Ready...set...packing! ;o)

Today...as I smartly left most of the travel purchases for the last day, was pretty much running around Helsinki city like I was running a marathon. But now medicine bag is ready for the trip, I have enough flavored green tea to keep me company in Kenya (I know one can get loads of great black tea there...but I am a green tea person through and through). Virve and myself have been calling each others the past days about dozen times a day..."this came to mind...what did you think to take for..." It is so great to be going with a colleague&friend, with whom one can really share this pre-hyping and panicking of the coming assignment.

For a control freak (yes, I belong to that group), it is difficult though to give up one's own project. Yesterday and today have been emotional days, when getting used that I have to leave my project team by themselves for a while. Caught myself thinking today, how one gets attached to the team and to the nature of the project. But after this assignment I got so much more to share with my project team and can teach them something about Kenya ;o)

Few last things on the work front to finalize and then packing. Tomorrow Virve and myself will have a pleasant journey of 12h ahead of us. Will be reaching Nairobi around 2 am. Luckily I sleep well in the plane.

One of the colleagues has been in Nairobi now for few days and shared his first adventures and experiences...so much want to get into the middle of all that. The photos gave me some flashbacks from places in Asia. Funny how totally different corners of the world look so similar in many ways. The colonial times have surely done their share in that perspective.

So, countdown läuft (as one says in German)...time to try to negotiate with myself to take ONLY the necessary things with me. Good luck to me on that ;O)))) See you soon IBM CSC Kenya Team 3! ;o)))) #ibmcsc kenya 3

Countdown running - 2 days to go

...and slight panic is rising, have I thought of everything? Thursday is the big preparation day, but today the thoughts were wandering around the coming assignment. The list for things to think of and "to do" is getting longer everyday. Maybe just good that my own dear project has kept me busy, otherwise the preparation list would be miles long.
Weather in Nakuru should be at the moment like the"usual" Finnish summer, around +22. Planning to run as usual there as well.Our team is from all aover the world, which will be fun factor. 12 people with a full color spand of cultures. We've planned to have cultural dinner one night, everyone is trting to bring some flavors from the home country with...on my list is: salmiak (also sisu-salmiak), rye bread, carelian pies...and what ever else I will think of at the airport.
Friends, family and neighbors have brought really nicely toys for our coming community days. We will visit orphanage and mentally handicapped childrens' care-home. Will be great to print the Finniah kids photos and send the greetings from children to children. The coming 4 weeks will definitely be something to remember for a lifetime. #ibmcsc kenya

Preparing for Kenya

Early April we started the preparation sessions for the Kenya assignment. 12 people from 11 countries on the journey as Kenya Team 3! That time it seemed like "it's still so far away"....and now suddenly I am leaving in just 5 days time to Kenya.
The 3 months of preparation have gone partially in stress, to be totally honest. As my daily job at the moment isn't from the easiest end of selection. It requires all my time, so Kenya preparation has been done during weekends mainly.
I am totally excited to be part of the sub-group which is involved in creating the master plan for implementing e-voting to Kenya.
Now packing, trying to think through "what all am I supposed to take with me..." and calling about 12 times a day with Virve (my friend and colleague, who is on the same assignment...and I am SO HAPPY about it).
Will start writing the "daily news" from now on...and in Kenya if we are lucky, I can post something pretty much every day. The hotel should be such that we have internet. #ibmcsc kenya