For the first time since I started attending YAPC::EU in 2001 I’m going to miss the yearly conference.  I’ve been watching the tweets and status updates of people arriving in Kyiv with mixed feelings.  It’s expensive getting from Japan to Europe.  I’ve been lucky that in previous years there have been family events in Europe around the same time as the conference making it easier to justify the expense.  But Ukraine is quite far from my family and not convenient to get to from Tokyo.

I’ve been living in Tokyo for nearly 7 years now and whilst I really enjoy YAPC::Asia it doesn’t feel like my home conference to me.  I imagine that’s because I see YAPC::EU as an opportunity to catch up with friends.  One of my friends called it “the family reunion” aspect of YAPC, which is incredibly important to the people who attend these conferences regularly.  This year I’ll read about the conference from a distance and miss my friends.