Three years of community work. One accepted talk. One visa. One flight from Nepal to Spain. And finally, GUADEC.
For the past few years, GNOME has been an important part of my journey. I have been contributing to the community, working with GNOME Nepal, organizing activities, meeting people from different parts of the world, and learning from the community along the way.
This year was particularly special because my talk was accepted for GUADEC 2026. After almost a month of preparation, paperwork, and the visa process, everything was finally ready. I was going to A Coruña, Spain—not just to attend GUADEC, but to speak there.
What followed was a week filled with talks, community discussions, people I had known online, people I was meeting for the first time, old connections from previous GNOME events, and plenty of opportunities to explore A Coruña.
So, here is my experience of GUADEC 2026—from the journey from Nepal, to giving my talk, meeting the GNOME community, exploring A Coruña, and finally reaching the last day of the event.
The Journey Begins
On 14 July, Aditya Singh and I left Nepal for Spain.
During our layover in Doha, we met Aryan , which made the long journey a little more interesting. After a long journey, we finally reached A Coruña on 15 July.
We were staying at Rialta, near the Facultade de Informática, where GUADEC was being held. After getting off the plane, I met Petr Kovář (@pmkovar).
Later, we got off the bus and talked for a while before continuing towards Rialta.
Arriving in A Coruña and the Pre-event Dinner
That evening was the pre-event dinner. We got ready and went out to meet everyone.
One of the first people I met was Kristi Progri (@kprogri), one of the organizers, who warmly welcomed me. I also met Anisa Kuci (@akuci), Asmit Malwankar (@Asmit2952), and Deepesha Burse.
I was looking for vegetarian food, but it seemed like the definition of vegetarian food was a little different from what I was expecting. I was also having some trouble communicating in Spanish, but everyone was very friendly and welcoming, which made things much easier.
Around that time, I also met Mari Maj (@MariMaj ). Everyone was in a very cheerful mood, and it was a great way to start the GUADEC experience.
The First Day of GUADEC
We took the bus from Rialta to the university in the morning. I was extremely happy because, for me, being at GUADEC as a speaker felt like a dream come true. I had been continuously working with GNOME and the community for almost three dedicated years, and finally I was there.
When I saw the GUADEC 2026 standee, I was really excited. I had seen GUADEC online many times before, and now I was standing there in person.
I went to the registration desk next to the main hall on the ground floor and got my registration card. I also had my handwritten custom card, which was definitely something I wanted to keep as a memory. 
My talk was scheduled as the third session in the second hall. Before the session started, I tested everything I could — the setup, presentation, and slides. Then the moment I had been preparing for finally arrived.
I gave my talk: Building GNOME Communities Beyond Borders: Lessons from Nepal and South Asia
This talk was based on my experience working with GNOME Nepal and the wider GNOME community. I wanted to share not only the successful parts, but also the ups and downs, challenges, and lessons we learned while building the community.
Giving the talk at GUADEC was a very special experience for me because I had been preparing for this for years.
Watch my talk:
After my talk, I went downstairs and attended another session. Later, we had lunch together.
After lunch, I walked through the garden around the main building. The venue was beautiful, the city was clean, and the hosts were great.
During the day, I met Federico Mena Quintero(@federico). This was particularly special because I had first met Federico in Kathmandu in 2023 during GNOME Asia 2023, when I was just an attendee. I attended his talk about GTK and the toolkit, and that experience encouraged me to start exploring and using GTK. After several years, we met again, this time at GUADEC in A Coruña.
I also met Felipe Borges(@felipeborges), who was the first international speaker to give a session for GNOME Nepal virtually. Meeting him again at GUADEC was another great moment for me.
That brought the first day of GUADEC to an end.
2nd Day: More People and Exploring A Coruña
I woke up early and took a short tour around the area near Rialta before heading to the venue.
At the venue, I met Thomas Depeierre, Federico (@federico), Aaditya and Guillaume Bernard (@gbernard).
During a break, I also met Allan Day.
I visited the Igalia booth and met Ujjwal Sharma and Emmanuele Bassi(@ebassi). There were many interesting conversations throughout the day, and I was meeting more people whom I had previously known only through online conversations or community activities.
After the event, we went out to explore the coastal area. We visited María Pita and Igrexa de San Xurxo.
I really enjoyed the balance between attending the conference and exploring A Coruña. We had the talks and discussions during the day, and then we had the opportunity to experience the city, coastline, parks, architecture, and local culture.
3rd Day: Community Discussions, AGM and Formal Dinner
On 18 July, while on the way to the venue, I met Charles Wang, an attendee from France. We had a great conversation and shared our views and experiences around the GTK library and the GNOME ecosystem. It was interesting to exchange perspectives and hear his thoughts on GTK and GNOME.
Later, I met Asman Malika, and we talked about local GNOME chapters and community building.
There were many talks throughout GUADEC that I found inspirational. One thing I noticed during the event was the attendee retention. Almost everyone seemed to be coming back every day. People were not simply attending one session and leaving; they were staying, participating, meeting others, and being part of the community throughout the event.
I also attended the Annual General Meeting and the formal conference closing session.
That evening was also the formal dinner. We reunited at the restaurant for dinner, and the arrangements were wonderful. The dinner and drinks had a traditional local touch, which made the evening even more memorable.
It was a great opportunity to spend some more time together outside the regular conference schedule.
4th Day: GNOME Nepal Localization and Community Contributions
On 19 July, we went to the venue and met Guillaume Bernard and Maria. We discussed the localization work of GNOME Nepal and talked about our community activities and informal sessions.
We also discussed how contributions are recorded in documentation and how we can move towards making actual contributions more visible through GNOME dashboards and meaningful contribution metrics.
This made me think more carefully about the different ways people contribute to GNOME. There are technical contributions, but there are also many non-technical contributions that are equally important to the community.
It was a very useful discussion, and I came away with several things to think about for the future of GNOME Nepal.
We also watched the World Cup and got to enjoy more of the culture, atmosphere, and vibe of A Coruña and Spain.
Outside the conference, I also had the opportunity to visit different parks, coastal areas, tourist places, beaches, and other parts of the city. Seeing the scenery and experiencing the city was an important part of the event for me.
The Final Day
On the final day of GUADEC 2026, I attended the GNOME OS BoF and the GTK Local-first workshop.
There were still interesting discussions and conversations happening until the end of the event.
And then GUADEC 2026 came to an end.
It was hard to believe that only a few days earlier I had arrived in A Coruña and was seeing the GUADEC standee for the first time. Suddenly, the event was already over.
The People Made the Event Special
Looking back, GUADEC 2026 was much more than giving a talk.
Of course, giving my talk was one of the biggest highlights for me, but the people I met made the experience even more special.
I met people for the first time, met people I had previously known online, and reconnected with people I had met years ago in Kathmandu. I had conversations about GNOME, local communities, localization, contributions, technology, and many things beyond the conference itself.
I also enjoyed exploring A Coruña, visiting the coastal areas and beaches, seeing the city, experiencing the local culture, and spending time with the community outside the conference sessions.
This combination of conference, community, people, and exploring the city made GUADEC 2026 an memorable experience for me.
Thank You
There are so many people I could mention, and I am sure I would still forget someone.
I would like to sincerely thank everyone who made GUADEC 2026 possible—the organizers, volunteers, speakers, contributors, sponsors, and everyone who helped and supported the event.
A special mention to Syajwan(@jipangmenjerit) , who was one of the backbones of the event and one of its moderators. Thank you for all the coordination, support, moderation, and work that helped make the event happen.
I would also like to thank everyone who supported me throughout this journey and everyone I met in A Coruña. Every conversation and interaction added something to my experience.
I came to GUADEC to give a talk and share my experience from Nepal. I returned with many new ideas, new connections, and a lot of great memories.
Thank you, GUADEC 2026. Thank you, A Coruña. And thank you, GNOME, for bringing this community together.
Until we meet again!
I have also shared many moments from my GUADEC journey on Instagram:
Sailesh Singh on Instagram
With deepest gratitude and unwavering commitment to grassroots FOSS movements
Sailesh Singh
Speaker GUADEC 2026
Ubuntu Nepal, GNOME Nepal