Friday, August 31, 2012

ALE2012: when it's over, it's over

The ALE 2012 event was held in my city, in Barcelona. I had the opportunity to attend an international event and I was excited and scared, but I'm completely satisfied.
I've met incredible people, full of energy, eager to share, and I've learnt a lot of things:
  • You can deliver working software every hour. You may have horrible bugs, but you'll fix them. (side note: you need a very, very skilled team to achieve this).
  • xALEc events every Monday had a purpose. It was like meeting old friends. Thanks Franck, Tony and Kjell.
  • It was fun meeting in person Yves, Oana, Jurgen or Adi.
  • You can connect Agile and music (thanks Marc).
  • Kids don't care about language, but only about you.
  • People can have contradicting opinions. Great discussions that make us grow.
  • Some hippy and new age things fit particularly well in Agile. "People over..." opens a lot of doors. This is not intrinsically bad.
  • I've learnt about responsibility.
  • There's nothing more energizing than having a kid on stage.
  • My English is just enough for these events. No reason to worry about it.
  • I've learnt about facilitation techniques, core protocols, software excellence, retrospectives... 
  • I've been able to share this experience with my boss. Lucky me.
  • I'm GLAD I've started learning these things and I want to learn more.
I've learnt a lot of things but I wan't to keep the emotions more than the thoughts.
Thanks to all the agilists who brought their families. I didn't dare bringing my children, but was amazing having kids in the event.
I feel a little bit guilty having enjoyed the show, while my friends organizing the event were holding it on their shoulders. Thank you Saket, Jaume, Catia and Michael. And the volunteers. You are ALEsome.
I want another ALE now!