I am working with WordPress for about 6 years. Web development is my passion and I fell in love with WordPress very shortly as it was really easy to pick up and get going.
Since then, I wrote many plugins and created a lot of themes and got involved with WordPress. Also I maintain the official Bengali translation project. Though I couldn’t get my head around with WordPress trac and still I couldn’t contribute to WordPress core, I intend to do so in near future. I am watching closely WordPress development and know the community and developers around it through blogs, twitter, github and so on. But as I am living in a third world country, face to face interaction was not an option.
I see people gather in WordCamps and meet other WordPress folks in person, networking is a breeze in WordCamps. I always wanted to attend a WordCamp and this year I was planning to attend one anyhow. I chose WordCamp Europe firstly because of the cultural gatherings it brings. Countries all over the Europe and America gathers on that event, it was the main attraction to me. But sadly, it’s happening on Sofia, Bulgaria and there is no embassy of Bulgaria in Bangladesh. So I had to skip it.
Next target is WordCamp San Francisco. It should have been the first choice, because it’s The Grand WordCamp! But as it’s harder to get an US visa, I was skeptic on this. But as WCEU was out of question, WCSF was the choice. Interestingly, WCSF offered a travel assistance program this time to bring more diversity. I applied for it and luckily, I got selected. Hell yeah! 😀
I got the official invitation letter from Jen Mylo with details. I submitted my visa application on 4th August (this month) and got the visa interview date at 10th August (today), though I didn’t expect the interview date too soon. So today I attended for the visa interview and I got the visa 😀 . Well, to be specific not today, will get the passport back at 13th August.
So, if everything goes right, I will be attending WordCamp San Francisco this year. I hope it’ll be a blast and planning to arrange the first ever WordCamp in Dhaka next year. Fingers crossed 😀
That is so excellent! This is exactly who should be getting this assistance. I hope you enjoy your time in San Francisco and at WordCamp!
Thanks Julie, looking forward to WCSF 🙂
that’s really awesome and very much deserved! have a great trip with lots of valuable insights and new connections! Congratulations to you and hats off to WordPress for enabling people from all over the world to participate.
thats what i expected