CSC is now history - some final thoughts

I’m back home in Saratoga Springs.  It’s great to be home but equally bittersweet as this unique one month experience with 14 fellow IBMers who are now friends is over.  

To recap the last few days, following the presentation of our projects to the governor of Ekiti state and others on Wednesday, several government officials hosted a farewell dinner for us that evening.  The evening was complete with the typical formal ceremony we grew accustomed to, an excellent African band, and a Nigerian dinner.  On Thursday we made the 5 hour drive from Ado Ekiti to Lagos and visited a local market for souvenirs.  That evening the IBM Country General Manager of Nigeria and one of his staff took 5 of us out on the town.  We visited a place called Freedom Park, had a couple drinks there, and then went to a local club.  It was a long but fulfilling last night in Nigeria.  Friday we visited the IBM Lagos office, met with the local employees, and packed our bags for the journey home. 

Some things I took away overall about life and work in Nigeria:

-          First and foremost, the quality of the local people was amazing.  All of us were impressed by those we interacted with and the level of hospitality we received.

-          Our work projects were for the most part successes if judged by client satisfaction.  Of course the true measure won’t come until later down the road. 

-          The common morning greeting was “How was your night?”  We all smiled when we heard it.

-          I never got used to the extra hard mattress in the hotel we stayed at.  Turns out hard mattresses are common there, but they are not for me.

-          I slept under a mosquito net in the hotel every night but not sure it was needed.  Really didn’t even see any mosquitoes, which was a pleasant surprise.

-          We had security everywhere we went.  Lots of guns around.  It was precautionary, we felt safe and would have preferred more freedom to roam about at will but it didn’t work out that way.

-          Power outages are incredibly common and frequent.  You get used to them even though they can be annoying.

-     I couldn’t stop perspiring!  The very hot and humid weather makes it difficult to stay cool.

-          It was fun to sample Nigerian food but the variety is limited.  I won’t eat eggs, chicken, chips (French fries), or rice for a very long time.  Speaking of food, one of our favorite expressions towards the end of the assignment was “Go pound a yam!”

-          On one of the trips I got a Nigerian name.  It is Ehindero – which means “the end is good”.

-     The fact that Nigeria is not a tourist destination made the trip that much more authentic and unique for me.  So much of what we experienced was new and unexpected.

-          Did I say the people we met were amazing?  

In conclusion, I reference a blog post by a teammate, Rodney Cornelius, who eloquently represents the feelings of so many of us who got to participate in this special experience.  http://www.rodneycornelius.com/blog/?p=1401

The IBM Corporate Service Corps is an extraordinary program and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to participate.  Thanks for reading!

Nigeria #ibmcsc

Work Projects are Complete! - A Special Finale

The IBM Corporate Service Corps is about giving IBMers the opportunity to live in an emerging market for a month and make a contribution while there.  We strive to do meaningful work, provide recommendations, and ultimately have an impact - learning a tremendous amount along the way.  We also build special relationships with the locals that will carry on after the CSC assignment ends.  Monday and Tuesday were the culmination of our work with the New Initiative for Social Development.  A final presentation provided a summary of our efforts to help them develop customized software templates for their accounting and project monitoring & evaluation needs, a strategic plan that will help them realize their aspiration to go to the “next level”, and more.  We also exchanged gifts.  The gifts from Abiodun, Seun, and Paul to Sundar and I were great:  an African drum, a feather “wand” that kings use, a bracelet that signifies us as chiefs, and a very nice hand written note.  Below are a couple of photos from our exchange of gifts.

Today we had our presentation to the Governor of Ekiti State, the deputy governor, the State Executive Council, several other government officials, and the press.  After a tedious two hour wait, five of us presented summaries of our projects to the group.  Attached are photos with the Governor (right) and Country General Manager of IBM Nigeria, and the ensuing press conference.  (Wish I had a photo of the meeting but don't.)

One special feature of our presentation is that we all wore local clothing.  It went over well with everyone from the Governor and his group to the hotel staff and others we encountered during the day.  Here’s my “local look”.

Tomorrow morning we’re off to Lagos, have a Friday morning meeting at the IBM Lagos office, and depart for the U.S. on Friday night!  I plan to summarize the trip in a final blog upon my return.

Nigeria #ibmcsc

Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove

This will be a quick blog as we are now in the final week of our trip and work is high priority.  In fact Sunday was a work day, today (Monday) we had a final presentation to our client, and Wednesday all 5 teams present to the governor and his staff.  More on all of the work related stuff later.

The highlight on Saturday was our visit to a Sacred Grove/Forest near the city of Osogbo (or Oshogbo).  This forest is in the heart of Yoruba and is a UNESCO world heritage site.  It is the only remaining preserved sacred forest of its type.  Osun, the Yoruba goddess of fertility and the Osun River, is an important deity in the Yoruba religion.  I plan to learn more about the forest and the spirituality of the place when I return to the U.S.  In the meantime, here are some representative photos.  Included at the end of our tour was an African dance group.

Prior to the visit to the Sacred Forest, we attended a luncheon hosted by a famous artist named Nike.   We also visited an art gallery and workshop center.

Nigeria #ibmcsc