A Journey to DevNexus: Challenges, Friendships, and Java

I love participating in conferences—you get to meet so many industry and thought leaders in person, hang out with them, and build lasting bonds. That’s why I had always wanted to attend DevNexus, which isn’t far from where I live. Despite receiving an invitation, my trip kept getting delayed due to visa complications.

But finally, it happened. I was heading to Atlanta for DevNexus, one of the biggest Java conferences in this region.

The excitement was real, but of course, my journey had to come with a few unexpected twists.

A Rough Start at Pearson

When I arrived at Pearson Airport, I expected a smooth check-in and immigration process. Last year, I visited London, UK, and then Copenhagen; it was a super smooth experience with my new blue passport.

However, that didn’t happen. After passing through security, I was surprised to learn that US immigration takes place here in Pearson. After taking my fingerprints, I was asked some basic questions, such as where I was going, what the purpose of the travel was, how long I was staying, how much money I was carrying, etc., which I thought were standard questions.

However, I was pulled aside for additional questioning, asked to provide detailed information about my travel history, and had my bags thoroughly checked. I had to wait for an hour and a half before being called in, and the questioning itself took another half-hour. The whole process took so long that I missed my flight.

The airport is 40 km from home, and I was fasting. I couldn’t break my fast during the interrogation, and the back-and-forth journey, combined with a lack of sleep, left me exhausted and stressed.

Frustrated but with no other option, I returned home, spent a few hours there, and headed back to the airport at 4 a.m. the next morning. I was worried about the fact that now I would have to go through immigration again; what if they treated me the same way?

However, there were no issues this time—just a long sigh of relief as I finally boarded my flight to Atlanta.

When I arrived at the hotel, I started feeling a strong, burning sensation in my chest. I took a hot shower, which provided some relief, but the pain didn’t completely go away.

First Impressions of DevNexus

Walking into DevNexus felt incredible. It was even bigger than I had imagined, buzzing with energy and filled with familiar faces from the Java community.

One of the first people I met was Mike—Michael Redlich, InfoQ Java Queue Editor Lead. We had been working together remotely for a long time, but meeting face-to-face brought a different energy to our discussions. He is a very kind and cheerful person and got very excited seeing me in person.

Then I met my co-speaker, Shaaf, a longtime friend. Although we talk almost daily, I was eagerly looking forward to meeting him again in person.

We sat at the speaker lounge and planned our session together.

Although the pain in my chest was intense, practically unbearable, we decided to go ahead with our talk. Shaaf assured me that if I wasn’t able to present, he would take over. Many thanks to him; he supported me all the way in these two days in the conference.

The next day, I met the kind, brilliant Geertjan Wielenga, the community champion. We’ve known each other for several years now, and both contribute to Foojay. He gave me a tour of the entire conference, stopping by each booth. It was amusing to watch him introduce me to people—though many of whom I already knew online. Meeting them in person, however, was a completely different experience.

Then there was Bruno Souza, my mentor for a long time. The moment he saw me, he pulled me into a big hug and shouted, “Bazlur! How are you, man? You finally made it!” That moment alone made the trip feel worthwhile. Bruno is a very kind-hearted, incredibly warm, and exceptionally friendly person who always makes you feel special and valued. I just love him.

I also met Scott Wierschem. We’ve known each other for over seven years, but this was our first time meeting in real life. And then there were Ondro, Simon Martinelli, Andres Almiray, Steve Poole, Kito Mann, Kenneth Kousen, Elder Moraes, Frank Greco, and many more—each an incredible contributor to the Java ecosystem. Meeting them was an absolute privilege.

My Talk: Java + LLMs

The big moment for me was my talk: “Java + LLMs: A Hands-on Guide to Building LLM Apps in Java with Jakarta EE.”

The room was quite full, with a lot of happy attendees.

We went through our presentation, showcasing live demos and explaining how Java developers can integrate LLMs into their applications. Shaaf and I did a great job engaging with the audience for an hour, or at least I’d like to think so.

Slides:

After the talk, several people came up to share their thoughts and feedback. Some had more questions, while others simply appreciated the session.

In Closing..

One of the highlights of the conference was getting interviewed by Ari Waller for the Fika AI Interviews at DevNexus.We had a good conversation about Java, AI, and the evolving landscape of development. I’m really looking forward to seeing the interview go live!

To be honest, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. I had some unexpected health issues because of the stress I went through, which made things more challenging.

Despite the hurdles, the experience was incredible—meeting so many amazing people, delivering a successful talk, and being part of such an exciting event. Thanks to Pratik Patel and Vincent Mayers for arranging such an incredible conference.

As DevNexus wrapped up, I headed to the airport with my friend Shaaf. We shared one last iftar, prayed together, had our little chit-chat, and then said our goodbyes.

By 2 AM, I was finally back home in Toronto, greeted by my lovely wife, Tabassum—a warm and familiar welcome after a whirlwind trip.

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