Winning the GUFF

Oh dear, it took me a while to write this post. There are a few reasons for this including a lot of things I had to do shortly after winning the GUFF race. Still, here I am to share with you how it went and how it matters to me.

The announcement

Soon after the Follycon I received an email informing me that I had won the GUFF race. I was unable to believe it. It was simply something I was not expecting – I was almost sure that Alice and Steve would receive this honour that they really deserve.

In the beginning I was both happy and terrified. As stated before, for me, being a GUFF delegate is a serious responsibility and therefore I started to panic if I would manage. Fortunately this feeling has passed and I am feeling confident again.

Two men sitting behind the table. One looks at the sheet of paper he is holding. The other one is also looking there. Being on a panel is a sort of responsibility but for me it is not comparable to the one coming with being the delegate.

What was surprising to me that I was not feeling an overwhelming joy. I had no idea why… This I understood later – it seems that deep inside I was not able to believe that I won the race. I was somehow expecting a next email stating that there was a mistake in the calculation or something. It took me some time to really believe that I’ll be going to Australia. And,oh dear, then I started to cheer as a little child. I was laughing and jumping and being so really, really happy!

The planning

Now I am in the planning phase of my trip. For the last two weeks I have been checking the airline websites and information about the cities I would like to visit. I’ve really enjoyed that. Looking for the best way to enjoy my time in Australia and New Zealand is so cool. Making the hard decisions what I am going to see and even the harder ones: what I would have to miss. In the meantime, I was talking to people, asking them for any advices they might have, and sharing my joy.

One man is sitting and looking into a book. The second one is standing reading drom a book and laughing. SMOFcon 35 was my first convention on another continent. And the one to which I had to travel the longest distance. Continnum will be way farther away from Kraków.

During the last two weeks I was constantly thanking people for all the help. All the questions they answered, all the kind offers of hosting me in Australia and New Zealand, all the advices, and all the emails when someone was kindly offering help with my trip. I am cherishing all these moments. People are showing what a great community we are.

The feeling

Now, when I have the plan for my trip and I am trying to fill it in with activities in each of the cities, I think I am even happier than when I finally understood that I am going to Australia. Maybe I’m not behaving as a child jumping up and down from joy, but deep inside I am feeling so really, really happy. It is happiness coming from gratitude and from looking forward to meet all these fantastic people and finally also for being able to make my dream come true.

Man sitting and laughing. He wears crayfish hat and he keeps polar bear on his knees. This is my mood in last couple of days

I am not sure if I managed to describe how happy I currently am. Still, as a last remark, I will say that the perspective of the trip gives me a lot of energy.

Once again I would like to thank everyone who helped me making this dream of mine come true.

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