I believe I mentioned this before, but a couple of weeks we found out who our client is and what our statement of work will consist of. Our client is Casa do Jardim. They ccurrently serve thecommunity of Jardim Canada in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais, Brazil. If you would like to find out more information on them, please visit their brand new website, http://www.casadojardim.org.br. Our team consists of two other people besides myself. One from Canada and one from South Korea. We have already begun the planning stages and will be scheduling an informal meeting soon to get to know each other. One of the great things about the Brazilian culture is there personalty and informality revolving around relationships. I expect I will easily fit in, adapt, and enjoy all of my interactions with the organization and the community.
From what I have heard, this organization is incredible and makes a significant impact in their community through the work they do to help children's growth. I absolutely can't wait to meet them and learn more about the work they do and the children they help. We learned of IBMers in the US and Germany whom have worked with the organization before and remain in contact with them to this day through emails and donations. Man, just that alone shows me how amazing this organization is and even excites me further to be able to help them in their mission.
If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to make a comment on the blog and I will be happy to discuss or answer.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Pre-work: Months 1 and 2
I know it has been awhile since my initial post. I truthfully thought that it would be easy to put a post up every week or so...but I guess I was wrong. Anyways, I am going to try and make more of effort to keep everyone posted from now on. To be honest, I am not even sure if anyone is reading this besides my mother. haha.
Well, we are deep into month two of our pre-work. Time is flying by and in just 5 weeks I will be starting my journey to Brazil. Let me catch you up on what I have failed to share in the last month. During the first couple of team meetings, we all had some time to share a little about ourselves and get to know each other. It is amazing that 15 people from 11 different countries are all coming together for this project. It is hard to imagine this is a one in a lifetime situation when we all are going to be in the same place at the same time. It makes you realize how IBM is really a global company connecting people in so many ways.
Our pre-work consists of several educational modules to help build our skills and knowledge about our roles and the culture we will be immersed in. I have to admit that I feel over my head sometimes, but then everything seems to come together to reassure me that I was meant for this. The biggest obstacle right now I can see is the language and culture barriers that we face. The good news is that most of the pre-work helps educate us on the culture. I have a feeling that a lot of the "real" education will come in the first week when we get there, though. All-in-all, I am learning a lot and have realized there is so much more out there in the world than our little bubble that we call the United States of America.
Just last week, we found out our in-country assignments. I have to say that I am very excited and feel my assignment fits me perfectly. Our in-country partner did a great job with the assignment pairings. Even though I am confident that our team will be able to achieve our deliverables, I am still nervous. Just reading the project description makes me tense and nervous that somehow I won't be able to live up to my full potential or fail to do what is expected of me. I know...I know. I shouldn't worry about it. I am sure this is just a natural reaction that everyone has. From the pre-work assignments, I have learned that we can prepare ourselves for these projects by reviewing past deliverables, discuss the project ahead of time with CSC Alumni and other CSC staff, and meet with the client via teleconference to help define the scope of the project further to become more comfortable with their needs and expectations. They must know what they are talking about, so that is exactly what I am going to do! Practice makes perfect, right?
At our next team meeting tomorrow, I will be presenting the profile of one of my team members. I actually found this project to be very interesting and a great idea to really get to know your teammates. During our one hour meeting to get to know each other, we unexpectedly began to share all kinds of things about our lives with each other just like we had been friends for years. After the meeting, I realized her and I were more alike than I had ever realized. She lives in Madrid, Spain, and I live in Denver, Colorado, USA. Two life time lines running in parallel half way across the globe not even knowing how similar we are. That just blows my mind.
By the end of this, I am absolutely positive I will be a changed person. My outlook on culture, the environment, and life as I know it will be altered in the best way possible.
Well, we are deep into month two of our pre-work. Time is flying by and in just 5 weeks I will be starting my journey to Brazil. Let me catch you up on what I have failed to share in the last month. During the first couple of team meetings, we all had some time to share a little about ourselves and get to know each other. It is amazing that 15 people from 11 different countries are all coming together for this project. It is hard to imagine this is a one in a lifetime situation when we all are going to be in the same place at the same time. It makes you realize how IBM is really a global company connecting people in so many ways.
Our pre-work consists of several educational modules to help build our skills and knowledge about our roles and the culture we will be immersed in. I have to admit that I feel over my head sometimes, but then everything seems to come together to reassure me that I was meant for this. The biggest obstacle right now I can see is the language and culture barriers that we face. The good news is that most of the pre-work helps educate us on the culture. I have a feeling that a lot of the "real" education will come in the first week when we get there, though. All-in-all, I am learning a lot and have realized there is so much more out there in the world than our little bubble that we call the United States of America.
Just last week, we found out our in-country assignments. I have to say that I am very excited and feel my assignment fits me perfectly. Our in-country partner did a great job with the assignment pairings. Even though I am confident that our team will be able to achieve our deliverables, I am still nervous. Just reading the project description makes me tense and nervous that somehow I won't be able to live up to my full potential or fail to do what is expected of me. I know...I know. I shouldn't worry about it. I am sure this is just a natural reaction that everyone has. From the pre-work assignments, I have learned that we can prepare ourselves for these projects by reviewing past deliverables, discuss the project ahead of time with CSC Alumni and other CSC staff, and meet with the client via teleconference to help define the scope of the project further to become more comfortable with their needs and expectations. They must know what they are talking about, so that is exactly what I am going to do! Practice makes perfect, right?
At our next team meeting tomorrow, I will be presenting the profile of one of my team members. I actually found this project to be very interesting and a great idea to really get to know your teammates. During our one hour meeting to get to know each other, we unexpectedly began to share all kinds of things about our lives with each other just like we had been friends for years. After the meeting, I realized her and I were more alike than I had ever realized. She lives in Madrid, Spain, and I live in Denver, Colorado, USA. Two life time lines running in parallel half way across the globe not even knowing how similar we are. That just blows my mind.
By the end of this, I am absolutely positive I will be a changed person. My outlook on culture, the environment, and life as I know it will be altered in the best way possible.
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