Tea and Coffee Plantation visits

First, my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan and the challenges they are facing.  Several of my work colleagues live or have family in Japan, and my CSC team member Haruta-san was able to confirm her family and friends were safe. 

Last Friday, our neighborhood postmaster, who has been wonderful, arranged for the team to visit tea and coffee plantations to understand how the farmers can utilize the postal distribution network.  In one of my earlier posts, I questioned why Kenyans preferred tea when coffee farms were far more prevalent.  However, with the price of coffee being driven by daily auctions from the coastal town of Mombasa, Kenya (which I will visit next week), the local citizens are essentially priced out of the bean market and coffee has become a major export.  Blades churning and machines rattling, the speed which dried green tea leaves were cut, darkened while fermenting, blackened while cooked, and finally separated based on 4 small but distinct sizes was fast and efficient.  You could immediately sense the effect that the unique sizes had on taste in the testing room, as slight size discrepancies produced distinctive color and potency in samples.  The coffee plantation process involved much less infrastructure (the beans were not cooked at this site), at faster speeds, quickly bagged, and shipped off to the market (much shorter shelf life).  Unlike the tea plantation, here we were able to see the coffee trees, and how the red beans were picked, opened, and brought in for processing.  Both tours were great, and although we were provided coffee samples at the end of the tour, I was the only one who could not be converted into a coffee drinker.  The remainder of the day consisted of travel to our weekend adventure to Lake Nakuru in search of pink flamingos and the elusive 2 ton white rhino.

Nairobi Midpoint meetings

03.09.2011 – I know I have been behind on my posting, and while I have mentioned this before, the internet connectivity at the hotel is extremely unreliable, and when it goes down, it is down for days (within the last week, it has been down 5 whole days).  Wednesday was another early morning start as we headed back to Nairobi for our midpoint review with the Postal Corporation.  The meeting went well, however, a lot of the ideas we presented were already facts which are widely publicized but they have failed to implement any changes.  And while in the last post I mentioned that things take time to develop, ideas at PCK are 10 times as slow (or in Swahili…pole- pole), to the point where the competition has already capitalized on the opportunity and stolen the market share.  There were countless examples of partnerships which PCK was delayed in finalizing agreements which competition was able to come in and seal the deal.  The corporate culture promotes an environment of slow implementation of change and hesitation to partner with other companies.  While recommendations will be made, the key to success or failure for the company and its employees will be dependent on the management structure that is created, and the tone that management sets.  The organizational structure was dealt another unknown today when Post Master General Ali was given summonses by International Criminal Court for an investigation into crimes against humanity while head of police.  While there are a lot of unknowns, the company has a lot of wonderful people working for them, I hope that we are able to provide variable insight and give them that push they need to prosper as a company.

CNBC Africa

03.07.2011 – This morning CNBC reporter Chris Bishop (South Africa) with a camera crew interviewed and filmed the team to get a better understanding of IBMs growing presence here in East Africa, as well as the Corporate Service Corps program.  While we are not digging trenches on the side of the road for the fiber optic cable that is being installed, or building homes for the poor, he was curious how a program like the CSC and IBM can make a difference here in Africa.  I admitted right away that one 4-week program here will not change the state of the country, but through small steps, change will happen.  IBMs global presence did not happen overnight, took a century in the making, and is still developing and constantly changing.  While the computer Francesco donated to the center is a first step, next week the center will have internet and Sister Jane will not have to walk 10 km to the nearby town for access, then later a website with photos from Luan’s (Netherlands) donated camera will be posted, and the program expands its reach and prospers.  As people follow our experience here, and more volunteers visit to help through programs like the CSC, we will make a difference in all parts of the global.  The same can be said at the university as investments are made in education, companies will soon look to develop that talent, economies will expand, and people will prosper, but it will not happen overnight.  While the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries get all the press today, Africa’s turn is just around the corner, and is quickly approaching.  I also mentioned to Chris that the program is not just about developing Africa, but also my skills, and working with some of the most talented people in different IBM professions from around the world, which is necessary to complete in the global economic landscape.

African Massage

03.04.2011 – 03.06.2011 (Internet was again down for a couple days)

While half the team decided to travel to the coastal town of Mombasa, six of us remained in Nyeri for a relaxing weekend.  Saturday afternoon we departed for a local national park about 20 minutes away, and term African Massage was coined.  Riding in a large off road vehicle, the turn off the paved road on to a dirt road seemed like any other African excursion.  However, the next turn off the dirt road and onto a small path with multi-sized rocks and hills was much different as we were tossed within the vehicle for a couple miles deep into the park.  Our guide greeted us just after the gate near a small lake, which provided water to some of the park’s animals.  This was a much different experience than our safari drives the prior week.  When riding in a safari van, the animals would look at you for a second or two, and then go about their business grazing, without any hesitation or fear being within 20 feet of them.  However, while walking, the gazelles, impalas, giraffes, and zebras constantly monitored our every step, and never let us get within 200 yards before running off into the wilderness.  As we proceeded to the cave, I could sense multiple pairs of eyes hiding in the trees and bushes watching my every move. Although most are harmless, the guard carried a World War I era shotgun to frighten away any buffalo, and the only other of the big 5 in the park were leopards, which are very shy.  As we climbed down the side of the cave, the temperature became cooler, and we could see we were not the only ones who have visited this area as there were some left over animal bones and a leopard’s paw print.  We climbed back out of the cave, and explored the rest of the park grounds, trying to chase down giraffes and zebras for the perfect picture.

Sunday morning we woke up early to start a day of hiking up Mt. Kenya which seemed like a tough journey, but I thought our chances were better by foot than the van that dropped us off at the gate, which belonged in a museum.  With another complementary African massage, windows rattling to the point of near shattering, and free air conditioning and dust from a van door that would not completely shut, I enthusiastically leaked from the vehicle I felt was ready to crumble once we arrived at our destination.  Half way up our 6 mile hike to the first resting station at 10,000 feet, with the afternoon sun beginning to beat down on us, I continued to asked myself why am I doing this, but pressed on.  Next to our path, you could see remnants of trees knocked down by the elephants as they created their own homemade walkway to the pastures of fresher food.  On this hike, our guide did not carry a gun, but just left us with helpful advice to run zig zags if we happen to cross the path of an elephant or buffalo.  Being that the oxygen is thinner at 2 miles above sea level, an uphill climb with a backpack full of water and camera equipment, and the worlds largest land mammal with tusks bearing down on me, the last challenge I need is to make my escape route even longer by running back and forth.  Fortunately for the elephant, our paths did not cross, and we arrived at the first check point exhausted, but unharmed and headed back down the same path after a quick lunch break.  We were greeted back at the gate by our van, which initially would not start, but eventually got us home.

Community Day Part II

03.04.2011 - Community day continued into Friday, with a morning trip to the Kimathi University of Technology, which is just outside of Nyeri.  Students listened intensely to presentations on IBM, interviewing and career management, and a workshop on creating your own inactive whiteboard.  Dave Sloan (US) provided a great overview of IBM and Smarter Planet.  The students, faculty, and I were intrigued by Francesco’s (Italy) presentation on how to create an interactive whiteboard which typically costs $10,000 using just a Wii remote and an infrared LED pen which the students built.  They were eager to listen to recruitment and career management strategies provided by Luan (Switzerland) and Reka (Hungary).  Unlike my experience in the States, where hundreds of companies actively recruited on campus, students here are nervous because they were not sure if they will find a place to work after graduation as companies are slowly developing their African strategies and looking for more experience.  Coincidentally, one our team projects here is working with local companies and universities to develop the IT and leadership skills necessary to lead Kenya under their 2030 economic goals.  After the presentations, I had the chance to talk with fellow faculty and students, and hopefully provide some valuable insights while learning from them few things about the Kenya economy and education system; I even took a couple email addresses to serve as a mentor.  You can sense the country is investing a lot of resources into education, such as requiring by law all children go to primary school and expanding college campuses, which in time, will lead to investments by companies and hopefully property for Kenya.

Kenya Community Day

03.02.2011 – Today was a great day, the first official IBM CSC community day, and as we closed our laptops, we were excited to visit a local school for the handicap, and an independent orphanage.  The morning trip was to the Friends of Allamano for the mentally challenged, with 82 children, most orphans.  As we walked down the hill to the field, the children sensed our presence and charged with excitement, immediately grabbing our hands.  We brought with us a couple soccer balls and challenged the children to a game.  After the game, they provided us a tour of the school building, kitchen, cow stable where a couple of the boys were working, the garden, and fitness center.  At the conclusion of our tour, the children treated us to some dancing and singing, and then we attempted to dance for them.  Both they and us were sad that we could not spend more time, but before we departed, the team was able to provide them with their first computer, a digital camera, school and medical supplies, and monetary donations for any other items they may require.  Our afternoon trip was to a Kieni West Orphanage with 43 children that is privately run by a widow, and was a little tougher.  The children greeted us at their doorstep with smiles, and dancing.  Immediately after their performance, they took our hands, and enthusiastically walked us around their much smaller living area, which included a girls room for 15 crammed into a small area attached to the main living unit, while the boys were in a separate 15 bed unit built of plywood (you can see in some of my pictures), both with triple bunk beds to the ceiling, and no dressers.  Sadly, the entire 3 unit living area for 43 was smaller than my 1 bedroom apartment in CT, and theirs did not include a formal dining area.  Gutter water was collected and stored for use for showering and bathing, and they were not connected to the power grid.  However, the children were ecstatic to see us, and captivated by the items the team brought which included clothing, shoes, crayons, construction paper, candy, pins, soccer balls, monetary donations, and even our IBM badge zingers (not sure if that is what they are called).  During arts and crafts with their new gifts, and kicking the soccer ball around, the children talked to us about their dreams of going to college, becoming doctors, accountants, and electrical engineers.  While it was a typical sunny day in Nyeri, rain began to fall over the orphanage mid-way through our stay, which was a sign of blessing.  As they held our hands and walked us to our cars, I wished we could spend more time; however, I was happy we were able to share in this short experience with them.  It was not until I returned to my hotel, that my experience truly started to settle in with me as I believe I was caught up in the excitement of the children.  They were so inquisitive over my digital camera, and while I have hundred of photographs and videos of my family and I growing older through time, a lot of these children will never have any recollection of their parents or childhood.  From the one year old girl who was so excited to take her first steps in her new shoes, to the extremely shy boy that we were finally able to crack a smile from, while they are so happy to be loved by someone, they deserve to share the same memories, quality of life, and experiences that I take for granted every day.

Off line for a couple days, Internet back up

03.02.2011 – Last night I had a new guest in the room that made it a little harder to sleep.  As I tried to hide under my mosquito netting, I sensed my gecko friend was somewhere out there, and he was not trying to sell me insurance (Geico commercial in US).  Although harmless, I kept the bathroom light on all night as they are attracted to the light for catching mosquitoes.  Tired from a long night, we woke up early this morning, and traveled into Nairobi.  All told it was about 6 hours of travel time there and back, which was actually good time, and our meeting with the client was long and productive.  PCK was impressed with our questions and work to date, but you can sense their fear as competitors are salivating over any profitable service currently provided by Postal and the time is now to be proactive in addressing those situations vs. their typical reactive response once a competitor has already stolen their piece of the pie.  The ride home was tense, just so much traffic, and Kenya does not have a formal highway system like we have in most developed nations.  While they are in the process of buidling highway infrastructure, most of the drive is on a one lane road, with constant speed bumps, people and animals on the side of road, and slower moving trucks constantly being passed.  Nairobi could also use Smarter Traffic management, however, a big part of the traffic issue is lack of public transportation (buses, trains, subways) in the city.  But all these problems are a result of an economy that is developing, eager to grow, and trying to become a major force in the global economic landscape.  One of my only complaints is the pollution in the city, specifically from the cars and trucks while in bumper to bumper traffic in the Nairobi area, to the point where I became car sick with headaches.  But I am back at my hotel and looking forward to tomorrow when we visit some local orphanages for the day, and it appears my friend has moved on to another place for the night.