Zhuang's Diary

Sitting at my desk back in my office during my lunch break, I started to reminisce about my month long stay in Ghana with my 10 IBM colleagues – now my close friends. One week ago we were in Accra, the capital, preparing for our press conference, dressed in our business best (and the ladies looked amazing). Our goal for the press conference was to state what we had achieved for Ghana and our clients during our short stay. Five of us summarized the projects we worked on and the tangible deliverables in addition to the intangible short, medium, and long-term goals we left for our Ghanaian colleagues to achieve. It was the three client’s statements that really made us all realize the positive impact we had made – how much we had done for them in 16 working days, how we’ve shown them that when focused on a common set of goals, great things can be accomplished in a very short time. We all hope the excitement and drive we were able to share continues and the pace of success remains steady.

29 days earlier eleven of us from all over the world landed in Accra – all IBMers but strangers nonetheless. We came from very diverse cultural and business backgrounds yet we all shared similar interests: the love of travel, the openness to new cultures, the joy of laughter and friendships, and the love of family and friends back home. Though our business skills were also diverse, we have core similarities there as well: we are all driven to achieve, we all have excellent problem solving skills, we all have great soft skills, and we all have excellent time management skills. We work hard, and we play hard – I guess that’s the IBM way.

As the working days passed, the eleven of us became as close as family. We leaned on each other for support and wisdom; we celebrated each others’ successes and embraced each others’ challenges. We shared outstanding experiences touring Ghana and learning about its people and the growing economy. We realized how special this program was to us and our clients. Many of us shared stories where our clients first realized we were strangers when we started this assignment; they thought we had been working together for years. I don’t know how our team mates were selected, but I commend whomever it was that put the 11 of us together – it was perfect.

As my last post to this blog, I just want to let anybody that is considering joining the IBM Corporate Service Corps know that they absolutely should do it. You will grow in many ways, both personally and professionally. On the professional side, how often do you get the chance to work on a two or three person team where your project deliverables will help shape a growing economy? How often do you get the business opportunity to lead such positively impacting projects? How often do your clients become great friends where they start telling you they’ll miss you 5 days before the project is over? It’s a life-changing experience, do it, and thank IBM while you’re at it.

How times flying. I went back to China, but I can not forget what happened on my last working day in Ghana.

On the last day, the last three team did their final presentations, including Chamber, GTB and NBSSI Team. The final presentation was very successful, we did a great job and we got a great satisfaction from client, and detailed action plan was created. It means we delivered these results to client, they are not only deliverables, but also they will become a big impact in future. I feel an honest and happy pride!

In the evening, Mr.Hammond and staffs of GTB met Anouk and I in Valley Beach Hotel, they sent us great presents.

We chatted for long time, the most unforgettable sentence from clients is “Unbelievable, I thought you (Anouk and I) are working together one year at least!”

Absolutely, our understanding really more than one year already in CSC program Ghana Team V.

Will
Nov.04 2010

Day 21, that’s counted to the day of my departure from Ghana on 10/30. Three weeks have passed. So fast!

The most enduring aspect of this CSC (Corporate Service Corps) experience has been the friendships formed. It’s a rare and possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend an entire month closely engaging with a group of people, day in and day out. It’s been a pleasure to be part of such a wonderful group, and I hold immense respect for each individual. Being the youngest in our team, I’ve received abundant care and support, not just in work but in everyday life, and I’ve learned immensely.

Yesterday, Roy, Anouk, and I completed the Ghana West Coast Marketing workshop. Mr. Hammond, the president of the Ghana Tourism Board (GTB), was the first to arrive at SNV, the workshop venue. His serious approach to the workshop was encouraging to see. Mr. Hammond also delivered the opening speech, introducing the IBM CSC Ghana 5 team to everyone.

A total of 15 people participated in the workshop, representing GTB, Ricerca e Cooperazione, SNV, Ghana Wildlife Society, Wildlife Division, COSPE, and IBM. Roy, who is exceptional in his skills, designed the brainstorming process. The 12 participants were split into three groups for the first phase of discussion. After 30 minutes, they voted on all the ideas, using Canadian flag tabs as a cute voting method. We then selected the top three ideas for the second phase of the workshop.

speech

Phase one voting

In phase two, there were 10 concrete problem&topics prepared in advance and rearranged 12 participators into 3 groups, then jump in depth discussions on these 3 top ideas. Finally, we got a lot of ideas in workshop. We will organize them in structure, analysis, give conclusions and recommendations in our final presentation.
Really a wonderful day!

Will

Oct. 23 2010

It’s now mid-October, and we’ve been heading to the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) daily at around 8:20 AM. According to our schedule, Anouk and I have conducted training for four individuals in Excel, two in Windows and Word, and six in PowerPoint.

One particularly memorable moment was when I first assisted Michael, my initial student. He was thrilled to learn about the computer’s capabilities – editing words, performing calculations, surfing the internet, chatting, and connecting with people worldwide. His eyes sparkled with excitement. Today, we conducted PowerPoint and Excel training for the president and director of GTB, Mr. Hammond. Having worked at GTB for over 28 years, Mr. Hammond possesses a clear vision for the organization’s future and is a smart, quick learner. He immediately grasped the PowerPoint functions during his first practice session. However, during our Excel training, we noticed that slight movements of the mouse could significantly alter the content. Therefore, sometimes we worked hand in hand to practice together.

President of GTB Training in Manager office

Next week, on October 20th, we will conclude the computer training at GTB. Additionally, we are facilitating a workshop, a collaborative effort between NGOs and GTB. Presently, under this market plan, GTB and the NGOs aim to establish a Destination Management Organization (DMO). The forthcoming step involves organizing training to familiarize the DMO with its management responsibilities, which will contribute to the development of the ‘Destination Management Plan for Ghana’s West Coast.’ This initiative has enabled members of the steering committee to interact for the first time, fostering stronger connections between the private and public sectors beyond the conventional licensing and control dynamics. The private sector, particularly the beach resorts, has been structured into an association to represent common interests, allowing for a platform to discuss issues and share perspectives. We are hopeful that the workshop on October 22nd will significantly advance the Marketing and Product Development Strategy for Ghana’s West Coast.

After a busy week, we embarked on an incredible adventure in Ghana on Saturday. Our day began bright and early at 7 am (it seems nobody sleeps in here) with a 2-hour bus journey leading us to the turn-off for the Amansuri Wetlands, just another 5 km away. However, this final stretch was a far cry from the decent roads we had been traveling on. Our driver had to navigate a ‘road’ with our bus that was more suited for walking or a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Against all odds, we reached the Amansuri wetlands.

Our first adventure involved boarding small canoes, with about 4 or 5 people in each. Our wooden canoe had a few leaks, but we all managed to find a seat and a scoop to bail out water during our journey. Our ‘captain’ propelled us through the wetlands using a long stick to push off the riverbed. We navigated through marshland, surrounded by a river of reeds, following a single water pathway carved out over years of use, reminiscent of a well-trodden mountain trail. Amidst a bird sanctuary, we observed numerous birds and flowers. Our route took us from the vast expanse of the river into a narrow channel and through a rainforest, my favorite part of the trip, gliding through the mangrove forest. The serene beauty was briefly interrupted by another canoe filled with a group singing an African song. We passed each other with high fives, and their singing soon faded away. Emerging from the forest, the wetlands opened up to a wide river, where we swapped the long stick for paddles and took turns helping to steer our canoe. The canoeing took an hour in the 30-degree weather, but occasional cloud cover and a bit of rain made it quite comfortable. I think I’m even starting to get used to the humidity here!

Our journey then led us to the village of Nzulezo, a unique community accessible only by water and primarily by canoe for its residents. Built entirely on stilts above water, the village is home to 450 people. Upon disembarking from our canoes, we were warmly welcomed by the locals. They guided us down the ‘main street’ and through the town to the far end of the village. Having explored many interesting parts of the world, I found this experience to be the most fascinating yet. The town, primarily constructed from wood, a lot of bamboo, and some rubber plants, extended over the water on stilts. The residents lived in small rooms that made up their houses. We were allowed to photograph the town, but had to seek permission before taking pictures of the people. The village featured a small market and a single-room schoolhouse for children up to grade 6. The inhabitants, reliant on fishing and farming, had to bring in all other necessities by boat. Lacking electricity, a generator was their sole source of power.

We had the honor of meeting the town chief, who shared the village’s history in an African language, translated for us by our guide. We then presented any gifts we had for the school children; I had brought several pairs of children’s sandals for the occasion. Many of us purchased small wooden carved canoes as a gesture of gratitude for their hospitality.

Exploring the village further, we saw a small farm with goats and chickens, also built on stilts over the water, like the rest of the village. Despite its size, the community had three churches. We then embarked on our hour-long canoe trip back, relishing the beauty of the wetlands once more.

Our trip concluded with some leisure time at the beach, located at the start of the wetlands and right on the coast. I roamed the shoreline, collecting a few beautiful seashells.

It was an extraordinary day.