Introduction
On March 1, I embarked on my first open-source contribution as part of the GSoC program. I felt a mix of nervousness and excitement, uncertain about whether I would make it to the program. Getting started
Before diving into full-fledged contributions, I encountered several issues. Setting up the project proved to be a challenge, as it required numerous dependencies. Although it heavily relied on Python, it didn't specify a specific version. Initially, I was using Python 3.11.0, but I faced difficulties installing the dependencies and encountered numerous errors. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any online solutions.
I attempted to install Python 3.8.16 and then tried version 3.10.0, but I encountered the same error. Finally, I found success with Python 3.9, and that's when things started falling into place. This process took a few weeks, during which I also interacted with mentors and other contributors. I made an effort to understand the codebase as well.
Once these initial hurdles were overcome, I gradually made more contributions and even fixed some issues.
The competition began, and other contributors were also hard at work. Nonetheless, I remained consistent in my contributions. When the window for GSoC opened, I drafted my proposal and sought mentor feedback.
Proposal review
The proposal went through several iterations of review. The mentors provided valuable feedback. At one point, a mentor asked if I could tackle a small task that hadn't been addressed yet. As soon as I saw the request, I promptly worked on it and reported back. The mentor expressed satisfaction with the outcome.
Selection
Fast forward to the results day, which was supposed to be announced on May 4 at 11:30 PM IST. I eagerly awaited the results, but the website kept crashing. Meanwhile, my neighbor received their result and got accepted, while I continued to wait. Eventually, I decided to leave and spend time with my friends. Then, on May 5 at 12:50 AM, I received an email from Google informing me that I had been selected. I was overjoyed!
Community bonding
I was filled with excitement to commence the program and eagerly anticipated the start of the community bonding period. I awaited the official announcements from Google and the organization. During this time, I began communicating with my mentors to establish the goals for the community bonding period and prepare for the journey ahead.