Monthly Archives: November 2012

Nigeria Preparation – Weeks 4 and 5

Travel, Work, ,

So I was a bit lazy to update after my preparation last week, so I should put 2 updates into one post.

Week 4

The prep meeting was fantastic in fact. It was great because for the first time we were hearing from people directly from Nigeria. So we had a great opportunity to hear first hand information about what to wear, what to expect in terms of food, some logistics, some “insider tips” about the location where we will be (Ado Ekiti). Our facilitator has been very helpful in sharing her experiences from Kenya, but the fact that we have gotten direct information. We also spent a lot of time talking about local customs and the exchanging of gifts (need to think of something typically Swedish). Besides that, we also talked about other formalities such as visas and immigration information. And of course, to continue along with the electronic preparations and study guides.

Week 5

I couldn’t make the regularly scheduled meeting this week, but today I had the benefit of listening to the recording of the meeting. What a good this is in my opinion because I get to hear the answers directly and get a sense of the conversation. Today was basically the same as last week, but this time we got some more information on the place we will sta (the name of the hotel), and even some more detailed information about Ado Ekiti. I am happy that we are receiving this information, but I am also eager to get started with the real details of the assignment (and the others feel the same way). But I know that I also have to exercise patience and know that things are happening at the pace they are for a reason. I was told that next week we will get some more detailed work assignments to get an overview of our work methods and different tools that we can use. There are basically about 9 weeks left and whilst that feels like a long time, I know that it is very short.

 

So in closing I am looking forward to getting this experience started! \o/

#ibmcsc nigeria

Thanksgiving 2012

general update, , ,

So I celebrated Thanksgiving this last Satuday, November 24th I would have liked to have celebrated it on Thursday, November 22nd like they did in the US, but we don’t get that day off in Sweden so I had to move it to the weekend.

I have to say that the turkey and all of the side dishes turned out very well! And the desserts were very tasty as well!

I didn’t take so many pictures of my Thanksgiving cooking adventures, but judging by everyone’s comments, I think I did a really good job. My mother and sisters would have been very proud.

It was the fourth Thanksgiving I have hosted in Sweden since I moved here. I hope to host it again next year. It’s a wonderful wonderful tradition 😀

–R–

P.S. After eating turkey for 3 of the last 4 days, I can tell you that the magical feeling has worn off 😀 Thanksgiving dinner 3 nights in a row is enough for me! Now to do new and interesting things with all of the leftovers – including turkey corn chili, turkey soup, turkey burgers, etc, etc. After this I won’t be eating turkey for quite a few months 😀

Nigeria Preparation – Week 2 and Week 3

Travel, Work, ,

So yesterday we had another preparation meeting for our upcoming trip to Nigeria. It was our Third meeting (I missed last week’s meeting). Yesterday’s prep meeting was pretty awesome because we got to hear from someone who was part of the last Nigeria team (Team 5). Although that Team was in Lagos and we will be going to Ado Etiki, the country and cultural overview was very much appreciated.

I think in the meeting we found ourselves asking general questions…maybe even silly questions. But in fact, there are no silly questions when you are embarking on a journey such as this. We had lots of really good questions on the logistics (we need to finalise on those quite soon), what to expect about our living conditions (internet might be a scare resource), what kinds of projects we would work on (issue-based consulting projects), typical diet of the population (we have vegetarians in the group), travel logistics (Ado Ekiti seems about a few hours from everything else), and of course our security situation which seems fine to me. Our meetings are also attended by our NGO partner as well who gives us good insights and helps us understand the overall process.

To give you a sense of placement within Nigeria, this is where we are:

Ado Ekiti on a map

For an overview of Ado Etiki, you can read about it on Wikipedia.

Also, the true scope of pre-work has now also dawned on me (and probably the team). There is the “easy” administrative stuff, but we know that within 4-6 will come the work that is associated with the projects themselves. I am honestly a ball of energy about this! Nothing would make me happier than to just dig in right away, but I have to trust in the structure and the methodology so that I don’t drown in good intentions.

It also now just hits me that when I plan to be in Ado Ekiti, that also means that I need to plan time away from my job and time away from Sweden. There are many logistical things that have to be planned and coordinated at work (coverage for meetings, etc, etc), and at home. But it all will sort out because I will make sure it does.

Finally, it seems that many in the group are planning to do something after the CSC assignment ends. Whether that is climbing mountains in Tanzania or safaris or anything in between, I find the adventurous nature of the group refreshing and inspiring. In a way reminding me of how I used to behavior before getting comfortably settled into my “Svensson Life” 🙂

Well I don’t want to drone on forever…so I will end it here until next time 😀

#ibmcsc nigeria

With the election behind us, some good words from Rachel Maddow on why we need a well-functioning GOP

politics

Towards the end of the of her segment, Rachel spends 3 minutes to explain to the conservative politicians, people, and media why that there are certain facts that really should be beyond debate and discussion. And also correctly points out that America is best served by a country that has a dialogue and debate to come up with the best ideas and to let those ideas compete and be considered. I have a strong feeling that because the messenger is Maddow no conservative will listen and that is shame because they are really good words.

From Rachel Maddow (07 November)

Transcript Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49745053/ns/msnbc-rachel_maddow_show/#.UKF71oawUzQ

YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4699sVXbBo

MADDOW: Ohio really did go to President Obama last night. And he
really did win. And he really was born in Hawaii. And he really is
legitimately president of the United States, again.

And the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not make up a fake unemployment
rate last month. And the Congressional Research Service really can find no
evidence that cutting taxes on rich people grows the economy. And the
polls were not skewed to oversample Democrats. And Nate Silver was not
making up fake projections about the election to make conservatives feel
bad. Nate Silver was doing math.

And climate change is real. And rape really does cause pregnancy
sometimes. And evolution is a thing.

And Benghazi was an attack on us, it was not a scandal by us. And
nobody is taking away anyone`s guns. And taxes have not gone up. And the
deficit is dropping, actually.

And Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction. And the
moon landing was real. And FEMA is not building concentration camps. And
U.N. election observers are not taking over Texas. And moderate reforms of
the regulations on the insurance industry and the financial services
industry in this country are not the same thing as communism.

Listen, last night was a good night for liberals and for Democrats for
very obvious reasons, but it was also, possibly, a good night for this
country as a whole, because in this country, we have a two-party system in
government. And the idea is supposed to be that the two sides, both come
up with ways to confront and fix the real problems facing our country.
They both propose possible solutions to our real problems. And we debate
between those possible solutions.

And by the process of debate, we pick the best idea. That competition
between good ideas from both sides about real problems in the real country
should result in our country having better choices, better options, than if
only one side is really working on the hard stuff.

And the if the Republican Party and the conservative movement and the
conservative media is snuck a vacuum-sealed door-locked spin cycle of
telling each other what makes them feel good and denying the factual, lived
truth of the world, then we are all deprived as a nation of the
constructive debate about competing feasible ideas about real problems.

Last night the Republicans got shellacked, and they had no idea it was
coming. And we saw them in real time, in real humiliating time, not
believe it, even as it was happening to them.

And unless they are going to is secede, they are going to have to pop
the factual bubble they have been so happy living inside if they do not
want to get shellacked again. And that will be a painful process for them,
but it will be good for the whole country, left, right, and center. You
guys, we`re counting on you. Wake up.

There are real problems in the world. There are real, knowable facts
in the world. Let`s accept those and talk about how we might approach our
problems differently. Let`s move on from there.

If the Republican Party and the conservative movement and conservative
media are forced to do that by the humiliation they were dealt last night,
we will all be better off as a nation. And in that spirit,
congratulations, everybody. Big night.

 

CSC assignment to Nigeria – now it feels more real (Week 1)…

Travel, Work, , ,

Yesterday we had our first kick-off call as a team of people who are going to Nigeria as part of IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC). All of the team members were present as well as the operations and support team who will be helping us with the logistics. We are Nigeria Team 6, meaning we will be the 6th IBM team to do a project in Nigeria. We spent a good part of the call making some introductions to each other, but I suspect we will have a lot more opportunity to get to know each other. We spent the other part of the call getting an overview of the programme, what we will need to do, and some more initial information with the promise of more to come. We also got to ask questions. We asked about the logistics of travel, security, types of projects, etc. I left the call feeling satisfied that we are on our way – and in some way wanting to quicken the pace 🙂

I awoke this morning to find several administrative and logistical e-mails in my inbox, including forms for travel, pre-work assignments, and more overview information. It somehow now feels real. Like there is no turning back (like I would want to). It’s hard not to feel excited for what is about to happen: the opportunity to serve, a new adventure, a new experience. I can already tell that this will not be about “kissing babies and shaking hands.” We will get some real work done, and I am confident that we will have real results to show for it.

Bring it on 😀

#ibmcsc nigeria