Reflections On My Last 6 Months:

Time is fleeting…

On Saturday night, 10/5/13, the wheels of my plane gently lifted off the runway from Sao Paulo international airport and I was on my way back to the United States.  That was a little more than 6 months ago.  From a “time” perspective, it feels like 6 years.  A lot has happened with my IBM organization, job, and department since returning.  However, my memories of Brazil are vividly and indelibly imprinted in my mind.  As I reflect on those 30 exciting, fun-filled, and glorious days in Brazil, the faces and names of my Brazilian friends come flooding back to me.  The sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of Minas Gerais are quickly recalled when I think about my CSC (Corporate Service Corps) assignment.

Since returning, much has happened with my family:

=>    My mother turned 85 in February.  All 5 of her children (3 daughters & 2 sons) went to Pennsylvania to celebrate.

=>    Audrey, my oldest daughter, graduated from Florida Southern College (FSC) in December 2013.  My wife and I are extremely proud of her because she graduated from college in 3 ½ years.

=>    Camile, my youngest daughter, was accepted into the Pratt School of Engineering as part of Duke University’s Early Decision program.  She will be going to school there in August 2014.

=>   I started my 35^th year with IBM on 11/8/2013.  My entire IBM career has taken place in Tampa, FL.

=>  In October, 2013, my wife (Niurka) and I celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary.

Dear Brazilian Friends, 

Even though I may be “gone” from your beautiful country, you are definitely NOT forgotten.   If you have a moment, please send me an e-mail.  I would enjoy hearing all about what you’ve done with regards to our CSC project’s recommendations and business plans.  Also, I would love to hear what has been happening in your lives outside of Ipe. 

I miss all of you and I frequently think about how I can get back to Uberlandia one day and once again join my extended “família brasileira“ (Brazilian family).

Sincerely,

Joel Cleveland

IBM Corporation

Tapas Brasileiras Doze (#12)

Since Sunday, 10/6, I’ve been back home in Tampa, FL.  It is nice to see that my blog continues to be active.  When I got back to the U.S., my blog had approximately 1,350 “Views”.  Now, the “Views” counter is up to 1,522 (and growing). 

The main reason for this “tapas” is to THANK EVERYONE who has looked at my blog; whether it was just a one time visit or whether you were a frequent visitor.  As a first-time blogger, my blog's success has exceeded my expectations.  You have all motivated me to give my blog a lot of time, attention, and passion. 

Over the next couple of months, I plan on updating my blog on a regular basis.  As I reflect on my time in Uberlandia, vivid memories and details will come to mind.  I plan on sharing them as the months roll by.  At some point, my blog entries & contributions will wane, but for now, I’m extremely motivated and moved by my Brazilian experiences.  

Until next time...  Tchau tchau!! (Bye-bye)

#ibmcsc brazil  

And So It Ends...

Knowledge can be gained everywhere.  (And I don’t even have a Smart Phone!)  While on the plane from Rio -> Tampa, I found out some very interesting data:

• My flight flew at 38,000 feet.  (7.2 miles high)
• Temperature outside the plane @ 7+ miles high:  -65 F
• Distance from Rio -> Miami:   4,179 miles  //    6,714 km
• Flying Time:  8 hours 40 minutes
• Number of meals served:  2  (Dinner at approx. 11:30PM BST  &  Breakfast at approx. 5AM EDT)

On Sunday, 10/6 when I arrived in Miami, I had to hustle because the Miami -> Tampa flight was leaving in less than 2 hours from my arrival.  In Miami, I had to clear customs, pick up my bags, hand off my bags to the attendant to get them on the plane to Tampa, walk about 20 – 30 minutes to the American Airlines terminal, and then take an elevated train to my terminal.  Fortunately, everything went smoothly.  I told the Customs Agent that I was very happy to be in a country where I could speak the language.  (I found Portuguese difficult to pick up while I was in Brazil.)  He proceeded to tell me bom dia (good day) & muito obrigado (thank you very much).  That was his attempt at humor.  Now I know how my family feels when I attempt to be “punny” or funny.  : - )

Interesting Fish Art Work on Display in the Miami AA Terminal:

   

            

Arriving at the AA gate, with about 10 minutes to spare (before boarding), was the best I could do.  I was just glad that I didn’t miss the “last call” time.  (This brought back visions of my Thursday, 9/5 debacle.)

The last leg of my journey only required 1 hour; short & sweet.  With 3 bags and 1 backpack in hand, I went to curbside pickup.  Niurka, my wife, was there to greet me and after a long embrace, it was time to head to my U.S. home in Tampa, FL.  As I shared many details about my journey with Niurka, I knew that my time in Brazil was long and culturally rich enough to call it “home” if / when I return. 

And so, my CSC assignment officially ended.  On Monday, 10/7, I was back in the Tampa, FL office and got right back into my "normal routine".   Sigh...

#ibmcsc brazil

An Empty Feeling & Mixed Emotions: Saturday, 10/5/13

The sun woke me up, peeking through partly cloudy skies, and beamed through the hotel room window just as it had done the prior 29 days.  My first order of business was to grab a quick breakfast because I only had about 6 ½ hours to finish packing, drop off small thank you gifts to Aline & Lumia, write another couple of blog entries, and check / recheck my room to ensure nothing was left behind.

When I got to the dining room, I immediately felt the difference.  There were no fellow CSC Team members there when I arrived.  In fact, I was the lone diner at 7:45AM.  I intentionally sat next to the open window, which faced west, and enjoyed the cool morning breeze. While eating scrambled eggs (for about the 29^th day out of the last 30), a buff-necked ibis flew by and called out with his loud kronk call.  The ibis was probably seeking out his “breakfast” too.  I missed hearing Mike A. (from New Zealand) tell me, "Well, Joel is here.  It must be time for me to go!"  (This was a standing joke between the 2 of us every time we saw each other during breakfast.) 

By 11:30, I had completed most of my “TO DOs” (and I was getting cabin fever), so I set out – with my trusty camera in hand – for one final walk around the neighborhood.  A dog was sunning himself close to where traffic flows.  People were running Saturday errands.  Flowers were blooming.  And when I stopped by the empty lot behind the hotel, I found out there were a total of cinco corujas (5 burrowing owls): 2 adults and 3 immature.  This city never ceases to amaze me!

Pictures Taken During My Last Walk In Uberlandia:

      

             

     

              

                                

                             

By 1:30, I was totally packed and ready to go.  It was time for the inevitable:  Head down to the lobby and wait for our taxi. 

Larissa had scheduled 2 taxis for a 2PM pick-up.  Four of us (Marc, Jill, Nirav, & I) were going to be on the same flight from Uberlandia -> Sao Paulo and Sao Paulo -> Rio de Janeiro.  Nirav and I took the first taxi.  As we drove on the hills above the city, it was the first time I could see the area, from that vantage point, by day.  “Urban sprawl” consumed the cerrado for almost as far as the eye could see.  

Having Nirav traveling with us helped immensely because he lived in Portugal for a number of years and is fluent in Portuguese.  He got us seating together during the 1^st leg of our journey.  In Sao Paulo, the layover was approximately 3 hours.  We found a place with a table, logged into the airport’s WiFi. 

The flight to Rio was only about 45 minutes.  Once we deplaned, we made our way through customs and went to Baggage Claim.  We all knew it was time to say good-bye.  Jill and Marc (coincidentally) were both staying in Rio, Nirav was flying back to London, and I was heading back to Tampa.  Saying my last good-byes to my fellow team members gave my assignment a feeling of finality.  From this point on, it was time to focus on getting home to the U.S.A.  

#ibmcsc brazil

Helping Others Has No Boundaries & Speaks All Languages

120 Hours?  Thinking back on my blogs, I believe that was the title of my Monday (9/30) blog entry.  Looking back on the week, these “120 hours” flew by as if they were just 12 hours.  Given how quickly the first 3 weeks flew by, I wasn’t surprised to see Friday morning (10/4) arrive so soon.

The entire 19 person CSC Team met in the hotel lobby at 9AM to take a bus to the mayor’s office.  Our final presentations were scheduled for 9:30 – 11:30.  There was a calmness across all members of the team, but I think inside, we held in some anxiety, angst, and feelings that we didn’t want this day (or this assignment) to end.

For me, I walked through the doors of City Hall and it seemed like just yesterday that we were meeting the mayor, and his secretariats, on Monday, 9/9.  Today was a culmination of thousands of man hours of work across 19 people from 13 countries. 

When we arrived in the waiting area of the 2^nd floor, we peered through the glass doors and saw the Secretaria de DEs. Economino e Turismo DSM System team presenting to the mayor and his staff.  (They were asked to present solo from 8AM – 9:30AM.)  Radhesh had a smirk on his face, when he looked at me through the door, as if he were saying, “Man, was this fun.  We had a blast!”

       

The doors opened at about 9:30 and everyone assembled quickly.  The mayor, his team, and all special guests were very interested in hearing what the 7 teams reported.  The  Ação Moradia Financial System  team was the first to present, and they were immediately followed by the Ação Moradia Brick  Process team; who was a sister team on the same NGO.   The  Ipê Business Plan team presented next, but for some reason, my Ipê HR Processes team (Joel / Hajira) didn’t follow them.  Oh well, “Brazilian flow.”  No worries.  I was confident we’d get called up eventually.  Olaf did a wonderful job of presenting a recap of his team’s efforts & deliverables for  Politriz Communication.  As was usually the case during the past month, Olaf’s dry sense of humor and quick wit generated several laughs within the audience. 

    

My team (Ipê HR Processes) was unexpectedly called up as the next presenter.  The 10+ minutes of presentation time flew by.  At the end of my presentation I shared some unscripted, heart-felt words to my Ipê “family”.  It was tough to hold it all together, but I managed. The ONG CASA Business Plan/Model team was the 6^th presenter.  And lastly, but certainly not least, Radhesh presented for the Secretaria de DEs. Economino e Turismo DSM System  team. 

         

To close out the meeting, a representative of the mayor’s office shared some heart-felt words of his own.  (Earlier in the meeting, the mayor left with a secretariat member because of a commitment in a nearby town; which was about 100km away.)  It was a very emotional way to end the meeting.   

   
       

Immediately upon the meeting’s adjournment, the energy in the room ratcheted up about 500%.  People were hugging, crying, laughing, talking, and in general, trying to cram 30 days of feelings, emotions, and experiences into a 15 - 30 minute window.  Everyone knew that in about 12 hours, we might never see each other again and our paths may never cross again.   Hundreds of pictures were taken and even more hugs were shared.  The interns quickly began signing the Brazilian flags that were given to us by Larissa. (All 19 CSC Team members agreed this was a wonderful idea and a very special memento of our time in Uberlandia.) 

I’ll never forget one of Daniella’s comments immediately after the meeting ended.  She told me, “Look, there are many people crying inside City Hall.  And outside, it is rainy and Uberlandia is crying too!”  I looked out the window and saw that it was raining.  (Actually, it was one of only about 4 or 5 days of rain we’ve had while in Brazil.)

 

At about noon, the room had emptied and everyone scattered like seeds of the ipê blown by the ventos (winds) across the planícies (plains) of the cerrado.  My immediate plan was to “kidnap” Aline, (1 of 2 interns assigned to Ipê), so she could help me do some last minute shopping.   We went to the local market, and while Aline kept me focused on my immediate tasks, I finished buying some last minute items to take back with me.

              

The interns had a 1PM – 3PM meeting and the 19 CSC Team members had a 3PM – 6PM meeting at the Executive Inn Hotel.  After buying her lunch, I told Aline that I would walk back to the San Diego Hotel because (a.) it was in the opposite direction from the Executive Inn Hotel and (b.) it was lunch / rush hour, and she couldn’t make it to her meeting on time if she took me to our hotel.

Fortunately for me, the rains slacked off and I was able to briskly walk back to the S.D. Hotel without getting rained on in my suit and tie.  About 1:30PM BST, I had a decision to make.  Did I have enough time to walk to Ipê, stay for an hour & visit one last time, and then walk to the 3PM meeting?  I decided to march on because I really couldn’t stand the thought of leaving Uberlandia & Brazil without seeing the staff at Ipê one last time.

I put on my backpack and then my rain jacket over it, and headed off to Ipê.  It was a fitting end to my 30 days in Uberlandia.  We visited, took final pictures, hugged each other, and shed some more tears.  By far, it was the best way to spend 75 minutes on a chuvosa Sexta-feira (rainy Friday). 

        

At our 3PM meeting, there was a debrief, many different analyses of our pre-work and time in Uberlandia, one last “lifeline” exercise with Bruno, and a lot of flag signing.  There was a lot of honest and candid dialogue with Bruno & Larissa.  By 6:30, the room was clear with the exception of 3 people.  At that time, I said my final good-byes to Larissa & Bruno.

Miscellaneous Pictures from Our Final Debriefing:

         

              

Everyone got together at 8:30 at local restaurant.  (Some of us heard it makes some of the best caiphirinas in town.)  Our table of 25+ (? !) people racked up a large bill, and Larissa helped us get our hands around who owed what.  (Larissa has been an amazing host, help, and ambassador for her city.)  New Zealand Mike and I headed back to the hotel via cab, while many others went on to a club, near the hotel, and enjoyed their last couple of hours together.

After packing for 2 hours, I finally retired at about 1:30AM BST.  Saturday at 2PM, (which is when our taxi is scheduled to pick us up), would be here very soon…  

 #ibmcsc brazil

Ipe Sees & Hears the Final Solutions

Today we presented our final documents to the entire Ipe staff.  Everyone attended; and we even had some special out of town guests who were observing the CSC process and activities for the first time.  To make it even more special, our meeting took place in the newest part of the Ipe building.  In the past year, an additional space was added to Ipe’s main building in preparation for the day that Ipe Atelier launches its clothing line.  Daniella designed the space and requested that it runs on solar power.  She did a wonderful job with the design.  There are visually appealing arches in several spaces and natural lighting coming in from multiple sources. 

Hajira, Leslie, Paul, & I had a Plan A and a Plan B regarding the morning presentations.  We set up an LCD overhead projector and put up make-shift blinds to darken the room.  We used a blank white wall as our screen.  If the LCD overhead projector didn’t work, then we had handouts to share with our audience.  Lumia and Aline attended and were instrumental in translating and sharing all of the details to those in the audience who spoke mainly Portuguese. 

            

Our audience attentively listened to both presentations covering the proposed HR Framework and a Business Plan for Ipe Atelier.  To review all of the content and answer questions, we took about 2 hours. 

              

In celebration of our final presentation to Ipe, we went to an Arabian restaurant in downtown Uberlandia.  Toni, Guelherme’, Paulho, Ruthyene, and Aline all came.  This was not a restaurant that you pay one price and eat as much as you can.  You pay per kilogram.  You select whatever food you like, and then you have a member of the restaurant staff weigh it for you before you return to your table.  The variety of food was definitely different than Recanto and Dina Restaurante; 2 of our favorites. 

Interesting Shops & Signs Seen on the Way to the Restaurant:

                    

Images of my Food Selection at the Arabian Restaurant:

         

When we returned to Ipe, some members of Ipe’s staff were able to visit with the CSC Team without interviews, documents, and deadlines looming on the horizon.  For me, I still had two documents to complete:  "CSC Knowledge Transfer v6_Ipe.xls" and "IBM CSC Value Realisation Baseline v2.0_IPE.docx”.  These were required by IBM’s CSC HQ team and will be used to assess the success of CSC Brazil 14.  (NOTE:  Every CSC Team in Uberlandia was required to submit the same 2 documents for their projects.)

Later Thursday evening, Lumia’s mother and father invited us over for dinner.  Lumia and her sister (Lorena) came by at 8:30 to pick us up.  When we arrived, Lumia’s entire family was there to greet us.  They were all very welcoming to us and treated us like royalty.  Aline and Renato, her boyfriend, also joined us arriving a bit later than the CSC Team. 

While Lumia’s father tirelessly and methodically prepared a wonderful meal and an incredible dessert for 14 – 15 people, our conversation covered the usual international topics: family, work, sports, travel, and children.  Throughout the entire night, the Massa family's hospitality was exceptional.  Our long dining table adjoined a beautiful outdoor, open courtyard.  The night was a bit cool, so the night air kept us all comfortable.  After a wonderful dessert of lava cake and vanilla ice cream, Renato / Aline and Lumia drove all of the guests back to the hotel in 2 cars.  What a splendid ending to a challenging and tiring day!

#ibmcsc brazil