I want to start by saying I am not at all experienced with blogging. But this experience is all about going outside of my comfort zone and embracing the unknown…so I figured I should do my best to go all-in and just start writing (even if no one out there is reading it!). So here it goes…
Manila is pretty close to the opposite side of the world from New York. If you dig a tunnel through the middle of the earth from New York, you would actually end up in the ocean off the coast of Australia…but close enough! In just 16 short days (eek – that snuck up fast!) I will be flying to Manila from New York, by way of Hong Kong, to work with a government agency in Taguig City which is in the metro Manila area. Let me first tell you a little bit about the team and the IBM program that is sending me to the opposite side of the world for four weeks 🙂
14 people. 6 countries. Years of service with IBM spanning from 2 years to 23 years. So many different personalities and perspectives, yet we all share more things in common than meets the eye. All of us applied to IBM’s Corporate Services Corps last year (and many of us for the 2nd, 3rd or 4th time) and received word around October 2017 that we were accepted into the program.
Let’s take a step back. What is the Corporate Service Corps (CSC)? It is a program that was launched by IBM in 2008 primarily as a vehicle for global leadership development, but also to provide necessary pro-bono services to organizations in emerging markets. I am proud to be part of a company that makes this kind of investment on the leadership development of its employees, but am most proud of IBM’s dedication to providing these types of services to local communities across the globe. In case you are interested, you can find more info about the program here:
https://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/corporateservicecorps/
https://hbr.org/2014/11/why-ibm-gives-top-employees-a-month-to-do-service-abroad
I have always been passionate about different cultures and how people from different backgrounds interact with one another. Since June 15th, when the Philippines 19 Team was formed, we have been working hard completing group activities and learning how to work together as a group. We have developed a group Code of Conduct and completed various exercises around cultural adaptability and conflict resolution across a wide range of scenarios. We have created profiles outlining our backgrounds, hobbies, strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think I’ve ever had such an intensive experience getting to know a group of people in such a short amount of time! I feel as if we know so much about each other already, although I know this is just the beginning. Something that has stood out to me is the fact that all of us have so many things in common, despite our different backgrounds. It has been so much fun getting to know the group through our 24/7 whatsapp group chats, weekly team video meetings and smaller-group team building exercises. We all share a similar passion for helping local communities in need as well as a certain love for adventure. I am looking forward to meeting everyone and working together on our assignment – I’m sure we have lots to learn from each other. It will also be so great to have this new network of IBMers from around the world! If we weren’t brought together through this assignment, it would be unlikely that our paths would have otherwise crossed.
I’m sure these next 16 days are going to fly by with everything I need to do to prepare for the trip and to wrap up current work commitments. Right now I am feeling excited but also sad about leaving my family for four weeks! Side note – I have the best husband in the world for being so supportive of this opportunity (and taking on the challenge of being a single parent to three kids under the age of five – which is no small task!). I wouldn’t be able to have this experience if it wasn’t for his full support and commitment to our family.
I will do my best to keep updating the blog throughout this experience and hope you enjoy following along!
The Opposite Side of the World 