AIR

Friday, May 26
Our clients, Patricia and Lavinia picked us up from our hotel to take us to what would be the most moving experience I've had since arriving.  We were taken to Aria Social for a dance performance.

Aria Social is led by Cecilia Cavalcanti Brennand whom has opened the doors of this once private dance school to hundreds of street children....providing them a life changing opportunity to experience dance, singing, and cultural richness that can only change a person for the better.
The group that performed consisted of ~30 teenagers that used to be street children in Recife.  The myriad of emotions that their voices, presence, and souls created in the theatre that morning was unbelievable.

#ibmcsc brazil #ibmcscbr12 

Settling into Routine

To everyone's surprise, our team of 15 people have settled into Recife life quite nicely...waking up before 6am (sun rises @ 5am) for a jog or walk on the beach, sitting down to an amazing breakfast with fresh fruit, omelettes, local fare...then off to get ready for our day with the client.  Most of the teams take taxis to their client's offices, where our client personally picks us up each morning and brings us home at the end of the day - Thank you Laura!

While working at the client site, Laurie, Deirdre and I have gotten quite used to an endless supply of rich Brazilian coffee throughout the day, and a walk across the canal to the mall for lunch.

Midway through the week, our client's location had a power outage...so we worked at the hotel. 

During lunch, we discovered the most amazing frozen Acai berry lunch spot and went on a walk around our neighborhood.

#ibmcsc brazil #ibmcscbr12

It Has Begun!

May 21, 2012

The day started with an energetic kick-off meeting in old Recife with the 15 members in CSC Brazil 12, CDS, IBM Brazil, and the NGO's - Casa da Crianca, Instituto Empreender, Nectar, Observatorio do Recife, and Porto Digital.

After weeks of speaking only on the phone with our client - Casa da Crianca...when we finally met, there was an instant connection with Laura, Patricia and Lavinia.

Each of the CSC members assigned to each NGO gave a brief introduction, followed by the NGOs presenting their work to date and what benefits they hope to achieve from the engagement. 

Once the meeting was complete, we headed back to Casa da Crianca's office to meet the rest of the team - Elisabete, Marcelo, Tarsila, and Goncalo.  Casa is located quite close to the hotel, where others are throughout the city of Recife...so our commute is only 5 minutes each day :)

The rest of the day was spent understanding the challenges and dreams of Casa da Crianca, to better determine our focus.  We were extremely pleased to see the high level of process detail our client has achieved in the last decade.  The passion that each person at Casa feels for their projects is infectious as they positively affect so many people in so many ways;

- remodeling orphanages, shelters, daycares to provide a safe and inviting atmosphere for all children

- care of children with cancer via Q'ALEGRIA

- Prêmio Brasil Social that aims to unite and encourage other social organisations

- Cia dos Anjos which helps with products and services for the care of children

- Aria Social which provides low income children the opportunity of learning dance, vocal, and cultural appreciation.

By the end of the second day, we were clear on our mission  - to help them get to the next level where they can concentrate on making more of their dreams for all children in Brazil a reality! 

#ibmcsc brazil #ibmcscbr12

Weekend Arrival

I do realize it's well past the weekend at this point, however time to reflect on the last 5 days has finally arrived :) You really do make the most of your time when in Brazil!!

After a 17 hour flight with I'm guessing 30 minutes of sleep...I arrived in Recife on Saturday morning.   I opened the curtains in my room and couldn't believe the view from my room at the Hotel Jangadeiro...this is the best CSC assignment ever!  

After most of our team arrived throughout Saturday...Rodrigo and Vanessa from CDS choose a fantastic place for dinner, so that we could run down the list of various Caipirinha flavors.  A few of us made a formal decision that the lime & pineapple Caipirinha was the winner!  

Sunday began with a tour of our neighborhood, so that we could get to know the places for laundry, shopping, lunch & dinner, parks...there is certainly not a shortage of anything around here!

#ibmcsc brazil

Test for IBM Social Aggregator

Test for IBM Social Aggregator  #ibmcsc brazil

Details...You Knew They were Coming!

It is now 2 weeks to departure date...all the pre-work material has been completed, so now to organize the logistics of my 17 hour flight (Toronto - Miami - Salvador - Recife).
Some details on my project assignment...Deirdre (IBM Ireland), Laurie (IBM US), and I will be working to create an information management portal solution for a non profit organization called Projeto Casa da Crianca which works to create a better environment for orphanages, daycares, and pediatric cancer recovery throughout Brazil.
We have now met via conference call with our client, Laura a couple of times....so far so great!  The enthusiasm and positivity that Laura has shared with us on the many benefits that Casa da Crianca has already achieved is infectious.

I can't wait to get started!