[Wikimania-l] thank you

[Ray Saintonge]

phoebe ayers wrote:
> For the people who were at Wikimania, there was a lengthy thank-you
> session at the end where we got to applaud the volunteers and staff
> who worked hard on the conference. 
>   
I think these thank yous are important, and the criticisms that may 
develop as we plan for the future should not detract from the 
appreciation that we all feel for the wonderful effort made by the 
Alexandria team.  Whatever discomforts some of us may have felt in 
Egypt, I still believe that choosing to have Wikimania 2008 in 
Alexandria was a good one.

I should add too that despite the security concerns expressed by some 
before the conference, I never felt unsafe in Egypt.  Some of the habits 
were extremely annoying, but none of this ever suggested any malicious 
intent.
> Here were some of my favorite parts of this year's conference:
> ...
> * being in Egypt itself (despite being hot and sick): things like
> getting in a taxi then waiting for the driver to fix his engine before
> we could go; sitting out on the corniche in the evening along with
> everyone else; finally realizing how small the Sphinx actually is
> compared to the pyramids
In Luxor I was riding in a horse-drawn carriage when the horse fell over 
trying to make a turn.  Horseshoes are really not suited to smooth 
pavement.  The carriage had to be removed so that the horse could get up 
again.  Fortunately, he did not appear to be injured.  Life in the 
modern west does not prepare us for this kind of incident.

Somehow, the sickness and other discomforts we have faced add a special 
texture to the happier moments.

Ray