I know there are a lot of summary and retrospective posts that have come out from the SteemFest3 attendees. Perhaps collectively they will create a kind of mosaic of events and experiences that provide a sense of what it was all about for people who weren’t able to be there, while helping those who were to savor all that happened.
I traveled for another week after SteemFest3, and my first post after getting back was a micro-fiction story based on the trip to Auschwitz. Now it’s time for the fun stuff.
Capturing the Essence of SteemFest3
I still plan to write at least one more post about the event (an official #backtosteemfest post for @anomadsoul’s contest), but I had to start here, with an attempt to describe the indescribable — the reason it was so incredibly special.
For me, meeting and hanging out with people I have met online, talked with on Discord, or whose content and community efforts I’ve admired, was the most amazing thing. And I met incredible people I hadn’t yet gotten to know online at all. It was just lovely.
And now for some shout-outs. This is in no way a complete list, but just a collection of some of the moments and the people, and a small token of my profound appreciation.
@coruscate, @nomadicsoul, @jeanpi1908
My roomies! You guys made this trip truly unforgettable for me. You are all so smart and funny and amazing. And rooming together was the easiest thing ever. (Well except for the damn keys!)
Thanks for this cute group selfie, taken in the back of an Uber by @coruscate. Although it’s not totally in focus, it captures that on-the-go moment.
JP, you are the most awesome navigator! Thank you for guiding us all over town and making sure we got to various destinations on time.
Here you are at bowling night, which was crazy fun! I took several pictures of you, and this is the least blurry of them all. (Okay perhaps the night was a bit of a blur.) You always have that Cheshire smile on your face! I love your spirit, sense of adventure, and ability to party all night and get up and go again. (Ah, youth!)
@coruscate and @nomadicsoul, what can I say? You are so much fun! Loved our talks and hanging out in between events, drinking red wine, taking selfies.
Oh, and that hilarious moment when I asked about Mene 24k gold and you squealed and ran to your room to get shirts, and I was just sitting there scratching my head.
I must write more about that in another post! It was just too funny. And the whole thing resulted in a contest win. Woo hoo! More pictures coming to you through Discord.
I have too many favorite moments to list here, but the last day in Krakow, heading to Vincent’s for pirogi was pretty spectacular!
@world-travel-pro
I think you were the first Steemian I met when I got to Krakow, other than my roommates. It was so great talking about travel and life and everything over the course of several days.
I loved hearing about all the places you’ve been and how you have constructed your life around what you love. You are a true inspiration!
Also, I was excited to hear about your project ideas. There were a few people at SteemFest3 that may be able to contribute — including, of course, @nomadicsoul!
@steemcafe
You are a nut, through and through. I’m pretty sure I have never ever met anyone that has your level of energy. You have a great outlet, in Steemit, and your passion for the platform was one of the things that really sparked me at SteemFest3.
I captured this picture of you at the round table, with the “on fire” screen in the background, and an engaged group talking all things Steem. We went over by at least half an hour!
@daveonarrival
It was great talking and hanging out with you, @daveonarrival. Your life of adventure and travel is incredibly inspiring. I’ll never forget Karaoke night!
@raj808 and @jarvie
I love this picture of you guys! That was a super fun night, running around with you and @coruscate and @nomadicsoul and others and ending up in that cute little outdoor restaurant area.
@raj808, you’re one of my favorite new friends from SteemFest. I love your creativity, sense of humor and heart! I really enjoyed talking on the bus ride about our mutual passion for writing.
@blewitt
Wonderful, funny, amazing and generous. There are so many words to describe you, new friend. Thank you for the comic book and for all the laughs. Honestly you helped me to let go of the tension I was carrying around from the trip to Auschwitz, and to regain perspective. I’m sorry for the family loss you are working through right now. Sending you hugs and healing thoughts.
@exyle and Bianca
It was great meeting you two the first night. I’m a fan and follower of your vlog, @exyle, although I am a little ADHD and don’t get there often enough. You are an inspiration for how regular you are at blogging and sharing information.
Also, we all need leaders like you to look up to who aren’t going anywhere. The going has gotten tough, but now’s the time to stick!
@el-cr and @evecab
You two are just adorable, and I really enjoyed bumping into you wherever we went. You have such beautiful smiles and are such genuine, interesting people.
Now I really want to visit Panama!
@hashcash and @adetorrent
I have no particular reason for putting you two together except for that memorable conversation we had about life and learning and creativity that one morning over snack break.
I don’t have a picture of you @hashcash, as I know you aren’t fond of being on camera, but you are a beautiful person. I wish you all the best in your studies and in life.
@adetorrent, I so enjoyed our conversations about art and film, and truly appreciate the tips on creating video. I captured this picture of you clowning as a model photographer. One of my most memorable moments of the trip was the philosophical discussion we had at Auschwitz with @michelle.gent about whether we are inherently good or bad. I remember thinking: Well, there are certainly good arguments for both viewpoints, and here in this place I could be swayed to believe that we are inherently evil, as how else could such a thing occur? I still sway toward good, but believe we are easily influenced.
@vladivostok
I really enjoyed all the chats and hanging out at meals and clubs and bowling. You are bright, intense, a little crazy, super smart and totally awesome. I love this picture of you with @nomadicsoul in the lobby cafe of the Qubus.
I’m still catching my breath from extended travel, but I’m totally going to join your Discord server! Thank you for your leadership. Looking forward to learning from you.
@daniel.errey
I can’t believe this is the best picture I have of you! I seemed to have captured quite a few in dark bars, like at the bowling alley and karaoke. (Ha ha.) This is actually a screenshot of a video. Sorry for the horrible quality!
But I love the look of concentration and intensity here. And I love your wry sense of humor.
You brought a really cool energy to the event.
@steembirds (@dan-atstarlite, @jaybird)
You guys are absolutely fantastic entertainers, musicians and vocalists.
The live music night was amazing, and you totally rocked it. Karaoke night too.
You brought a huge amount of fun to the whole event. Looking forward to seeing you perform again!
@yidneth
It was lovely meeting you, @yidneth, and your performance was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like a musical storybook — dark and dangerous and impossible to set down.
@enginewitty
Dude! It was so fun seeing you again. I can’t believe I didn’t capture a better picture of you, and I was tempted to upload one from our Tennessee meetup!
I’ll never forget that day touring the bear center when we stopped on the road and had a black bear walk right past us. Good times.
Great seeing you at SteemFest! You’re an awesome rapper and emcee. Thanks for being your generous, hilarious, awesome self.
@derangedvisions and @crimsonclad
I’m mentioning the two of you together because I just happened to capture this great picture. Unfortunately the one I took of you posing with the bowling ball didn’t turn out, Crimmy. It’s cute but super blurry. Anyway, both of you are leaders with heart, and you contribute so much. You’re amazing, and it was wonderful to meet you in person.
@techslut and @mrlightning
Now and then you meet people in life and instantly feel like you’ve known them for a very long time. Or should have. I felt that way about you guys. I found you to be warm, sincere, and intriguing. Talking on the way back from Auschwitz was amazing. It was so interesting hearing about your family’s past, @mrlightning, and then reading your researched account of that @techslut. Also, great job on the Utopian.io talk! @redrica and @teamsteem, I wish I’d had more time with you!
@roelandp
Cheers and hats off, and “wow!” You pulled off an amazing event that was truly life-altering for many of us. And it wasn’t just an event. It was a huge series of coordinated events in multiple venues with varying requirements for technology to support a good user experience. Great post thanking the team that pulled it all together. Thanks to all and to you for being the ring leader of SteemFest3.
Finally, @blocktrades, @thewritersblock, @anomadsoul
You guys are the reason I made it to Steemit. A profound thank you for sponsoring the two-part contest that gave me a chance to get to the conference.
The fact that writing a short story helped me to win a ticket and get to Steemfest still blows my mind!
@blocktrades, I’m sorry I never got to meet you at the conference. I kept asking for you, and people said, “He was just here.” And, “I’ll make sure I introduce you.” And then I had to dash off to Munich before the closing dinner, and I somehow never got to meet you in person. I hope to meet you next time.
@thewritersblock (admins @rhondak and @gmuxx), thanks so much for providing the opportunity to win a spot at SteemFest through writing. I feel incredibly blessed for the opportunity.
And wow, you guys did a great job of introducing your project. I can’t wait to see Steemhouse Publishing and WordRow come to life.
A thank you, also, to @detlev for all the work you did in coordinating and emcee’ing! It was so great to meet you. I’m now enjoying reading about #beersaturday and thinking about joining your challenge.
@anomadsoul, I saved you for last to go out with a bang. You are awesome!! Thank you for everything you did for our little group — arranging the AirBnB apartment, checking in to make sure everything was going well, getting the owner to fix little this’s and that’s, helping us to find our way… etc. etc. etc.
You are a kind and generous person, and you do so much for the community. It was absolutely wonderful hanging out with you!
And thank you, most of all, for making the Steemfest Give-away contest happen. None of this would have happened without you!
Oh, there are others! People I loved connecting with and am SO impressed by, but somehow didn’t manage to get great pictures of include @katrina-ariel (so beautiful and talented), @arcange (amazing, generous creator of @steemitboard), @connecteconomy, @twinner, @tarazkp, @celestal (dried fruit guy!), @aggroed, @meno, @elizacheng (Scorpio pal!), @tanbay, @instructor2121, @kevinwong, @mammasitta, and so many others I am sure I am neglecting to mention.
Okay, this was a long post! But once I got started, I kept remembering more and more people I connected with at SteemFest3, and how much I appreciated you all.
