The Python Podcast.__init__

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Summary

The Python Community is large and growing, however a majority of articles, books, and presentations are still in English. To increase the accessibility for Spanish language speakers, Maricela Sanchez helped to create the Charlas track at PyCon US, and is an organizer for Python Day Mexico. In this episode she shares her motivations for getting involved in community building, her experiences working on Python Day Mexico and PyCon Charlas, and the lessons that she has learned in the process.

Preface

• Hello and welcome to Podcast.__init__, the podcast about Python and the people who make it great.
• When you’re ready to launch your next app you’ll need somewhere to deploy it, so check out Linode. With private networking, shared block storage, node balancers, and a 40Gbit network, all controlled by a brand new API you’ve got everything you need to scale up. Go to podcastinit.com/linode to get a $20 credit and launch a new server in under a minute.
• Visit the site to subscribe to the show, sign up for the newsletter, and read the show notes. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions I would love to hear them. You can reach me on Twitter at @Podcast__init__ or email hosts@podcastinit.com)
• To help other people find the show please leave a review on iTunes, or Google Play Music, tell your friends and co-workers, and share it on social media.
• Join the community in the new Zulip chat workspace at podcastinit.com/chat
• Your host as usual is Tobias Macey and today I’m interviewing Maricela Sanchez Miranda about her work in organizing PyCon Charlas, the spanish language track at PyCon US, as well as Python Day Mexico

Interview

• Introductions
• How did you get introduced to Python?
• Can you briefly describe PyCon Charlas and Python Day Mexico?
  • What has been your motivation for getting involved with organizing these community events?



• What do you find to be the unique characteristics of the Python community in Mexico?


• What kind of feedback have you gotton from the Charlas track at PyCon?


• What are your goals for fostering these Spanish language events?


• What are some of the lessons that you have learned from PyCon Charlas that were useful in organizing Python Day Mexico?


• What have been the most challenging or complicated aspects of organizing Python Day Mexico?
  • How many attendees do you anticipate? How has that affected your planning and preparation?



• Are there any aspects of the geography, infrastructure, or culture of Mexico that you have found to be either beneficial or challenging for organizing a conference?


• Do you anticipate PyCon Charlas and Python Day Mexico becoming annual events?


• What is your advice for anyone who is interested in organizing a conference in their own region or language?

Keep In Touch

• mayela on GitHub
• @mayela0x14 on Twitter

Picks

• Tobias
  • CardLine Dinosaurs



• Maricela

Links

• Python Day Mexico
• PyCon Charlas
• PyCon Hatchery
• PyCon Latin America
• Mexico City
• Guadalajara

The intro and outro music is from Requiem for a Fish The Freak Fandango Orchestra / CC BY-SA

[00:00:13] Unknown:

Hello, and welcome to podcast.init,   the podcast about Python and the people who make it great.   When you're ready to launch your next app, you'll need somewhere to deploy it, so check out Linode. With private networking, shared block storage, node balancers, and a 200 gigabit network, all controlled by a brand new API, you've got everything you need to scale.   Go to podcastinit.com/linode   to get a $20 credit and launch a new server in under a minute.   And visit the site at podcastinit.com   to subscribe to the show, sign up for the newsletter, and read the show notes.   Your host as usual is Tobias Macy. And today, I'm interviewing Maricela   Sanchez Miranda about her work in organizing PyCon Charlus, the Spanish language   track at PyCon US, as well as Python Day Mexico.  

So, Marcela, could you start by introducing yourself? Yeah. Sure.  

[00:01:00] Unknown:

Well, I'm Marcela. I was working in a lot of communities   in Mexico City, Puebla City too. I'm a software engineer   trainee, and   I'm working to   to create communities here in Mexico,   promote   the languages   and open source technologies.  

[00:01:22] Unknown:

And do you remember how you first got introduced to Python? Yeah. A friend of mine  

[00:01:27] Unknown:

tell me about Python   and maybe I I liked to to learn about it. And I loved the the first time that I   I did a function in Python. I loved the simplicity. So   after   finish my   school, I was searching about a video that involves Python   and open source,   and I'm here.  

[00:01:54] Unknown:

And so for anybody who isn't familiar with it, can you briefly describe what the Pycon Charlas track was and what Python Day Mexico is? Yeah. Sure. Uh-huh.  

[00:02:05] Unknown:

Pycon Charlas   burns,   from,   another   initiative   for by Canos   that calls Hachery   that   wants to create spaces for   underrepresented   communities,   minorities.   So we   we postulate   the Pikon Cholas   track   and give   it to Spanish speakers in in the Python space.   A space to   to talk,   to create, to meet other people,   and   that's   that's cool.   And Python day was the first event in Mexico about Python.   I think never in Mexico was   another event about Python,   and we need we need it.   So   we created,   this year, we are running the 2nd edition of Python Day Mexico.  

[00:03:08] Unknown:

And what has been your motivation   for getting involved with organizing these community events beyond just being somebody who uses Python for your work? Well,  

[00:03:19] Unknown:

I think   the first motive was   there aren't a lot of people involved in creating   communities.   So   I won a community of Python   and   I begin it.  

[00:03:34] Unknown:

Yeah. It's usually   1 of the   best motivators   of just trying to   fulfill your own needs and be able to grow a community so that you can take advantage of it as well? Yeah. Yeah. And so  

[00:03:47] Unknown:

somebody   have to begin that.   So I was the person.  

[00:03:52] Unknown:

Yeah. It can be a lot of work to try   and create a community   and bring together a lot of people   when there isn't already an established group. So I'm curious how much of a community there is   for the Python language   in Mexico,   and what the   characteristics   are of the community that you find to be unique   from other Python communities that you've interacted with? Okay. I think,  

[00:04:22] Unknown:

there are a lot of silos.   There are a little group of people that   met him,   may   met there, but   not involved with   with more people, with other groups. So   I want to change that. I want to   the all the groups that exist   communicate,   collaborate   between   between it. So,   it's it's a little hard.   Begin a community   involves time, a lot of time,   and sometimes money,   but it's very graphic   gratificate.   Because   if 1 people learn something new and   when when   he told you,   yeah, I I don't know that this this technology of this library exists and   thanks   for for do this. That's all. That's all for me. I   I I got   the   the thing that I wanted.  



[00:05:28] Unknown:

And have you gotten much feedback from your experience of putting together Python Day Mexico last year and the Python charles track that you're using to feed into,   your work on the Python Day Mexico for this year and any other community building efforts?  

[00:05:47] Unknown:

Yeah.   The   most challenging   thing was   got sponsors.   Here in Mexico, it's difficult   in this financial system.   So   get the sponsors what was the most challenging. So this year,   we prefer don't   don't   put   efforts   or a lot of efforts in that   and do an even more   more for the community and   try to get involved more more the people. So we are running a founding   campaign for this   this Python Python Day Mexico,   this this edition.   And Pyconcellas   Pyconcellas   was very gratificate   because after   the event,   a community   of   of people a group of people   talk about create a Python Latam, something like PyCaribbean.  

So   they work they   are working in that, and I think it's it's   because by conchardless.   So I'm very, very proud of of that. And I think Mario   now made the other chairs of of the track. I are very proud of that too. Yeah. It's always great when  

[00:07:09] Unknown:

your work to try and build the community ends up inspiring other people   to take up that mantle and bring it to their own local geographies and local communities.  

[00:07:19] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah.   It's really, really   gratificating.  

[00:07:24] Unknown:

And what are your personal goals beyond just being able to have other   Pythonistas   to interact with in your own community?   What are your goals for fostering these Spanish language events, both in,   your native Mexico as well as at the PyCon US event? Okay. For Python Python name Mexico,  

[00:07:49] Unknown:

the   beginning,   we want   an event   that moves   around the the country.   So the last year was here in Mexico City,   but now the Python, they   go to Guadalajara City.   Maybe in the next edition,   want to   want   to take   to   Chiapas or something   in the north some state   in north of the country   because we want   to bring Python to to all the country   and meet another Python developers.  

[00:08:35] Unknown:

And what have you found to be some of the most challenging   or complicated aspects of organizing   the Python day event?  

[00:08:43] Unknown:

In this version,   I think the   remote part   because the team the mayor of the team is in Guadalajara, and I'm in Mexico City.   So that is challenging.   And I have another   communities.   So I have more work.   So maybe sometimes I can   take a call about   organization.   That's   that's the the challenge   in in this edition of   the event.  

[00:09:19] Unknown:

And   what size or scale of event   are you anticipating   this year,   and how does it compare to last year's event?   And I'm curious   how that size affects   the planning and preparation that goes into getting the event put together. Okay.  

[00:09:38] Unknown:

Last year, I we was waiting for   600 people.   Well,   we know that   the 50%   of the people registered   go to the event. So   we have   almost   300 people.   And this year, we are waiting   300 people, and   we hope to get more people, but   it's fine if   if just got   300.   And by conciergellas,   we we don't have   expectation   of the number of attendees   now. We are working   in another things. I I'm   I'm taking the social media, so   I'm not   more   involved   in   the in the work until now.   But   the last year was was very, very fine in attendance,   and I hope to to this year what what the next year of the Python,   this could be   increased. The attendance could be increased. So  

[00:10:57] Unknown:

And are there any aspects of the geography or infrastructure   or culture of Mexico that you found to either aid   or inhibit your efforts in organizing the conference?  

[00:11:10] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. I think   here we need   you have to be very, very known   person here, something like influencer.   In order to get   more easily the the things, the sponsor, the venue,   we   in this moment, we have we don't have this.   So   that that is challenging for create the communities, but   but we are working in that. After Python Day Mexico,   we create a community   called   Pymex.   So this year, we got   sponsorship   of a company,   and   now we have   avenue every month,   a secure venue.   And   and that's   it's great because   we want to focus   in organizing,   in getting people to talk in the in the meetup in the monthly meetup,   and   we don't have to   lose time   in searching avenue.  

That's really, really great and good for the organization.   I think here in   in   and in the other places too. And in terms of the  

[00:12:39] Unknown:

topics that you're getting submissions for for the conference,   are there any general themes   that stand out to you or any that you would like to see in subsequent events?  

[00:12:51] Unknown:

Well,   there are a lot of submission,   of   data science. I think the community   here   are   increasing in   exponential   form.   So   there are a lot of submissions   in that topic,   web development.   I think it's   so it's the   the   major topics, web development   and data science.   Yeah. Something   about other things like   create   interfaces with with Python,   but that's all.  

[00:13:35] Unknown:

And for both PyCon, Charles, and PythonDay Mexico,   this is the 2nd year that they'll be going on. Do you anticipate that they will continue to be annual events?   And do you have any   thoughts   on ways that you might either change or improve the events   for subsequent years?  

[00:13:58] Unknown:

Yeah.   Yeah. I think   here in Mexico,   trying to   to involve more   the more the people. I don't know how in this moment but   I'm searching   for ways to   get   involved more people   in the community,   in the event.   And for   Piconcarlas,   I think   I think   they   we could   do a great job   and well, we did a great job the last year. And I think   they   even gonna   increase in   in presence,   in attendance,   maybe   in creating another initiatives in   other countries on   or maybe   creating a,   more huge community of Spanish speakers.  

[00:15:01] Unknown:

And do you have any particular advice   for anybody who's interested   in organizing   a conference or growing a community in their own region or or language?  

[00:15:13] Unknown:

Don't leave it in a in another hands. If   if you can't take it,   if you can't take the ownership of something,   take it.   Just do it.   Don't be afraid.   Just do it.  

[00:15:29] Unknown:

And are there any other aspects   of your experience with   organizing these events and growing this community   that   you think that we should talk about that we haven't covered yet?  

[00:15:43] Unknown:

No. I think it's all   maybe I I'm forgetting something, but I remembered it after the call.  

[00:15:52] Unknown:

And in terms of   managing these communities,   are there any lessons that you have found useful   personally or in your own professional development or your daily work?  

[00:16:05] Unknown:

Yes, The organization.   Take the   take your time for each task,   that I'm working in that   because I'm I'm involved in another   in another communities   like Rust   and like Agile.   Well, I I leave it now, but   before I was involved in Agile in an Agile community here.   Take the time. Don't   mix the work.  

[00:16:38] Unknown:

Alright. For anybody who wants to get in touch with you or attend the events or follow the work that you're up to, I'll have you add your preferred contact information to the show notes.   And so with that, I'll move us into the picks. And this week, I'm going to choose   a card game that I found from, playing with my kids called Cardline,   and there are a few different additions. And the 1 I picked up for us is focused on dinosaurs,   and   that's from the same people who make the timeline card game.   But with this 1, you order the cards based on either the,   size or the time period in which the different species   were around. So it's it's an interesting and fun way to just explore some of the different attributes of dinosaurs, and they have ones on different animals or I think,   geographical regions.  

But in any case, they're fun. They're easy to pick up and play quickly. So I definitely recommend checking those out. And so with that, I'll pass it to you, Maricela. Do you have any picks this week? I like to pick  

[00:17:46] Unknown:

3 setups.  

[00:17:48] Unknown:

Sure. Sure. Maybe.  

[00:17:51] Unknown:

And   you can find me in Twitter   like Mariela,   m   ayela0x14.   In   in   guitar   2, I'm   like Majela, Majela.   0x142.   Usually, I respond the   the comments,   the tweets,   of Python day Mexico   and PyConcharlas too. So   you can reach me   in in their   Twitter accounts too.  

[00:18:36] Unknown:

Alright. Well, thank you very much for taking the time today to join me and talk about your experience   with working on building and growing the communities around Python, Charles, and the Python community in Mexico.   It's definitely a great endeavor, and I'm happy to see the Python community growing in more areas. So thank you for that, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Okay. Thank you too.