This was the first real team-building experience where all my colleagues traveled to Malaysia from around the world - from China, India, Europe, and Uganda.
In early June, I purchased flight tickets and booked hotels for my family, but due to other unavoidable commitments, I had to travel alone with my colleagues.
On July 1, we all left Shenzhen Airport for Kuala Lumpur. Many people were excited as it was their first time abroad. The almost 5-hour trip made many of us tired and hungry, so I took out RM100 for some of my colleagues to buy food on the flight.
In the evening, I led some people to taste the local specialties (Malaysian Indian food) and visit the local landmark, KLCC.
Early on July 2, we set off from the hotel front desk for Port Dickson, a resort close to the ocean. After lunch, most of us marched along the beach in groups of three or five, which was less lively and nice than I thought it would be, but it was better than nothing.
In the evening, a few boys bought some beers, and we chatted on the beach’s edge, where we couldn’t see each other. Colleagues from India and Uganda joined us, and we talked about everything from childhood stories to life experiences after growing up.
Early in the morning of July 3, most of us went to a nearby beach with our guide. The guide took us around the Straits of Malacca via speedboat, showed us the lighthouse for ships to point the way, and helped us experience scuba diving in an open area.
I had never been in the water, so I was scared. As I watched people on the boat go into the water one by one, I slowly went down the ship’s side. The feeling after going into the water was marvelous. With the help of the high density of salt in the seawater and the double effect of life jackets, sinking to the bottom of the sea was impossible. At most, my head was shallow below the surface. My body rolled and spun uncontrollably, and the more nervous I felt, the more I couldn’t control it, so I had to rely on my friends' help to align my position.
After lunch, I left with some friends to go to the hotel in Kuala Lumpur to take care of other things.
Early in the morning of July 4, we headed to the Meetup site, where the chairs and equipment had been prepared the night before and were waiting for the participants to arrive. To help participants find the right place, I greeted them at the entrance of the Ground Floor. The weather was hot and muggy, but I only felt excitement as I tried to get more people to join the event. From time to time, I saw people who were looking for a place, so I took the initiative to confirm it. The day went well, but the downside was that many participants who had promised to come could not do so, perhaps because they needed help finding the place.
Early in the morning of July 5, I went to another client’s office, and we exchanged views on their scenarios and problems with Apache APISIX. I later learned that several well-known local companies in Malaysia are using Apache APISIX to handle their business traffic.
On July 7, we traveled to Singapore to prepare for another Meetup. Singapore has a great environment, no traffic congestion, but only one thing: a high cost of living.
On July 8, we had our first local Meetup at HackerSpace SG. There were very few people there, but we had a great time talking and gathering a lot of advice on the project and the company’s development.
One of the things that struck me on this trip was that we’re doing something global and gathering people from all over the world to participate. Many of our colleagues have worked together for several years, but this was our first meeting. We were doing something right: there was honor from our members, support from our clients, and demand from the market.
Furthermore, when my French colleague invited me for fun, I refused because I felt exhausted. After he said, “You worked too hard, but nobody pushes you on work,” I instantly felt the corners of my eyes sour. Who is asking for hard work? (I later realized I felt so tired that day because of a fever.)
