In person

We used to meet once a week through the Zoom App – a women’s group where a few people have already met in person, but most of us met just online. Our last weekly meeting was in person, for a special moment at a park. It was our first dinner gathering with our conversation partners, an initiative from the Focus On Ethnic Women to develop connections between immigrants and Waterloo Regional Police service. This was a way to bring  the immigrants and the officers closer- a friendly and safe environment to learn new things about each other.

In Canada, specifically in Ontario, we are still on COVID-19 restrictions. Therefore, some rules still have to be followed and people are slowly becoming able to meet in person after a long period of online gatherings.

I’ve always been a tech person, the first one to say that online meetings could easily substitute in person meetings. I have also always been open for that, especially when unable  to attend groups anymore, but this first gathering showed me a new perspective about it.

It showed me more than the purpose of the program, which is excellent! Making connections with Canadians, who are open to listening to you and willing to learn with you, makes me feel like I belong to this country, helping me to call it my home. (click here to read my last post about it).

But this gathering showed me that I was wrong about my tech philosophy. During the meeting, I made some connections that didn’t flow in the same way when it was online. It truly surprised me. Especially with one person, whose name I didn’t even remember.  At the moment our eyes met, there was a connection between us.

Thank God everything is getting better and simple things are coming back again, such as living in a community and feeling the presence of people again. This is something that technology is still not able to achieve.

Last but not least, as a Human Resources professional, it also made me rethink travel policies, especially when new acquisitions happen. Some companies send their employees to the new factories or offices, even though their employees have already met online. An “easy” way to create rapport between them, and build connections around the world.

There is just one more observation about this gathering: I had never felt so secure in a park 😉