Random Things

Things I've learned:

- Working in a team can be tough work at times! Working on a project without a single leader was a very strange experience for all of us and was not always the easiest process to get through. Learning how different people think, act and articulate themselves is a vital part of working in a team, and in making the team productive as a unit! Every day had its ups and downs as a team, but we worked through it all, ultimately got consensus on things and all gained from the experience as individuals.

 - "If you say no, you must say why". A great quote from my teammate Carolyn - I'm stealing it!


- "A camel is a horse designed by committee ...." - firstly I'm not saying we delivered a camel!! But one key thing we learnt along the way was that you constantly need to remember to revisit your scope of work for the project, and you also need to keep asking the question - is this what the client wants, and will they understand and use it! It was a good lesson to learn and constantly keep in mind.

- Be aware of the stereotyping trap. At the end of the day every person is an individual and although there may be certain things that tick a box in stereotypical profile, you have to be opened minded and invest your time in getting to know and learn about another person from another country to truly figure them out. (Although I still love the fact that I'd pictured Andrea (our Italian colleague) as a driver of an Alfa Romeo, and it turns out he has a Guilietta! The man knows his cars! :o) )

- If your going to live / work / holiday in another country, then try and invest time in learning the language. You can get a lot more out of an experience in another country with even some basics in their language.

- "We're here for a good time not a long time" is a quote we use in Ireland all the time. When you get the chance to try new things, you should do them! Capoeira and Samba dancing were so much fun, I gotta try more things like them when I get the opportunity.


Things I regret:

- A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips! Eating everything around you is so easy to do in Brazil, if I hadn't been going running a few times a week god knows what size I'd be by now! There's more of me to love now though, which is a positive I suppose :o)

- Not getting to spend more time with people individually. We had a team of 15 so it was really tough to get around and get to talk to everyone as much as I'd like to have, but the good thing is that we've all gotten to know each other much better and have become great pals.


Things I'll miss:

- The people of Brazil, so fun, kind and warm, particularly the staff at our client organizations Maos de Minas and Centro Cape.

- The food, although I think I'll go vegetarian for a while when I get home, I've had my quota of meat for the entire year!

 - Running through the city in the morning with Nada, Carolyn (in the pic) and Maureen and Sunghwan also.

- My Brazil 13 teammates and our IBM and CDC colleagues - it was a genuine pleasure getting to know each and every person. So many fond memories of the month we've all spent working together.

Things I won't miss!:

- My LG 'Frustrator' phone! will be happy to give this back to CDC :o) Although I really appreciate the time Julianna spent programming in the team's phone numbers into each and every one - you deserve to be made a saint for getting through that process without smashing them off a wall!

..... and that's about all :o)

This IBM CSC assignment has been a great challenge and a great opportunity for me both professionally and personally - enjoyed every bit of it, even the toughest days!

Will post some more about our final week here later and on how we have been wrapping up our assignment in Belo Horizonte.

Later, Paddy

#ibmcsc Brazil