Summer School

For the past two weeks, I've been attending summer school for women in IT here in Salzburg. This is the third straight year I've been doing this. I must admit, it's becoming a habit with me. Last week I took a train-the-trainer course, and this week I learned more about this social software called blog.

Last year at this time, a friend from Manila called me on my mobile to say that she's dropping by in Salzburg with her tour group. Would it be possible for us to meet, she asked. I hadn't heard from her in years, and it was a surprise. In between my learning sessions at the summer school, I finally got her on the phone. We agreed to meet at the Mirabell gardens.

When we finally got together, it was almost surreal. I was searching the crowds for a familiar face, when suddenly she came hurrying by across my path. I called her name and she saw me right away. Years fell apart, and it seemed as if we just met yesterday. I introduced her to my family. Then we sat on a park bench and talked about things we hadn't talked about in the intervening years.

This comes to mind now because it dovetails into how ubiquitous technology has become in our lives. Thanks to mobile technology, I was able to follow up her call while I was out on assignment somewhere. Today, a year later, I'm back at the same summer school, learning new things about IT, and making connections. On the Net, and off.

__________

Links:

ditact 2005 supergruppe salzburg

Manila