WordCamp Canada in just a word: phenomenal.
Preparing & Traveling
Road trip, anyone? It was about 8.5 hours of driving for me to get there Wednesday before the event.
Why drive if my employer would cover flights? The time spent door-to-door is part of why I choose to drive rather than fly. There really aren’t great long-distance mass-transit options in the northeast USA. Were I to fly, I’d have a two-hour drive to a major airport or an additional connection to get to Ottawa.
Plus, when you work remotely and seldom have time to spend in person with coworkers, going on a road trip together is an adventure. I picked up my coworker Evan in Harrisburg, which is a relatively equal distance for us both.
I grabbed some liquid energy and snacks for sharing. Then the drive really began.
Road Trip Music
I may have listened to Oh Canada before I picked Evan up. Loudly. And sung along at the top of my lungs when no one else could hear me.
I tossed in some of my favorite music after that: Modern Irish, Gaelic, and Canadian-Irish folk acoustic rock. Bands like The Town Pants really hit the spot. Among the favorites is a song entitled Low Tide.
It's 4am and we're sailing away
From the port that we call home
I feel a pain that I cannot explain
A feeling I know all too well
Tears won't help but I weep anyway
For the ones that were left behind
Slowly I can't remember their faces
Slowly they start to die
I want someone beside me
Yet I push them all away
I walk upon these stormy seas
What I feel I shouldn't say
If you only knew what I could do
If you only knew what's really inside
If you only knew what I don't think I could tell you
It's better just to watch the tide watch the tide
Its been way too long since I've been home
Longer than it's ever been before
Too long since I've been on dry land
Too long since I've walked through your door
I'm guilty of a lot of things
I wish I hadn't done
I've sat back and watched
While others set the sun
I know right now
If I could do it all again
I wouldn't be so far away, from me
If you only knew what I could do
If you only knew what's really inside
If you only knew what I don't think I could tell you
It's better just to run and hide,
Run and hide
So many things about this road trip reminded where I was about 10 years ago as a contributor and person in the WordPress community. Friends, I was a shell of myself. I had some rough life stuff, like miscarriages, bullying, and getting fired to process. Whoa. Then I had 2 babies back to back. Life was wild. I was left with PTSD and so much timidity about what I was capable of.
Going to WordCamps once gave me such anxiety and nerves. I knew what I was capable of, but it took some time for me to feel safe, risking letting others see through my insecurities and turn vulnerability into my strength.
Somewhere around 2019 I think I’d healed a good bit from all the harsh experiences in life and began to find my footing again. It was then that another song on rotation during this road trip found its way into my ears.
Come on and wade way out into the water with me...
Come on and wade, way out into the wayer with me
We're drowning on dry land.
How can someone drown on dry land? By staying stuck in what doesn’t satisfy and not risking the deeper waters with friends. Were I to stay in my timidity, I would surely drown. I must go way out into the water.
Ten years later, I am so honored that I get to go to these events and open doors for others. I’ve waded out to deeper waters, but with the help of friends, I am now willing to let others see just what I can do. And I do it because they are some pretty amazing friends.
On the way, we stopped at a fantastic Korean restaurant in Syracuse. It was beside my sister’s favorite Mexican place when she was in grad school there. Road trips are for stopping for authentic meals, not for getting sick on fast food. Bibimbap was precisely what I needed.
We got back on the road just in time to encounter the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. Most of our route was 81 north to the Canadian border. Somehow, though, we went through Mexico during a massive tornado warning.
When we finally arrived at the hotel, the travel gods indeed smiled upon me. See, on my trip to and from WordCamp Europe just a few weeks ago, and I faced canceled flights, two missed connections, a broken suitcase, and a fall on the wet tile in a hotel during an unexpected layover. My back is still feeling that fall. But Residence Inn by the Airport (Marriott) was very kind to upgrade my room to a sweet suite.
Dinner Before
More than the amazing food at The Keg Steakhouse, it was time well spent with good friends. Several of them had just been to WordCamp Europe as well, but we had nearly no time to have any lengthy conversations there. It is so good to sit together for the evening.
Contributor Day
The absolute highlight of any camp for me is Contributor Day. It is a bit of a hackathon but also a time to onboard the two dozen teams that Make WordPress. It was the first more minor camp with a contributor day since pre-pandemic for me. The camp was still nearly 300 strong, but that’s quite different than 780 contributors last month in Torino.
I was so proud of my coworkers involvement in the day as team table leads. We kicked off with introductions before breaking out into working groups.
As the day progressed, I helped Kiera Howe log a bug on the camp website, onboarded 2 new contributors, proofread the meeting discussion of the polyglots multilingual working group meeting at WordCamp Europe, and did a bit of work on WordCamp US contributor day planning.
While the rest of us were chatting, Evan set a goal of reviewing 100 plugins during the day. Here, you can find him in his natural habitat, in a corner undisturbed by others but crushing the review queue. The plugin review team has grown so much, and the submissions’ pace seems to grow with it. Next time you meet a part of the team, thank them for the unseen work they constantly do.
Speaker / Sponsor
The speaker sponsor gathering was fantastic as well. Friends trickled in and mingled for a long night of reconnecting and introducing folks to each other.
The WP Community Collective
Nearly 1.5 years ago, I cofounded the WPCC with my friend Sé. We both are firm believers in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. With a focus on DEIB, we wanted to ensure those who should be able to get to camps and contribute in some ways to the DEIB needs of the WordPress project would amazing things we want to support.
Sessions
The caliber of the sessions at WordCamp Canada are genuinely some of the best I’ve ever seen. From opening remarks to a variety of diverse speakers, the topics covered many different aspects, from developers to being a Canadian citizen employed by an American company. As soon as the replays are available, I’d recommend many of the sessions.
Hallway Track
Have you heard about the Pac-Man theory? It basically comes down to making room for others to join the conversation. I saw so much of this literally in action around me. Those Canadians are so polite you know? My friend Scott has a song about this.
Many camps had a Job Board available pre-pandemic. It has to be one of my favorite things about attending WordCamps. This community loves to help people connect to employment. I help moderate the Jobs.WordPress.net board, but the in-person boards always have unique listings.
Alongside Jobs Boards, many WordCamps have a Happiness Bar. This is a place anyone can stop by to ask for help about most anything. I found Ryan Welcher volunteering to help attendees who stopped by.
On of my superpowers is opening awkward introductions. I love to help the community connect. I make a point to connect with as many of the others on the vendor floor and look for opportunities to introduce people. This is my “flow state” in the community.
Thank You, Organizers
I really enjoy the times when I can spend a bit of time treating the organizers. Rather unplanned, we all went out to dinner and had a delightful evening sitting on the deck.
For years, I was the one at camps that either volunteered or could barely afford to eat. out. It is an honor now to support the community on behalf of my employer and to simplify team receipts too. Shanta and I were delighted with the vibe of Tavern on the Hill. We managed to keep our voices through the event, in part by hanging out without yelling over the music. Her skills at keeping the rain away by yelling at the skies absolutely worked. It was a beautiful night.
After Party and After After Party
Getting a group photo with the Ladies of WP Slack group, meeting Chris, getting poutine with Stephane, and giving away prizes from GoDaddy were just a few amazing parts of the afterparty.
Tiki bars are a common after-after-party. We missed Demo, the frequent ringleader of tiki bar outings, but a good time was had by all. I brought a brick of a power bank and a wire that adapts to Apple Watches and phones. I made new fast friends that way. 😂. But found myself outside with the smokers soon after. I love lingering long into the night, but the volume and lights seem to be a bit much for me. Find me sitting around a campfire with drinks and instruments any night. Still, it was a great time.
The Journey Home
On the way home, we found ramen in Syracuse and again passed by Mexico.
In addition, Evan and I listened and chatted through
The Future of WordPress w/ Kevin Geary and will share ideas related to our employer mentioned in the episode soon. It was weird and refreshing to listen to a podcast with someone else. Usually, I don’t play podcasts in the company of my family or travel with others. Instead, we both were curious to hear the ideas shared.
WordCamp, Eh?
Organizers have been working on this event happening for 6 years or more. The goal was 500 attendees, and we came in just under 300. Was it worth it as a sponsor of the event? Yes absolutely. Aside from our team actively involved in contributor day, we met with many customers, and I was able to also connect with possible partnership opportunities. I was surprised to see the various agencies and plugin companies present for the event. Truly, thanks to the team that made this event possible. Can’t wait to see you next year.
