First meeting with our client, Casa do Jardim

I don't think I will be the only one saying this, but today was one of the most amazing days of my life! Let me step back and start from the beginning of the day. We all met at Instituto Hartman Regueira where we were greeted by all four of the clients. They had coffee, juices, and lots of other pastries and food for us to enjoy. So yummy! I especially loved the cheese bread balls, which I think are called pao queijo. I think I ate 10 of them. Haha!

Next, we sat through a presentation from each client telling us a little about what they do. I was amazed at all the good that is going on in this world. Soon enough, Casa do Jardim spoke. During the presentation, I immediately knew this client was special and I was meant to help them in any way I could. This would be cemented by the days end.

After the presentation, Joanne and Arubio (Joanne's husband) took us out for a tour of Belo Horizonte, the Belvedere neighborhood, Praca do Popa, the Parque de Mangabeiras, Mirante Morro dos Veados, and the Jardim Canada area. So beautiful! The tour allowed us to see the entire city from up high in the hills. The city is surrounded by mountains which are easily accessible by car. I felt a little at home with the mountains being so close. There are several pictures attached for everyone's enjoyment.

I was amazed at how developed Belo Horizonte is and how Jardim Canada is not. Before we knew it, we were in a whole different world. Finally, we arrived at Casa do Jardim. Joanne, the director, gave us the full tour. We saw where the kids have class, have recess and play time, and have capoeira classes. You could tell the place was magical and something very special is going on there. I knew at that moment I was meant to be there. I was there to help.

The whole experience of meeting the children and sharing our stories with each other put me in awe. Just could not believe how amazing it felt to be there helping. I know this experience will not end when we leave and will continue to stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Arrival in Belo Horizonte

Today was arrival day and a day filled with new introductions and lots of laughs. I have been able to meet most of my team by nightfall. We started the day lost in a city new to us all. I could tell we all felt like strangers.

I went to lunch with Paddy and Eniko. That was quite an experience. We struggled quite a bit with ordering, especially when we tried to order a coke with no ice. The waiter still brought us ice. I don't blame him, though. Not like he understands English. Haha.

After Daniel arrived, I could tell we all began to follow and rely on Daniel's local knowledge of the city and, of course, his Portuguese speaking ability. I like the fact he took us directly to a bar for a drink. I don't know if he just needed a drink or he thought it would help break the ice of the team. Probably both. Anyways, it worked. Pretty soon, we were all laughing and having a good time in our new home of Belo Horozonte.

After a drink, we freshened up and proceeded to dinner. Daniel took us to a typical Minas Gerais restaurant. It was buffet style with lots of meat and starch. I kind of figured that from my Medillin, Colombia experience last year. The restaurant was called Dona Lucinha. We all ordered Caipirinha drinks (which was pretty much all Cachaca liquor). I did t like it at first, but it grew on me by the second one. I can see a few more of those in my future!

After dinner, we retreated back to the hotel and sat by the pool while we laughed some more. I can tell this next month will be full of more laughs and lots of good times. I realize how lucky I am to be here with everyone and will continue to enjoy the moments soon to come.

Until tomorrow! Boa noite!

Sunrise over Brazil

Just wanted to share a quick picture of the sunrise I saw this morning when flying into Brasilia. Absolutely gorgeous!

Home stretch

As I enter the week of departure, I can only reflect on the last three months and how we all have been anticipating this exact moment.  It feels like just yesterday when we started the three month pre-work process and met each other virtually for the first time.  Pretty soon, we will all get to meet face-to-face and truly interact with each other.  I know deep down these relationships I have been developing and will continue to develop are going to stay with me for a very long time.  All 15 of us are there for the same purpose and on the same journey.  This common bond with bring us close and heighten our experiences in all the best ways possible.

The pre-work has prepped and molded us into global leaders of the 21st century.  Our senses have been opened to issues and cultures we never really thought about before.  Soon, we will immerse ourselves into a community, city, and country unknown to us to help them solve some of their most difficult problems.  We aim to be examples and show how a world of leaders can come together to make a difference.  A community helping out another community.

Well, so long from the United States.  My journey continues and hopefully you tag along.  My next post will be from Belo Horizonte, Brazil where I will begin to share the sights, sounds, and smells of my IBM CSC experience.

I will leave you today with my favorite quote of all time and words I live by day-by-day...our 35th President of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

#ibmcsc brazil

10 days and counting...

Hopefully, everyone has had some time to review my blog including the information on the client my team will be working with while we are in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  Officially, there are only 10 days left before all 15 of us deploy to Brazil.  The trip and experience is as real as ever.  There has been several moments already in which I have taken a step back and was in awe that I will be living in Brazil for a month working with 15 people from 12 different countries.  The whole experience is becoming so real with everyday that passes.

With such a short time before my deployment, I have been working at tying up all the loose ends.  You don't realize all the small stuff you have to do to prepare for the trip.  Let me tell you!  From making copies of my passport and visa to making sure you are prepared for an emergency, there is so much to do.  I guarantee it will all be worth it, though.

With my deployment so close, I thought I should share a few statistics and photos of Belo Horizonte, Brazil to give you an idea of where I will be living for the next month.  I hope you enjoy!

Belo Horizonte, Brazil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belo_Horizonte
Captial and largest city in the Brazilian state Minas Gerais located in the Southeastern region of the country.
Third largest metropolitan area in the country.
 Belo Horizonte (short names: "Belô", "Beagá", or "BH") has a population of 2,475,440 inhabitants (2010) in the city and 5,497,922 people in the official Metropolitan Area (2010).
The city is built on several hills and is completely surrounded by mountains.


Here is the city's main website: http://www.belohorizonte.mg.gov.br/
Another good website listing information on Belo Horiztonte: http://www.brazil-carnival.info/683/coisas-de-minas-belo-horizonte-brazil-travel-guide/



(Above: St Francis d’Assise, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, by Oscar Niemeyer)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Saint_Francis_of_Assisi

Our client...Casa do Jardim

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.

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.