Wikimania 2024.

 

I recently visited Katowice and Krakow, Poland for a Wikimania 2024,conference. I am still relishing and learning from the experience of just being elsewhere. I become more observant when I travel. I am grateful for the opportunity that I got from the Wikimedia Foundation. 

It is like all my senses open up from travel and a conference. I spend months after attending a conference learning about what I experienced. I did the same thing last year after visiting Singapore. I was intrigued, and was in pursuit to learn more about a Singapore and doing the same with Poland. 

Singapore captured my imagination. I loved seeing the solidarity of a nation, and how Singapore developed into a prosperous City State under the leadership of Kuan Lee Yeh. I was int by in just a matter of 25 years a country and its people developed. The experience made me look around at my country, my city when I returned to the United States. 

It made me think how in the US we can spend decades in dialogue about an issue or a problem and get no results or positive outcome. In fact the problem escalates. The Singapore Wikimania conference and visiting Singapore taught me so much. 

Going to Wikimania 2024, in Katowice, Poland was just as inspiring. I enjoy being around a project driven environment with other Wikipedians. I get ideas and new things to try.

I found Katowice and Krakow, Poland fascinating and a glimpse into an older world culture and environment. I learned about an identity struggle of a people. 

I learned about Katowice's coal miners and the role Poland played in the Industrial Revolution. I saw the value of the labors in society that grew Poland and the country I live in the United States. My father was of the laboring class and so were most of his friends. 

I saw suburbs being built in California, whole communities. My father was a cement finisher. He was proud of his skills and taught others. They were the work men that wore the blue jeans before they became popular. 

The men like my father had metal lunch buckets. My father would always save a treat for me, a cinnamon role, peanut brittle, or a mint paddy.

I was moved by the deep respect that Poland has for their coal miners.

I was moved by the opening ceremony of the Wikimania 2024, when a coal miners band graced the stage.