This trip was a really fantastic experience and opportunity... but more about that further down. First a few pictures and updates from the last week.
On the work side, we had a final presentation with the client, and were able to look back at a very nice set of accomplishments that will hopefully translate into real difference for the company in the future. I actually find it quite hard to look at Cambodian Harvest Fruit as our client, as we grew so close during this month, and especially during the last 1-2 weeks. I think I would call them family or friends before calling them clients. We have spent most of the lunch breaks with the office staff that we mostly worked with - who generously invited us to join the lunch they cook in their room upstairs in the same building. There is actually also a roof terrace for the dry days.
As I had mentioned in the previous blogs... the product from our Dried Fruit Company is really very tasty... but (as a non-sweet guy) I also have to say that 30 days of sweet dried fruit was enough. So we started playing a little bit with new flavors. With input from our Italian chef Gilberto at the hotel, and our French gourmet Bertrand, we did add green pepper to pineapple, cardamon and coconut to mango, lemon and mint to papaya, and chocolate to ginger. The ratings from both the fruit company as well as the IBM team were quite high.
And in the final week, we also got a chance to look at the future location of this company. They have purchased "the farm" just outside of Phnom Penh, and are currently drawing up the plans for the new factory and staff housing out there. They will grow their own fruit and vegetables, make their product and will in general create a much better living environment for the employees out on the farm. And I got to see pineapple plants for the first time... hands up if you knew they grow on little bushes.
and a close-up young pineapple
On Thursday night, we then had the best evening of our time here. The company decided to have a surprise dinner for us in the factory, and all 25 local employees joined. It was a really nice setting with flowers and candle light - and home-made Khmer food. Just in case you forgot... the company employs pretty much only land mine survivors - so most of the people only have one leg. And the highlight of the night (highlight is the wrong word here.. but don't have a better one) was that several of them stood up at the table and told us their live stories. You can not believe what most of these people had to endure. How low in live they were... with nowhere to go and no hope left. As a handicapped person in Cambodia - you are an outcast. And now they are a group of people who lough and smile more than any group I know at home. This night was really quite special.
And this wouldn't be a complete blog if there wasn't a mention about something vehicle related. Today I would like to introduce you to the spare parts store for the moto's that dominate the streets. In general - you can buy anything at the Russian Market - but the spare parts collections is really the most amazing "shop" in there.
This is a trip of a lot of "firsts" for me... mostly food... but also the massage on the island a couple of weeks ago... so why not go all the way and go to a pedicure. So on our last night, after a good while of great food and lots of dancing... we finally "took the dive". (This guy is not part of our group... just wanted to get the sign on the tank in the picture.)
Only problem is... if I stick my feet in there... all fish come to me and no one else gets any... no idea what that says about my feet...
So that was the easy part - here comes the harder part (and maybe not so interesting for some of you... sorry). One thing I did want to challenge myself to do - is to try to find words for what the key lessons I learned in the last 30 days over here were (or at least think I have learned).
- First and foremost is the smile in people's faces. It is the one-legged factory workers, the children from the fishing village, and just in general pretty much all people you meet. The people may not have roofs on their houses, or clean clothes, and may not necessarily know how to afford food for the whole month... but they do show their smiles, are patient, and don't get upset with others. Why is it that we have so much more, and have so much less patience and smiles?
- One lesson also comes from my fruit company. We have worked with them so closely for a month, and were very open with sharing some observations of conditions we did not like very much. They listened, (usually) agreed... and then things were changed the next day. It didn't take a month to think, another month to plan, and another month to get started. Change is something they completely embraced and just did it. This was very refreshing.
- Another thought comes from meeting a few of the volunteers in the area. (Cambodia has tons of aid programs and foreigners on some kind of mission.) Just as our month here was a really great experience - these volunteers put their lives on hold for a while and see what they can learn, how they can grow as people, and how they can help others. And when I ask myself - how about doing something like that... I find that my concerns are all about our house, the mortgage, the retirement, the investment account, etc. Isn't it interesting that all this financial "freedom" is the reason we hesitate to do something like that?
Lastly I have to express my thanks to so many people... mostly my wife Alison, who never ever questioned why I would disappear for a month and leave her with all the work at home. And off course IBM. What an amazing program... what a great growing opportunity. (And I think our group did a really good job in representing IBM in a country that so far has exactly 1 IBM employee... and hopefully soon many more.)
I am actually on my way home right now. Somewhere mid-air between Korea and USA. My original plan was to tour through Thailand for a week. But somehow this week it hit me... it is time to go home now. Time to be with the family... and to smile.
Thanks for reading (and thanks for a lot of nice feedback)... it was really fun to blog... try it sometime yourselves if you haven't yet...
Woofgan (Cambodian version of my name)
#ibmcsc #cambodia
