January/February 2007 | Home

West Meets East

by Helen Cheung
EBSTC President-Elect

(Editor's note: This article first appeared in the December 2006 – February 2007 issue of TransAlpiner , the quarterly newsletter of the STC TransAlpine Chapter.)

I recently attended the STC Region 2 International Conference in London. I live in the United States, specifically in Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area). Almost everyone that I met assumed I lived in London or somewhere in Europe and were quite surprised when I told them I was from California. They all asked me: “What made you travel so far across the world for a conference?” I attended the conference for several reasons:

It was a great excuse to travel abroad and visit London.
It was a chance to network with fellow technical communicators.
I was curious about what a regional STC Conference was like.
The conference was part of my professional development.

Visiting London

I had never been to London and when I saw an email about the conference, I thought this would be a good excuse to take a few days off of work and travel abroad. Not only was this a chance to immerse myself in technical communication for two days, but I would also have an opportunity to visit a beautiful city. The social event Friday evening was well worth the trip. It is not everyday that I get to view London from atop the London Eye. The evening view of London was breathtaking. After the conference ended, I spent a few days exploring London. I enjoyed every minute of it and hope to return again in the future.

Networking Opportunity

Attending an STC event is a great way to meet fellow technical communicators and network. When I attend an STC event, I am always excited about meeting new people. I also like to find out what others do and share experiences and exchange ideas. More likely than not, we share a lot of similar experiences, both positive and negative! I find that I make lasting friendships with those that I
have met at a conference. This conference was a great way to expand my network internationally because I met a lot of great people from all over the world.

Curiosity

This was my first regional conference as well as international conference. I was particularly interested in seeing how a regional conference differs from the national STC Conference. A regional conference is definitely shorter in duration with a smaller attendance. Also there are fewer topic “tracks”, but I still found a lot of value in all the sessions that I attended. Like the national STC Conferences, the Region 2 Conference was well organized and the speakers were engaging and knowledgeable.

Professional Development

I attended the conference as part of my professional development. I believe it is important to keep up with the latest trends and see what is “hot”. Conferences are a great way to gather this information, and they provide a wealth of information that I can take home and apply on the job. I have shared what I have learned at the Region 2 Conference with my colleagues at work. I will also include my attendance at the conference in my performance assessment with my manager. This demonstrates my continued desire to further my knowledge in my profession.

I do not regret traveling close to 3000 miles (4828 kilometers) to attend this conference. The conference was affordable and the topics have been valuable to my professional development. I learned a lot, made new friends, and I had a chance to see London. I look forward to future STC Conferences (regional and national) at home and abroad. I hope to see those I met in London at the 54th Annual STC Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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January/February 2007 \| Home	West Meets East

	by Helen Cheung EBSTC President-Elect (Editor's note: This article first appeared in the December 2006 – February 2007 issue of TransAlpiner , the quarterly newsletter of the STC TransAlpine Chapter.)
	I recently attended the STC Region 2 International Conference in London. I live in the United States, specifically in Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area). Almost everyone that I met assumed I lived in London or somewhere in Europe and were quite surprised when I told them I was from California. They all asked me: “What made you travel so far across the world for a conference?” I attended the conference for several reasons: It was a great excuse to travel abroad and visit London. It was a chance to network with fellow technical communicators. I was curious about what a regional STC Conference was like. The conference was part of my professional development.
Visiting London	I had never been to London and when I saw an email about the conference, I thought this would be a good excuse to take a few days off of work and travel abroad. Not only was this a chance to immerse myself in technical communication for two days, but I would also have an opportunity to visit a beautiful city. The social event Friday evening was well worth the trip. It is not everyday that I get to view London from atop the London Eye. The evening view of London was breathtaking. After the conference ended, I spent a few days exploring London. I enjoyed every minute of it and hope to return again in the future.
Networking Opportunity	Attending an STC event is a great way to meet fellow technical communicators and network. When I attend an STC event, I am always excited about meeting new people. I also like to find out what others do and share experiences and exchange ideas. More likely than not, we share a lot of similar experiences, both positive and negative! I find that I make lasting friendships with those that I have met at a conference. This conference was a great way to expand my network internationally because I met a lot of great people from all over the world.
Curiosity	This was my first regional conference as well as international conference. I was particularly interested in seeing how a regional conference differs from the national STC Conference. A regional conference is definitely shorter in duration with a smaller attendance. Also there are fewer topic “tracks”, but I still found a lot of value in all the sessions that I attended. Like the national STC Conferences, the Region 2 Conference was well organized and the speakers were engaging and knowledgeable.
Professional Development	I attended the conference as part of my professional development. I believe it is important to keep up with the latest trends and see what is “hot”. Conferences are a great way to gather this information, and they provide a wealth of information that I can take home and apply on the job. I have shared what I have learned at the Region 2 Conference with my colleagues at work. I will also include my attendance at the conference in my performance assessment with my manager. This demonstrates my continued desire to further my knowledge in my profession. I do not regret traveling close to 3000 miles (4828 kilometers) to attend this conference. The conference was affordable and the topics have been valuable to my professional development. I learned a lot, made new friends, and I had a chance to see London. I look forward to future STC Conferences (regional and national) at home and abroad. I hope to see those I met in London at the 54th Annual STC Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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