Revisiting CSC@Chile

Source:

http://flourish.org/upsidedownmap/

                     

They said that the CSC assignment could be a life changing experience. Its exactly four months today since my assignment ended. Too short a period to judge whether I, my life or my attitudes to it have changed-probably I need the space of many more months before I can really look back on the experience, and reflect on its true impact.

But every once in a while , I find myself looking back, so that it does not start appearing only like a “helluva good dream” as one of my CSC teammates had put it.

“Life changing experience” or not, it sure has been one of the highpoints of my 10 years with IBM so far.

The time spent in Chile was filled with exposure to new landscapes, new people, new ways of working, new cultures – as I am sure it was meant to be. It was an intense experience, not without its share of anxiety, or, at least, discomfort- yet, overall the predominant note to remember it by, is one of exhilaration. Looking back, one of the things that strikes me the most, is the sheer diversity that the CSC program design incorporates. Growing up in India, diversity has been a way of life for me, and as an IBM-er, diversity and inclusivity has been a key ingredient of the organization culture.

To me diversity is about new and different perspectives, and the sojourn in Chile, brought home such new and different perspectives to me, through the simplest incidents, in a way I would never have imagined. For sure, there is a difference between seeing a picture of an “upside down world map” and experiencing it at first hand! 

Walking in the Atacama Desert and looking up at the zillions of sparkly stars in the night sky, silly me was trying to spot some familiar constellations. And then my teammate Luis pointed out that one may not be able to find those here (we were in the southern hemisphere, dude!) - the ways and patterns of connecting the starry  dots were different .And, one of the realities which I had taken for granted all this time, fell away- or rather, was complemented by another.

 So what if I did not remember to look for the Southern Cross instead, or , later, to check if the water actually flows anticlockwise down a sink in the Southern hemisphere ( as someone had told me long ago!)

All the more reason for another trip!

The CSC introduced me to some wonderful teammates .

CSC Chile Team 3- Photo Credits, Delaney Turner

Deepa. (my fellow Indian, loves cats. comments can be firmly “tongue in cheek”, the originator of “Club 101” – or in other words, a spare apartment in our hotel which became a hangout joint and saw the team spending many enjoyable evenings and also working together on the  thought-provoking Harvard assignment! ). 

Luis from Finland/Spain. (of many views and utter frankness).

Minesh from Canada. (the firmly rooted, Indian Canadian, always ready to lend a helping hand with suitcases). 

Mariann from Hungary.(the lovely world traveler).

Delaney from Canada.(our official photographer and social media guide, and a source of much interesting knowledge and perspectives about our host country and city).

Bill from the USA.(Ice-cream and games of UNO!!).

Tanya from the USA. (a wonderful morning spent visiting a Picasso exhibition , devouring a Chinese lunch, and walking to a road show that got over too soon!) 

Bardia from Switzerland.(shared some amazing stories when he could  take time off from work, exercising, travelling and salsa classes!)

Alfredo from Spain. (tried to keep  us in check at work, but the head-banging was uncalled for!) And Matt from the USA. (booooooooooooooyaaaaaaaa!)

 Introductions and Kick Off on Day 1

Final presentations on Day 26

  Looking back, what I remember most are the conversations and interactions with my teammates, my clients, and just about everybody I met (despite some of it being carried on optimistically amidst linguistic barriers-after all, “a smile means friendship to everyone!”).It is a montage of moments that come to mind most vividly- mee ting the team and the client for the first time; brainstorming over the project briefs; conducting business meetings with or without an interpreter- or with a silent interpreter!; tentative practicing of Spanish; barbeques, pizza, restaurant hunting and pot luck dinners; much shared laughter; walks; sharing notes about finding the precise spot where  one could get a decent wifi speed; gearing up for the final presentations; the rewarding smiles from the clients; and the happy-sad outings in the days before our departure.The human connections made during the engagement reminded me that notwithstanding the difference in perspectives or our diverse backgrounds, it was a “small world after all!”

 Photo credits Delaney Turner

For me, it is the people, the perspectives, and the connections; that continue to be the most special “takeaways” from the CSC experience. 

                           

Caramba! Musings on Language

As expected, the trip has been filled with cultural exchanges, both in terms of learning about the local culture, as well as sharing stories from our respective cultures with the team.  A key area of interest has been languages and usage of words.

Sometimes though, this had led to unexpected results and much bemusement.

Sample this:

In my readings of “Teach Yourself Spanish” before I came to Chile, I had come across a section where someone seeking a room at a hotel, says “Caramba!”, when he hears that rooms are available. This led me to conclude that “Caramba” means “Great!”, and I used it somewhat liberally in my exchanges with my clients, to show my appreciation of their inputs. I was a bit disappointed when it did not get the reaction I hoped, indeed I thought some of them looked a bit nonplussed, but did not delve deep into it.

The mystery was solved on our last team outing before the final presentations, where Spanish speaking teammates knowledgeably (and may I add gleefully), informed me that “Caramba” could be considered a tad impolite. What the approximate meaning and association is, was communicated to me with some embellishments, both by the Spanish speaking and imaginative non Spanish speaking members of the team. I am still not hundred percent sure, and until I am, I have decided not to use the word, at least in a business context. (Don't bother looking it up on Google translate, it is open to interpretation)

While on the subject of languages, the number of languages in India inevitably startles most people, who have not been exposed to this information before.

Sample this: (on the eve of the final presentation, with spirits flowing high)

Me: I think I might as well do the presentation in Bengali- the Spanish speaking audience may understand it better, than if I attempted Spanish!

A teammate: Ah, you are going to do the presentation in Indian?

Me (in a suitably smug and icy tone): There is no such language as Indian. We have twenty plus official languages in India, and many more dialects. For example, Deepa and I have different mother tongues, Kannada and Bengali.

Another teammate (perplexed): Then how do you communicate?

Deepa sees my expression and says: We don’t. We don’t communicate. And then adds,

“If we do, we use sign language”.

Me: Yes, that’s right.

Sign language demonstrated.

We crack up.

P.S.: I have been advised by Mariann that the word I should have used with my clients is “genial”

#IBMCSC Chile3

Bye Bye Chile

It seems just yesterday. when I had arrived at Antofagasta  - and now the assignment is about to come to an end. Final presentations due tomorrow, the fact that Alfredo, Matt and I have weathered it without strangling each other (though we were close a few times), is perhaps testimony to that something in our professional DNA, which makes us work towards completing the assigned goal, no matter how challenging it may be.

A quick recap of the intervening weeks, from the last update.

The square at San Pedro

Week 3 Highlights: Long weekend at San Pedro. A tiny desert town in the Atacama desert, flanked by the snow capped Andes, under the blue blue sky. A sunny city square, where you can sit with coffee for hours, and enjoy the pleasures of idleness. The moon valley with its craters and magnificent sunset, which was a bit of an uphill hike, but we made it. The salt water lakes, where apparently one could “walk” on water, only we couldn’t get to that particular one because the travel agent took us for a ride! The handcrafted copper jewellery, in the city square, that we kept going back for! But most of all, the best memory – the night sky like a dome and the stars right down to the horizon, the countless stars and the Milky Way above you, truly, it was not difficult to imagine oneself out in space!

The ghost town

At the copper mines

Week 4 – Heads down at work, closing the last mile. Helped along by opportunities to drown sorrows (a day without internet) at a wine tasting event. A Happy Four Hours at the Mexican place, lots of bonding. The long walk by the ocean boulevard, alone, and with colleagues. A Picasso exhibition with Tanya, quite a plus at Antofagasta!  A visit to the Chuquicamata mines, the world’s largest copper mine, set in an eerily deserted town, that almost seems like a ghost town.

My time in Chile is drawing to a close, time to say Adios , but who knows! #IBMCSC Chile 3

Consulting in Spanish and Cilantro in the Desert

Antiques on sale near the Antofagasta harbour

One week has whizzed by, with its share of hilarity, madness, and moments that took one’s breath away –often literally (I am not talking about the – errrr- flavourful fishmarket smells).

Last Friday, I delivered a session on Issue based consulting to our clients I have conducted similar sessions several times in the past, but this was different. I delivered the session in English, and used suitable (I hope) body language for the predominantly Spanish speaking audience; while my colleague Alfredo Moreno, ably translated it into Spanish. At the end of the session, the participants said that the session was clear to them. The credit is all Alfredo’s.

Pelicans!

Sea Lions!

On Saturday, we went walking down the Antofagasta city centre and the ocean harbour, and fishmarket. On the way, there were a lot of stores selling “Mother’s Day” ware and flowers, and interesting copper and silver jewelry that I and some “like minded” colleagues (thirty six percent of the group, to be more precise) have vowed that we must revisit. Walking down to the ocean harbour, I thought that what the place lacked in flora was made up by the fauna! Pelicans!Sea Lions! And, of course,our own diverse team!

The high light of the weekend was undoubtedly the visit to the “oasis” on Sunday. We were driven down in a car, accompanied by our NGO clients, and two rather well behaved canines!

It was truly an unforgettable experience, The Atacama desert, the driest place on Earth, stretching  endlessly and bordered by barren dusty brown mountains that look somewhat unearthly. And in the midst of it, an oasis –lovingly and laboriously created by a handful of people. There was something about the place which made one feel restful and at peace with the world – a feeling of tranquility, where time seemed to matter not. . I could not help thinking how lovely it would be to watch the stars come out here at night.  

The bright green beds of cilantro amidst all the aridity, the story of how water was obtained for the very first time, the rustic but charming cottages built by hand, brick by brick; all symbolic of human effort in the face of adversity.

 Memorable moments.

 Walk in the desert. Check.

Experiencing a desert storm, the wail of the wind and dust in your eyes. Check.

A nap in the hammock. Check.

A desert sunset. Check.

Shivering as the temperature drops suddenly and sharply. Check,

Sitting down in the swing (something I can’t usually resist), while waiting for the ride back home! Check.
#IBMCSC Chile 3

Cool Weather and Warm People

 Pacific Sunset - from CORFO meeting room

..... And from my Hotel window

                       
 Arrived on Sunday after a long long journey … in one piece. Wonder of wonders! Contrary to my usual travel travails, had both pieces of luggage arrive on time, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when both the suitcases, sedately glided in on the conveyor belt, and indeed, were among the first to appear!

As someone rightly said during the  Corporate Services Corps  pre-work teleconference – Antofagasta grows on you. I feel myself on warm cordial terms with the place at the moment.

In just a few days – there are so many impressions, superimposed on each other.

The grey brown hills that dominate part of the landscape may be the closest to Mars that I will get to. I learnt that NASA had tested their Mars rocket here.

Lifting my head from my laptop screen and watching the orange sunset over the Pacific – reminds me that I need to go out and take that walk by the ocean boulevard.

Listening in to long fluid conversations in Spanish, and clutching at a few words that I can understand, like islands in that ocean! Reminds me that I need to get beyond the chapters on introductions, directions, and ordering food in “Teach Yourself Spanish”!

The delicious Pastel de Papas – an instant hunger inducing , piping hot concoction of potatoes, egg, cheese, meat, onions, and raisins – I want to go back for more!

The weather is cool, occasionally chilly, with some days pampering us with lovely sunshine and blue skies.

The people seem relaxed and everybody that I have met without exception have been so warm.There is so much that one could learn here.

#IBMCSC Chile 3

On the Road to Chile

Charaivati ...The Urge to Travel.... To Not be Here but  SomeWhere Else. Wanderlust. Both Beautiful words, and perhaps an unversal human emotion. A tiny amount of anxiety and a great deal of excitement, as I get ready for my IBM Corporate Services Corps assignment to Chile. Flight leaves at 8:30 pm this evening, and I will be in Antofagsata, Chile on the morning of the day after tomorrow - el Domingo!
#ibmcsc chile