Last week, I attended the E2 (Educator Exchange) for Microsoft in Education. It’s my fourth year in a row attending, and this year it was in Toronto, Canada. It was actually going to be in Seoul, Korea, until about January when Microsoft Global Security pulled the event based on the political situation in Korea. Toronto was not as exciting for those of us in North America, but it was an easy time change and there was no language barrier, so it made for an easier trip.
I arrived on Sunday and got to spend Monday morning in my hotel robe, looking out the window from a lovely armchair and desk, catching up on some last minute details. I walked the underground PATH to get some lunch. We need this in the States. It is so cool and it doesn’t feel like you’re underground at all. It’s two stories tall, spacious and bright, and full of people shopping, eating, and walking in between businesses. In the afternoon, my boss, Kim, and I headed out with a colleague from Scotland to explore. We saw the outside of St. Lawrence Market as it was closed on Mondays, and then we saw the outside of the Toronto Ferry terminal to go to Toronto Islands because they are closed on Mondays, and then we saw the reception area at the CN Tower because the staff members were letting people know the visibility was horrible and that we should come back another day if possible. The good news is that we got a good feel for Toronto and walked 5 miles.
On Wednesday afternoon, we did go up the CN Tower! It was sunny and windy, so the outdoor observatory was closed, but there were some great views.
Thursday evening is the gala event. It’s awards, drinks, dinner, dancing, and a whole lot of very happy educators. It was at Muzik Club, which was a very fun venue (actual red carpet and all) Here I am with my teammates who helped make the event work. The one in the middle is in charge of the whole event, and she hires Kim and I to come help. Yay!
And then Friday I caught a train from the hotel to the airport, and I got to Calgary with a minor 20 minute delay, and then things came to a screeching halt. The short version of the story is that the Alaska gate agent would not let me get on the plane. She claimed that because I had arrived less than one hour before my departing flight, my luggage was not on the plane and so I could not board. So I had to wait an additional 5 hours for the next flight home to Seattle. Unfortunately, just as I had suspected and had tried desperately to explain, my luggage had indeed been on the original flight because it had been checked through from Toronto, so it was all for nothing. Alaska got a nice little note from me on Twitter and responded with a decent sized travel credit for my trouble.
It’s my favorite event of the year, and it’s super fun to see the posts still swimming around social media. We had a wonderful time and I’m hoping to be included in next year’s event as well!
The Keene Family 