Bringing you together in Kigali for the March 2023 Annual AGRODEP Conference was, indeed, a critical milestone towards "normalizing" life after COVID-19. As it was our first gathering as the AGRODEP family since the global pandemic struck, this year's meeting meant different things to people who were a part of it. To see the excitement from you to come, once again together, to Kigali and be part of the conference alone was probably the best illustration of the feeling that you had been missing these special moments.