Accidentally Social: How ESEAP Conference 2026 Pushed Me Out of My Comfort Zone

Although this was not my first international Wikimedia gathering, it was the very first time I felt entirely like myself.

Historically, in-person human interaction hasn’t been my strongest suit. However, diving into the field of Human-Computer Interaction forced me out of my comfort zone—after all, to design for people, you have to understand them.

The Wikimedia Movement proved to be the perfect sandbox for this. Active since the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve always viewed this community as a “blue ocean” teeming with untapped potential. Yet, for two years, I remained a “good passive listener”, safely occupying the back row.

When I travelled to the ESEAP Conference 2026, I didn’t have a grand plan to change. But looking back on my time in Kaohsiung, I realise something unexpected happened: without even intending to, I finally stepped out of the back seat.

The Accidental Catalyst: Presenting and Facilitating

My journey out of the back row started on two fronts: my own professional contributions and an unexpected role as a facilitator.

On the professional side, I had submitted both a lightning talk and a poster presentation for the conference. To my surprise, both were selected. I found myself delivering a lightning talk on the Thai Wikipedia Home Page Revitalisation project and presenting a poster on Thai Wikipedia’s version of The Wikipedia Adventure. Suddenly, I had a schedule to keep and an audience to face; there was no hiding in the back row when my own work was on display.

But the real stretch came from stepping up to support a colleague. He was navigating the conference outside his comfort zone, and I found myself stepping into a vital support role—facilitating his first-ever international meetup, helping organise things outside our hometown, and acting as an interpreter when the English language barrier became challenging.

Driven by this collaborative energy, I even hosted an UNO meetup for a group outside my usual circle of acquaintances. And to top it all off, I somehow found myself on stage singing karaoke! If you had told me a few weeks ago that I would be presenting research, interpreting for a colleague, organising card games, and singing in front of a crowd of strangers, I wouldn’t have believed you.

The Post-Conference Epiphany

It wasn’t until the event concluded and I began to reflect that the realisation hit me. I hadn’t arrived in Kaohsiung with a grand plan to change my habits. But by simply saying “yes” to the opportunities to present, and focusing on helping a colleague thrive, I had completely broken out of my own shell without even realising it.

Acknowledgement

Without the warm support and welcome from the ESEAP Conference 2026 Core Organising Team and friendly Wikimedians around the world who joined this event, this blog post would certainly never have been written. Please give them a huge round of applause—they truly deserve it!