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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 .
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| 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!)
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!”
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| Introductions and Kick Off on Day 1 |
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| Final presentations on Day 26 |
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| 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.
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