An So it's Goodbye....

The time has arrived to write my final blog for the Nigeria trip. Tomorrow morning we catch a flight to Abuja, spend the weekend in the capital city and then fly home Sunday night. What an experience it has been.

Internet at the hotel has been very sporadic, hence no blog in the last week. It has certainly been jam packed with activity – everything from work, presentations, dinners and a wonderful weekend with our client and friends.

Last Sunday, our client invited us to take a boat ride to Akwa Ibom State and have lunch at the Le Meridian hotel. We all climbed into the police boat while Eyo and friends traveled by speedboat and jet skis. It was an experience traveling through all the creeks of the delta and seeing the fishing villages alongside the water. Our trip out was through the rain, but that didn’t stop us taking in the beauty and tranquility of the region. We passed many locals on their canoes, paddling along the waterways. I cannot believe that the boats actually make it because they are so low in the water. The canoes are fashioned from a hollowed out log of wood – no engines, no life jackets, no nothing. In addition, they carry everything you can image in the boat. The rivers are the main roads for the fisherman. There houses are right at the waters edge and it almost appears that the water is running through the little houses. Outside each village are a number of these canoes that the people use to get around. It is truly amazing.

In stark contrast, we arrived at the Le Meridian hotel jetty – a beautifully landscaped golf course, clubhouse and splendid hotel located on a hill overlooking the river and surrounding area. We had drinks at the clubhouse and then were driven up to the hotel for a buffet lunch of traditional Nigerian dishes. What luxury!!! Later in the afternoon, we traveled back to Calabar by boat – without the rain this time – and enjoyed waving to the locals as we passed by. Nigerians are such friendly people!!

It was a busy week preparing for our final presentations to the governor and his council on Wednesday. Although Monday and Tuesday were public holidays due to the end of Ramadan, we all worked at the hotel to make sure our presentation were perfect. We had a wrap-up session with our CDS coordinator on Monday and filled out questionnaires about our experience in Calabar and how our goals and expectations were or were not met. The rest of the day we finished up with presentation preparation.

On Tuesday we put it all together and finally completed combining all the individual presentations. It is impressive to see what all the teams have accomplished in such a short time. That evening, we had our final dinner together as a team with Ann Oden from the CDS. We went back to our favorite Lebanese restaurant and once again, had a wonderful meal. The owner surprised each of us with a grilled fresh fish to take back to the hotel. Well fed up, we went back to the hotel to get a good nights rest before the big day.
Looking very smart in our suits, we headed to the governor’s office and the executive council chamber for our presentation. Typical Nigerian time, nothing ever really starts on time. We arrived for the “10am” start which actually started an hour later. The executive council meeting is a very formal event. The governor, vice governor and state secretary sit on a raised platform, similar to our house or congress, but instead of rows of seats below, there is a huge u-shaped table which the council members sit around. There are about 30 various Commissioners, Special Advisors and heads of departments who make up the council. Along the far side of the room are a few rows of chairs for various secretaries and assistants to the council members. All in all, about 60 – 70 people attend the meeting.

I had the privilege of setting up my computer to be used for the presentation and making sure that everything was working properly – no pressure!!!! While I was getting ready, the council members strolled in, greeted each other and caught up with the latest news. There is lots of hugging, hand shaking and kissing each other on the cheek. Nigerians truly care about each other.

At 11am, the team filled in and we took our seats to await the arrived of the governor. We all rose when he arrived, and stood while the Nigerian and State anthems were played and then someone opened the meeting in prayer. And then the presentations began…..!!! Ann explained who we were and what IBM’s Corporate Service Corp is all about. We followed Ann’s opening with our presentations and at the end of the final presentation, Ron gave the governor a gift from the team. The whole team did an AWESOME job…..I am so proud of everyone.

The governor thanked us for the work we have done and appreciated the effort that we have made, not just in highlighting was needs to be improved or worked on, but also providing solutions that can be implemented over the long term. A few council members also made comments and judging by the reactions, I think they would welcome a team of 50 IBMers to come and help them in all the departments!!! Each team member was then presented with a small gift in appreciation of our work. It was overall a very successful day and I am extremely proud of what we have achieved.

I have spent the last two days conducting training sessions for the office. Yesterday, we did an Excel training session and today it is PowerPoint. We don’t realize how technology rich we are until you have to work in a place where they still do all the accounting in books by hand. Hopefully, they have learned something and it will make their jobs easier.

Cynthia and I met with our client yesterday for the last time and presented our report, all the presentations and our parting gift, a picture of Eyo on his jet ski. He was so excited!!! We then took him and his lovely wife, Ranti to dinner. I am going to miss them and their warm hospitality – Thank you for a wonderful experience Eyo. You have truly shown us who Nigerians are and welcomed us with open arms.

I leave with mixed emotions. I am eager to get back home to see my family and sleep in my own bed!!! But I am going to miss all the new friends I have made. It has been a challenge trying to work with power outages, limited internet, no landlines and accepting “Africa time”, yet we have accomplished a tremendous amount in a very short time. On the other hand, we have experienced the beauty of Cross River State, the warm hospitality of the people, the delicious fresh fish and oh, yes…..the bumpy, bumpy roads.

Sosóŋ!!!

Museum, Waterpark and Vegetables!!

Another great weekend. I left work early Friday afternoon and went to explore Watt Market in downtown Calabar. Hundreds and hundreds of little stalls selling everything from fish to elaborate party costumes. You want it, we can find it.....or should I say, most things. Still looking for the elusive souvenirs. Nigerians have beautiful wood carvings, bead work, woven bags and pottery.....but it is so hard to find anything in Calabar. I did pick up a few Nigerian soccer shirts....so kids, you now know what you are getting. There is also an abundance of brightly colored fabrics. I have picked up some beautiful fabrics and the tailor is making two outfits for me. Not sure if I'll wear it when I get home, but I can't wait to go into the office here in my traditional clothing!!

Calabar Museum

On Saturday we explored the local museum. So different from museum elsewhere in the world - not only are the exhibits poorly housed but the building is also not taken care of properly. The museum is housed in a gracious old building with many of the original door, windows and fittings. It has been declared a national monument so it cannot be torn down, but with proper care it could be a wonderful example of architecture from a bygone era. Once again we were on the hunt for souvenirs and didn't find much in the local museum store. The search goes on.....

Water Park - note the cloudy skies

Sunday was fun in the sun day. Two of our team members are working on a project at the Tinapa Business Resort. They were able to arrange a visit to the water park complete with wave pool, water slides, pool and spa. Sadly, besides the IBM team, there were only two little girls in the water. Not sure if it was because everyone was at church on Sunday or because nobody visits the park. The morning started out with showers, so we were hoping that the rain would hold off for a few hours so that we could enjoy the park. We actually ended up with a few hours of wonderful sunshine, however, we were not expecting the sun and did not take the necessary precautions. Most of the team ended up with sunburn and the accompanying pain!! Lesson learned....always wear sunscreen....even if you don't see the sun!!!

Aaaaah.....relaxing after a busy week

After a few hours at the water park, we went to the Amber Sun hotel for a meal. Oh what bliss.....they served vegetables!!!! Our diets have consisted of rice (or some other starch) and meat, with the occasional green veg thrown in. I will say that we have been having fruit with breakfast. Anyway, back to lunch......they had such a wonderful array of vegetables that we piled our plates high and ate our full. Mmmmmm....so good. Dessert was fresh fruit salad, plain cake and custard. Back at our hotel after a busy day, we played a few hands of cards and then headed to bed to nurse our tender skin.

Our project is progressing and we are starting to feel a sense of accomplishment. On Monday, we had yet another meeting with a senior government official, this time the commissioner of education. While we had a good meeting, we are struck by the bureaucracy and slow pace at which things move. We are also saddened by the lack of infrastructure and resources available to both students and teachers. For example, there are over 1000 primary schools in the state, yet only one has a computer. Very few of the teachers are even computer literate and have very little access to any IT training. It is not much better at the high school level. Less than 10% of the schools have computers and if they do have them, they are not used because they don't have power or Internet access. When you look at what these children have to deal with everyday, we cannot help but be extremely grateful for what we have in the US.

We are now at the stage of our project where we have worked on the statements of work for the next team arriving two weeks after we leave and consolidating our findings and recommendations. Next Wednesday, we will all have presentations before the governor and his cabinet and then start preparing for departures in the following few days. I am very proud of what we have achieved in such a short time and hope we have made a difference in the state.

We Have Reached the Half Way Mark

A small section of Watt Market in Calabar - also the least congested.

The time is flying by so fast. Two weeks down and two more to go. While it may look like we have been only having fun and games, we have also been working incredibly hard. Our team has had a particularly difficult time because our client has been in London and only returned on Tuesday night. On Wednesdays the executive council meets with the governor and that can last all day and into the evening. So, we only met with our client on Thursday for the first time. It has been a challenge to know if we were on the right track or needed to change our focus. In the meantime, we did as much research as we could, conducted over 24 interviews in the US and Nigeria, and read through reams of paper. We consolidated and analyzed all the information and prepared a presentation on our findings and recommendation for our client.

Thursday rolled around and finally THE meeting happened. We were able to spend two and a half hours with him. What a meeting!!! The response was overwhelming and we felt affirmed in what we presented. The next two weeks will be spent tweaking our presentation and writing a report that we will submit to the client. Our final presentation is most likely going to be to the governor of Cross River State and a number of executive council members and special advisors to the governor. Talk about pressure.....

We have also completed a preliminary statement of work for the next team and were able to summarize what we have done to date. Below is and excerpt:

"The Nigeria 1 Corporate Service Corps Team worked on a feasibility framework and road map for the establishment of a Data Center and IT Park located in the Calabar Energy City. They also undertook status quo research to understand the current IT capabilities in Cross River State and undertook a needs assessment of the desired state. While they determined that there was a medium term need for a new data center to support Cross River State IT consolidation requirements, a more immediate need is to develop CRS ICT capabilities by building required skills and infrastructure. This strong base will be required if CRS is able to meet its long term objectives of establishing a data center for use in backup/recovery for businesses outside of Cross River State and ultimately serve as a magnet to attract new businesses to the IT Park."

Enough about work....back to the fun and games. On Wednesday night we went to a Lebanese restaurant and had the most wonderful, delicious and filling meal of our whole trip to date. The table was overflowing with every Lebanese dish you could think of. What a treat!!! After eating rice and chicken for the last few days, we stuffed ourselves on continental food. So delicious!!!

This afternoon, my team member and I visited Watt Market. It is a huge open air market that sells absolutely anything.....and I mean anything. I picked up some beautiful fabric, CDs of local music and two Nigerian soccer shirts for the kids. We want to wear local clothing to work a few days before we leave, so a tailor is coming to the hotel to measure us and make our outfits. The fabric used for clothing is so vibrant and rich. I may even be tempted to wear one of them to work one day when I return!!! I have also bought some fabric to make a table cloth and napkins.

Tomorrow we are going to visit the cultural center and local museum and possibly take another trip to the market. Hopefully, I'll have a few more pictures to share with you all.

I miss everyone and can't wait to see you......but then again, I still have so much to see in Nigeria.

Chat to you soon.

Obudu Mountain Resort and Drill Monkey Ranch

So, we are through with our first week in Nigeria and work is progressing, although very slowly. Doing business in Calabar, is nothing like working in the western world. Firstly, you hope you have an internet connection and forget about high speed broadband – it is sooooo slooooowwwww. Secondly, there are no telephone land lines so unless you have a cell phone, you cannot make a call. It is impossible to set up conference calls, make lengthy overseas calls or even leave a voice mail for someone - we are getting pretty good at texting. Finally, trying to set up an appointment is a real challenge. Everyone is always in a “meeting” that tends to run late so you are left waiting and waiting and waiting. Yet, in spite of all the challenges, work does get done. Businesses run, government continues and people adapt to their circumstances.

Last Friday we attended a reception hosted by the Governor at the Amber Sun Hotel. Calabar is famous for its yearly festival held during the month of December. It is similar to carnival in Brazil. This week saw the launch of the new logo for this year’s festival. We all had a chance to speak to the governor, share good food and enjoy a glass of wine. A nice end to a busy week!!

Our Escort

We had the wonderful privilege of being invited by the Governor to visit the Obudu Mountain resort about 6 hours drive from Calabar. On Saturday morning we were greeted by two drivers, four security officers and our host, Jane. Full of excitement and anticipation, we set our on our journey. I am still trying to figure out the rules of the road. It seems that as long as you have the bigger vehicle, you have the right of the road….and a VERY LOUD horn is part of the package. Sadly, there are many car wrecks along the road. No-one seems to remove the debris and along the roadside are many smashed cars, overturned trucks and rusted old cars.

Road conditions are not ideal

We passed through many villages, which all seem to look the same. There are the mud huts with banana leave roofs, umbrella stands selling cell phone cards, food stalls and an assortment of small shops selling everything from televisions to hair clips. Another Nigerian phenomenon is the small motor cycle – and you will be amazed at what they carry. I have seen motor cycles with whole families, wood piles, luggage and even huge water containers. It amazed me that they stay upright. They are everywhere and as we pass by, the driver honks his horn and they all move to the side of the road.

The countryside is beautiful – very green and peppered with palm trees, banana trees, cocoa trees and a local vegetable called cassava. Even the people living in the villages have pretty gardens with neatly placed shrubs and bushes. Along the way, we pass cattle, goats running across the street in the village and chickens pecking in the grass for food.

The Agbokim Waterfall

Our first stop on the way to the ranch was to visit a waterfall called Agbokim. What a spectacular sight!!! Gallons and gallons of water rushing to the river below. We were also treated to a family having their bath in the rivier. All the children were happily splashing and even the motor cycle got a wash!! Once we are spotted, all the children run out to see who these “white people” are. They are friendly and always willing to pose for a picture.

Later in the afternoon, we arrive at the Obudu Mountain resort. The resort is build around a cattle ranch high in the mountains on the border of Cameroon. The cattle ranch was established by Scottish farmers in the early 1950’s. Today there is still an operational cattle ranch, but they have also built a world class resort and convention center. Our adventure started with a 9 km cable car ride to the top of the mountain – at the highest point, we were 500m above the ground. What spectacular views all around of the mountains, valleys and swirling clouds. We even saw cattle grazing on the slopes of the mountains. This is truly God’s country. The alternative route of to the top of the mountain is a road with many hairpin bends and switchbacks. Most definitely not for the faint of heart. The cable car takes you into the reception area of the resort which is beautifully decorated with African artwork.

After dropping our luggage at quaint chalets, we set off to explore. The resort is a hiker/outdoor lovers dream. We walking down to a pretty waterfall and then hiked back up to the bus. The air is very thin so high up in the mountains and it takes a lot of effort to keep breathing normally. We then visited the cattle farm and were introduced to the two bulls, Thomas and Joshua. They are HUGE!! You can guess what there main role in life is – lets just say that the cattle population is increasing. We also saw a cow strolling back from grazing during the day. I am amazed that they find their way back without any help.

We then walked through a very green rain forest that is home to may bird species. The highlight was a canopy walk along a suspended walkway. It rocks and rolls as your walk along. The base can’t be wider than a foot with mesh sides that are no more than about four feet high, all suspended by cables. As long as I continued to look forward and not down, I was okay. I really had a sense of accomplishment making it to the other side. The kicker is that you have to come back along the same walkway.

After a wonderful HOT and STEAMY shower, we had dinner at the resort restaurant. Unfortunately, the clouds had rolled in so you couldn’t see outside but none the less, we had a wonderful dinner. After dinner, we went to the bar for beers and to relax in front of the fire. It started pouring – and I mean torrential rain – while we were inside. It was a mad dash from the bar to the bus but then into a soft, warm bed with a huge cuddly duvet. What bliss…..aaaaah!!

Bright and early the next morning – 8am – we had breakfast and hit the road soon afterwards. Some brave souls went down the winding road in the bus and other (like myself) took the cable car to the bottom of the mountain. What an awesome ride through the mist!!

Pablo, the chimp

Our destination was the Aki Mountain Drill Ranch Sanctuary, home to the Drill monkeys and chimps. The ranch is located within a tropical rain forest, the natural habitat of the drill monkey. The purpose of the ranch is to re-establish the drill monkey population and eventually release troops into the wild. While the monkeys are in their natural habitat, each troop is surrounded by an electric fence so that they do not escape. There are also about 25 chimps at the sanctuary. Many of them were orphans and are being raised to hopefully be returned to the wild. It is a wonderful project and I was very honored to have seen the work being done.

Aki Mountain is also home to the longest canopy walk in Africa. Naturally, we had to walk it and enjoy the beauty of the rain forest. However, the mud roads leave much to be desired. After navigating an often very slippery road, the bus finally had to stop. We were being followed by our escort in a pickup, so what do enterprising IBMers do – we all climbed into the pickup and proceeded to the start of the hike. Our every present escorts ran behind the pickup and then hiked through the forest with us. What a dedicated bunch of guys!!!

It was very humid in the forest and I must have lost a gallon of water with all the sweating I did, but I would do it all over again. Once again, I decided to be very brave and walk across the suspended walkways up in the trees. While scary, it is still an awesome sight. At the highest point, we were about 75 feet above the ground.

Our trip home proved to be just as adventurous. Once again, we all piled into the pickup for the ride back to the bus. Our first thoughts were “I need something to drink…..NOW”. We settled down for the long ride back to Calabar. The driver wanted to make it back before the sun set and I now know why…..half the cars don’t have lights!!! As we whizzed past villages, cars and the every present road blocks, we prayed that we would make it back safely. Hoorah…..finally home and a well deserved dinner, shower and bed.

Official Launch of CSC in Nigeria

Yesterday was a jam packed day. After a quick breakfast of oats, plantains, paw-paw (papaya to the Americans) and pineapple, we went to register at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital of Calabar. We were warmly welcomed by everyone, filled out the necessary paperwork and were then issued our hospital cards. Hopefully, nobody will be paying the hospital another visit during our stay.

Our next destination was the Tinapa Business resort. The resort was built primarily to host business events and conferences. Contained within the resort is a hotel, free trade zone, waterpark, movie studio and a lake. The grounds are beautifully maintained and very well secured. It is definitely something that the people of Calabar can be proud off.
The Amber Sun was the venue for the official launch of the CSC project in Nigeria. The event was attended by His Excellency, Governor Imoke, his personal guards, members of his staff, special advisors, a number of IBMers, other members of the community and the press. The event opened with the state and national anthems and an opening prayer. Speeches were made by Ann Oden, the CDS representative in Nigeria, a senior CDS representative from D.C., the West Africa General Manager for IBM, Endy Chiapko, representatives from all the projects were are working on, Kevin Thompson, the CSC representative and Ron Favali, representing the CSC team. Finally, the governor gave his address. He was very gracious and expressed his warm welcome to us. After the ceremony concluded, he made a point to shake hands with each one of us.

After a lunch of traditional Nigerian delicacies, we all went to the offices of our respective clients. As it was the first day, we were only introduced to the office staff and shown were we would be working. The governor’s office has provided transportation to and from work each day.

Alvin, one of our partners suggested we all go to Aqua Vista for dinner. Aqua Vista is a tilapia fish farm and guest lodge. Fish is caught in time for dinner and cooked over an open fire. What a delicious meal. To cap off the evening, we all drank coconut milk straight from the coconut.

Today was the first full day of work on site. We are trying to wrap our minds around the project and come up with a plan for the next few weeks. There is a huge amount of information to read, interviews to conduct and presentations to prepare. It is going to be interesting to see how we fare. So far, so good!!!

Cynthia and I in our new office