WordCamp San Jose, Costa Rica 2022 Recap

1 year ago

Years of waiting were yet over: WordCamp San Jose was a spell and took spot connected November 5 and 6. Two and a fractional years ago, it was being planned, and precocious hopes were placed arsenic this was by acold the largest WordCamp successful Latin America.

Like galore communities worldwide, we were dismayed by what went connected with the satellite arsenic COVID unraveled and changed our lives. Back then, arsenic with galore difficulties, we asked ourselves erstwhile we would beryllium backmost again aft everything was gone.

Time and beingness volition ever reply this for you.

The WordCamp was planned astir 6 months earlier it took place. The fantastic squad of organizers are beloved friends of ours, arsenic Ericka, Rita, Irene, and I are from Costa Rica.

We had meal earlier this twelvemonth which marked the archetypal clip galore of america met and encouraged radical to travel backmost successful immoderate mode possible. To speak, volunteer, organize, oregon whatever.

After that, the unit got started and dilatory but surely, they went backmost astatine it. I person tremendous admiration for each of them.

Some are friends I person known for years, and I respect their tenacity to bash this. Because it is simply a batch of enactment that goes unnoticed truthful that radical person a bully time.

But arsenic always, those that bash cognize (the magnitude of enactment it takes) person thing but gratitude towards them.

This WordCamp was planned smaller and successful a antithetic venue, which is astir a mile from wherever the aged 1 was. The tone oregon extremity was to get things back, smaller, and instrumentality it from there.

Everybody was excited. And successful the end, the lawsuit was sold out. Good!

Speaker and Sponsor Dinner

This WordCamp Speaker and Sponsor meal was a spot away. And I americium mean, AWAY. Like astir 2 hours with postulation and 1 hr without. It was astatine the Restaurant Agnus, which is successful the acold eastbound of wherever I live.

Costa Rica is made up of the Central Valley, which is the economical bosom of the country. So, going determination was going to instrumentality a immense crossing. But I did, and we had a large time.

It was large to spot immoderate chap speakers who I had seen successful erstwhile years, arsenic good arsenic the meal we had hosted earlier this year, alongside caller faces.

I got to spot William and Aida again, and Moncho this time, who is from Spain, Canarias, and is portion of the sponsors excessively (SiteGround). I had seen him concisely astatine Porto, and this time, it was much relaxing to talk and person a bully time.

Also, I met up with Ana Garcia, a chap organizer retired of Valencia, Spain, astatine a speech that I attended during WordCamp Porto.

After a fewer hours, the enactment was over. Tomorrow was Camp time and you gotta beryllium crisp arsenic a razor to beryllium determination each time and talk to tons of radical and bash tons of things astatine once.

So, location by midnight and connected to remainder for a fewer hours.

The Venue

The Camp was astatine the University of Fidelitas, which acknowledgment to Rita, we were capable to get.

There were nary complaints astir the venue. It was suitable for a smaller campy (about 400) and the occupation went well. The upwind wasn’t bully though, which is ironic considering we had our San Jose WordCamp during September erstwhile the upwind is worse than it is now.

But, ohio well. We can’t person it all.

Getting determination was a breeze since it was Saturday morning. I person been to galore WordCamps, and person a batch of experiences to share. However, determination is nary feeling similar having the Camp “at home”.

Everything goes slower, you person much vigor (since traveling is simply a batch less), and you person a consciousness of familiarity.

Needless to say, I got determination with fractional of the swag. The different fractional was successful Ericka’s hand, arsenic she was the 1 who acceptable our booth up.

Our Booth astatine WordCamp

Top class. I person to springiness a immense shoutout to Ericka, since she did, by far, 1 of the champion booths we’ve had astatine immoderate WordCamp.

It was FANTASTIC.

We had tables, chairs, a java machine, and of course, the swag that killed it. We had to really dilatory down with the swag due to the fact that astatine the bushed we were going, we were decidedly going to tally retired of it successful little than a day.

Shirts were being asked for by attendees arsenic soon arsenic we placed them connected the table. Shoot, beauteous overmuch each of our swag was. We yet ran retired implicit the people of 2 days.

It was besides large to person Rita and Irene connected board. It was their archetypal clip astatine a WordCamp attending arsenic sponsors. Whilst I person done camps with antithetic radical present astatine GreenGeeks, it was a bully alteration to spot the 4 of america enactment together.

Great people. Like each of america present :-).

Ericka besides had a astonishment for us: she brought a nonrecreational barista to marque java for people! It was great. So great, the queues were highly agelong and we ran out.

It was a information waiting to happen. This was specified a bully item that I hadn’t seen before!

Day One

So, with our WordCamp booming, we erstwhile again went backmost to each the magic.

The networking, the people, the talks. The quality interaction. I had a large time, and connected the archetypal day, I attended 1 talk, which surprises nary one.

It was a techie speech fixed by Damian Suarez, a chap Automattician retired of Argentina. It was astir Gutenberg and gathering blocks. Needless to say, tech topics were discussed specified arsenic APIs, React, and whatnot. It was a bully talk.

On the archetypal day, we took our radical picture. This 1 was solid.

Day One Afterparty

The afterparty was held astatine PubRock, which is the aforesaid spot we had it 3 years ago, but they moved locations. So, it was the aforesaid spot but astatine the aforesaid time, it wasn’t?

I know. Needless to say, the enactment was smaller, mode smaller, than 3 years ago. This was owed to 3 things: the archetypal 1 is simply a spot obvious: less radical this WordCamp than 3 years ago.

The 2nd crushed had to bash with the weather. We had precise atrocious upwind this play successful Costa Rica. Typically, each year, determination is simply a tropical tempest earlier the adust play comes in. Think of it arsenic the “last stand” by the rainy play earlier the adust season.

The past crushed had to bash with the information that determination was a shot (soccer) last that night. And thus, astir radical were glued to that and didn’t attend.

So, the enactment was relaxed, and aft a fewer hours, it was clip to telephone it a day. Exhausted, happy, and with 1 much time to go.

Day Two

As ever is the lawsuit with WordCamps, the pursuing time saw a alteration successful the fig of radical that made it. So connected Sunday, it was a spot calmer but that doesn’t mean it was little fun.

It was clip to speech to the different sponsors, and I had a large connection with Moncho and Ana from SiteGround. They are flat-out, fantastic WordPress people. It was truthful large to spot people.

Moncho and the SiteGround unit had to alert backmost early, truthful they near astir noon. We shared hugs of goodbye with an “I anticipation to spot you again successful the future.”

Always bittersweet erstwhile it comes to WordCamps.

After that, I was capable to spot immoderate talks, specifically my person Rommel Castro, from Costa Rica, who gave a speech astir plan patterns.

They are fundamentally patterns of codification that are meant to beryllium reusable passim your codebase, and it’s ever refreshing to spot them successful action.