Holiday Countdown 2020 - The lost days part 13 - Fabian Lopez

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Due to the article size limit, older days have to be removed from the main article.

Here is day 18:

 

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Song of the day: Un angel en patitas by Los Arroyeños (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c3oOM1cZ4I)

The next days, we will hop over the Atlantic a few times, today from the UK to California, USA. There we arranged an appointment with Fabian Lopez.

Fabian hosts Community Events in several ( ! ) cities and we’re so happy to have him here as the 18th calendar Leader.

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Fabian is originally from Córdoba, Argentina and is currently living in Southern California.

Hi Fabian, nice to meet you!

How and when did you become one of Atlassian's Community Leaders?

I decided to support the Atlassian Community as Leader in 2010, founding some Atlassian User Groups (AUG) in Orange County (Anaheim) and Inland Empire (Riverside)

What motivates you to be a Community Leader?

I selected the Atlassian platform to support our Electronic Health Record Open Source effort (www.vxvista.org), and Atlassian and marketplace members donated all the required licenses. As a way of giving something in return to all of them, I thought that creating and running local user groups will be the right way of showing our appreciation.

Do you remember your first time using an Atlassian product?

It was in 2009 as we decide to use the products to support our Open Source Community. I was looking for a set of tools that were not too technical and that we can adapt for non-developers or technical users as our target audience was to support the users of the products. Professionals from healthcare (Nurses, Physicians, Laboratory techs, etc.)

Fabian has a lot of unforgettable Atlassian memories:

The last one was when @Scott Farquhar mentioned my name and the project for Warfighter Made during the keynote address, Summit 2019:

 

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Read more about this amazing topic here: https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Teamwork-articles/Unleashing-the-power-of-Collaboration-to-overcome-the-Sadness-of/ba-p/675148

Then, my first Summit and the AtlasCamp in HalfMoon Bay in 2010. It was very casual and the chance to meet @Mike Cannon-Brookes and @Scott Farquhar . I remember a small group of us next to the fire doing Smores, and Scott was joking about that idea of the marshmallows, chocolates, and cookies. It was a good time and the beginning of many friendships with Atlassian team members and marketplace players. The good mood and relationship we were building up during the years is the real spirit and fuel of our community engagement. It was amazing to see many small companies working together to help the customers, with the sole intention of improving their experience. After seeing how those companies evolve, I have the same feeling, and it transpires during the Summit. (It was one of the feedback of a first-time attendee, he was impressed by the level of collaboration among marketplace players.). Personally, it is a pleasure to go to Summit and see my old friends like Guillermo Montoya and the Deiser team, Roberto Dominguez from Comalatech, the K15t team, and Atlassian team members.

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(This was taken nine years later, 2019 in Las Vegas)

Fabian, if you could go back in time to give yourself a piece of advice. What would it be?

Learn multiple languages like English, Portuguese, and Italian and be more involved with non-profit organizations.

Did you have a New Year's resolution for 2020? Did you achieve it?

Yes, it was to

  • present at the Atlassian Summit,
  • visit Argentina and the Iguazu Falls with my daughter.

Unfortunately, the trip and Summit were canceled due to the pandemic, and the Iguazu Falls were unexpectedly dry due to weather conditions.

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Do you have a resolution for 2021?

Yes, visit Argentina and the Iguazu Falls.

I'm sure, there will be a lot of water next time! These falls are impressive!

And I think I know your New Year's resolution for 2022 :-) It will be Summit time again! 

 

What is your fondest Christmas memory?

When I was a kid, I spent Christmas with my grandparents in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina. It was my favorite time, especially the week before while preparing all the food for Christmas evening, and of course, waiting for one of our family members dressed as Santa Claus (Papa Noel). It was in the summertime, so our family of 40 or more stayed late, and then early in the morning, we continue in the park where we played soccer, having good family moments.

And now, it is my time to be Santa.

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What? There’s another Santa except the Northpole one? I’m confused…   - But you're a perfect Santa - The beard might be a bit too much ;-) !

 

What are your favorite Christmas treats?

Good question. I like to change every year and try new recipes. But, Argentinean empanadas and brick oven roasted pig is one of my preferred meals. Apple cider and Pannetone are my favorite drink and treat.

We like to receive our friends and family at our house to share a good dinner and a great time.

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Oh dear, I want to cook with you, Fabian - this looks awesome!

 

Fabians favorite Christmas song is a song called “Un angel en patitas” - Los Arroyeños - Argentina - I hope you listen to it while you read this! 

 

Are there any unique Christmas traditions in your family?

Waiting until midnight to open presents and give our family members and friends best wishes and then recreate and read some Christmas scriptures.

 

Please share a heartwarming moment from 2020 with us.

The best moment for all of us was the birth of my first grandson Thomas in September.

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Oh Grandpa Fabian! This is awesome! And Thomas is a really nice name :-)

 

What are you grateful for?

I am grateful for my family, friends, health, and job. And for so many blessings, I receive every moment of my life.

 

Do you decorate your house for the Holidays? If so, what kind of decorations do you put up?

Yes, we do. We are no the best in our block, but we try to have some decorations, lights, inflatables and more.

We have an artificial Christmas tree. A gift from a friend given for our first Christmas in the United States. We keep it as a reminder of our move from Argentina to the USA.

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Grinch or Santa?

Santa

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Poor Grinch… Will he be able to catch up? Just a few days left...

 

How do you usually celebrate New Year's Eve? Will it be different this year? 

We usually have dinner with our family and friends. We wait for the last minute of the year to celebrate welcoming the new year, hugging each other, and sharing best wishes. For this year we will have a family dinner and play some board games.

That's what we will do as well - playing board games, it's not the time for big parties.

 

If you could change something about how we celebrate the last days of the year, what would it be?

When possible, travel to visit friends and family and looking for service opportunities.

 

Fabian, what was your best movie in 2020?

I like the story and the quality of Mulan. I enjoyed it with my ten years old daughter.

 

What are the unusual things you did this year?

The most unusual, the three COVID-19 tests. Multiple virtual Atlassian Community events in English and Spanish for Palm Beach, Florida, Temecula, California, Córdoba, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. And completing my goal of 150 miles bike ride to support the 2020 Great Cycle Challenge for kids with Cancer.

I greatly admire your social engagement, Fabian! That's amazing.  

 

Here's your chance to give a special shoutout to someone - who is it and why?

Special shoutout to my wife and daughters, who embarked on this adventure of being immigrants in a country with a different language and culture. For enduring and learning about the new place without forgetting our roots, language, family, traditions, and food, and for keeping our legacy always present.
And of course, our dog and cat, always waiting for early morning attention, giving us some joy and happiness.

Disco, our Santa’s Helper:

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Grandpa Fabian, thank you for telling us so many personal things about you - People like you are the heart and soul of our Community! I wish you and your whole family a merry Christmas and a happy new year 2021 with waterfalls full of water and lots of happy moments with your grandson. 

 

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Soumyadeep Mandal
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December 20, 2020

Thanks, Fabian Lopez & Thomas for sharing this awesome annual calendar article for 2020!

Like Thomas Schlegel likes this
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