With GUADEC 2012 starting in just two weeks, GNOME News is starting a series of interviews with members of the local organizing team. Our first interview is from one of the members of the local team, Laura M. Castro.

Where do you live and/or work?
I live and work in A Coruña.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Nothing out of the ordinary, really. I like to spend as much time as possible with my loved ones and closest friends, I love traveling and visiting new places, and I enjoy reading and listening to music.

What is your favorite part of A Coruña (and/or the surrounding area)?

I think the park at Monte de San Pedro (Saint Peter’s Hill) is one of the best spots in the city. It has privileged views of the whole city and the sea, it overlooks a very impressive cliff, and its green grass is perfect to lay down and just let the time flow away looking at the sky. The only bad thing is that it is naturally very windy most of the time… but again that is usually true for most of the city. Picasso did call A Coruña ‘the city of the wind’ for a reason!

Why did you want to hold GUADEC in A Coruña?
It is not the first time I have been involved in the organization of events related to the free software world, and I have always find it to be very enjoyable at many levels. I trust that people visiting our city, and in general this part of the country for the first time, will have an unforgettable time here.

Have you attended GUADEC in the past? If so, when/where?
Well, sort of. I was part of the organization team of the VII GUADEC-ES which was held in A Coruña in 2010.

Has organizing GUADEC been fun?
Yes, people in the local organization group have known each other for a long time, so we enjoy working together. However, the best is yet to come between 26th July and 1st August!

What was the most challenging aspect of organizing GUADEC?
As happens with most software systems: dealing with scale!

What are you looking forward to most?
Attendees enjoying their time at GUADEC.

Any other thoughts on GUADEC this year?
I hope a lot of our local computer science students get involved and decide to actively join the community.

Many thanks to Laura. Stay tuned for the next episode!