etc.), feel free to reach out. I can help nominate you for the MVP program.

MVPs get access to benefits like:

You can contact me at hey@greyli.com or message me on LinkedIn or Twitter. A short self-introduction or resume would be helpful.

Serendipitous Encounters

During the summit, I had a few lovely chance meetings. On Day 2, there was a “Networking Mixer” event, open to all MVPs. It was held on the first floor of Building 4—huge space, food and drinks everywhere, and packed with people. We were given Bingo cards listing various Microsoft product teams, and we had to find and collect stamps from employees representing those teams, while sampling different snacks.

While walking around, I kept running into a German guy—I’d randomly had lunch with him on the first day. By the third time we met, we agreed this was fate and teamed up. We chatted while hunting for snacks and ended the evening taking photos at the Microsoft logo outside Building 4. He mentioned he hadn’t taken public transit in the U.S. because he was worried about safety. I assured him it was fine—clean, quiet, and friendly. I even taught him how to buy tickets via app. We planned to take the light rail back to Bellevue together, but it started raining, so he called a cab. I gave him the last of my gifts as a parting token.

Around a dozen MVPs came from China. One of them, KOKO, is from Taiwan. While chatting, I found out he attended my 2019 COSCUP talk—what a small world!

On my second day in the U.S., it was Yaoyao’s birthday. While exploring Seattle, I decided to send a birthday card. I got lost trying to find the post office, and just then, an American man hurried up and asked me the same thing. We searched together and finally found it.

While taking photos at a seaside park afterward, a shirtless bodybuilder photo-bombed my shot. When he noticed I was taking pictures, he struck a pose and smiled. I gave him a thumbs up. As someone who enjoys talking to strangers, I loved moments like these.

photo-bombed by a bodybuilder

Wandering Around Seattle

On my second day in the U.S., I spent the whole day exploring Seattle. I bought a CityPASS C3, which is kind of like a sightseeing bundle, for around $120. I chose the Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Space Needle, and a cruise on Lake Washington. The experience reminded me of visiting the Pudong Art Museum, the Oriental Pearl Tower, and taking a Huangpu River cruise back home.

I rode around the city on shared electric scooters. It was relaxing, though a bit chilly. I thought I’d already frozen enough riding from Pier 70 to Pier 55, but I almost froze to death on the lake cruise. Still, I enjoyed it.

I really liked the small parks by the sea. Sitting on a bench, I looked down and saw a line etched into the ground: “I’m the captain of my soul.” As I read it aloud and looked up, I saw the vast sea and sky stretched out before me.

poetry

Besides the main attractions, I spent most of my time wandering aimlessly. As a beginner in the art of urban observation, I tried to notice and make sense of the little differences around me. Public transport here is very bike-friendly. Buses have bike racks on the front, and light rail trains have space reserved for bicycles. Some buses can even tilt to one side to help seniors step on more easily.

There are a lot of birds here, and many beautiful little houses in the residential neighborhoods. But in some downtown areas, I also saw homeless people and others clearly affected by drug use, seemingly frozen in place like they had “disconnected.”

photo of a street in Seattle

One of my favorite photos from the trip was taken during one of these walks:

my favourite photo

On the third afternoon of the summit, I wasn’t too interested in the scheduled sessions, so I went to the Microsoft Store. I bought an Xbox controller at half price, then took a ride to the University of Washington to see the cherry blossoms.

There’s a huge lawn in front of the university—well, technically, it has no gate or walls at all. No facial recognition checkpoints. No ID scans with loud “Access Denied” messages. No guards eyeing you suspiciously or blocking your entry. No entry applications or appointments. You can simply walk into the library, pick up a book, and read without worrying whether you’re “allowed.”

Speaking of that, the light rail I took every day—Lines 1 and 2 that connect the greater Seattle area—also has no turnstiles. At every station, there’s just a sign that says “Pay to Enter.” Since I used the Transit app to buy a day pass ($2), I didn’t need to scan anything. There are usually one or two staff members around the station, but in the whole week I was there, no one ever checked my ticket. It feels really nice not to be treated as a potential criminal by default.

train station

It was a truly relaxing week. The natural environment was calming. There were no ugly slogans or propaganda posters in the city. There weren’t many people, but there were plenty of animals. Most people looked healthy and confident—perhaps because they don’t carry as much anger or fear.

Watching a Movie

While planning the trip, I made a list of things I wanted to try—and one of them was watching a movie. When it comes to travel, I actually prefer experiencing local daily life over visiting tourist attractions. I often just pick a random place on the map, or hop on a bus and get off at some unknown stop.

I booked a ticket for a Tuesday discount showing—only $7. The movie was Anora, which had just won an Oscar. The theater was in downtown Bellevue. After picking up my ticket and grabbing a snack, I headed straight in—no one checked tickets.

Unlike in China, where movies start right on time, this one had about 20 minutes of trailers and ads before the movie started. The dialogue was simple, and I could mostly understand it. I thought the movie would end by 11 p.m., but it dragged on until nearly midnight. I couldn’t tell if it was the plot or the jet lag, but I got sleepier and sleepier. In the end, I left early and missed what was apparently a very powerful ending.

By the time I left, it was past midnight, and the buses had stopped running. Taxis were expensive, and there didn’t seem to be any shared bikes or scooters in Bellevue, so I decided to walk back to the hotel. So there I was, walking alone through the streets of America at midnight. Luckily, Bellevue is a wealthy area, and I didn’t get robbed or shot. I only saw two people walking their dogs along the way.

Food

Food was by far the worst part of the trip. Most things I ate were either too salty or too sweet—and expensive. McDonald’s and KFC had beautifully decorated buildings, but the meat in the burgers was tough and overly seasoned.

For someone without a car, life can be inconvenient. There weren’t any convenience stores or supermarkets within walking distance from the hotel. On the first night, I boiled water with the coffee machine and made the only pack of instant noodles I had brought with me. I regretted not packing more for the rest of the week.

On my last day, I finally had a decent meal. Zhou Pengfei treated Cynthia and me to Thai food. It was the closest thing to Chinese cuisine I had all week, and both my stomach and I were deeply moved.

Heading Home

I originally wanted to stay a bit longer, but the scholarship required round-trip flights within a one-week window. On the flight home, I stood up to stretch and glanced at the in-flight screens. So many small screens, each playing a different story, all beginning and ending in just two hours.

One of the screens near me was playing Brooklyn. Watching the heroine torn between life in New York and her hometown made me feel sad. We’re all so small. Life is short. The choices we face are few and often difficult. Most of our days are consumed by effort tinged with bitterness, or by tedious work that feels like wasted time.

Why not take a walk by the sea? Soak up the sun. Make new friends. Share a little joy. Maybe get some fries, too.

movie

I remembered waking up at 4 a.m. on the first day, too jet-lagged to sleep, thinking to myself how great it was that the next few days were all about relaxing and enjoying life.

That line of poetry by the sea—I later found the full verse online. It’s from Invictus by William Ernest Henley:

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

Published at Jun 28, 2025 , Edit on GitHub

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