Skip to main content

THIS is the Last Weekend at Dakar, Senegal

Wow, 3 weeks are over!
Fifteen members from 12 different countries got together on Oct 6, 2018 to be part of IBM Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program and work on various projects (for 4 weeks) across Five different Departments of Government of Senegal.
As we were in Week 3, each member of all the sub-teams were busy either compiling and analyzing the knowledge gained in the past 2 weeks or working on the final presentation for the closing ceremony on Nov 2, 2018 at Terrou-Bi Hotel, Dakar.
For me and the team supporting ONAS (National Office of Sanitation of Senegal), we started week 3 on a good note discussing on our earlier meeting with the Managing Director of ONAS and his focus areas…. but all of a sudden, we had a setback in the overall game plan. This did not deter us from continuing to work (took a U-turn) though we spoke on the setback few times.
 

On Thursday Oct 25, after 12 hours of hard work (divide and conquer), we had the initial version of the final presentation along with supporting document with details (observation, analysis and conclusion). We were unsure on how it would be received by ONAS team as we got into review on Friday morning. It was a very interactive meeting with ONAS team diving deep into details to get a better understanding of our recommendations. Finally, the ONAS team accepted our recommendations commending our work performed in 2 weeks of time. With a sigh of relief, we headed back to the hotel for our weekly Friday meeting. We knew we are now out of the woods :)


Being back on track with smiling faces, we enjoyed the last travel outside Dakar city, to Bandia Reserve Forest Park, 65 kms from Dakar. The team of 15 had great experience driving (safari) through the 3,500 hectares forest experiencing closeness with the nature and animals. To enhance the visit, we were led by a specially trained guide who is matchless in his ability to spot the animals in the thick forest. 




For only the third time in the last 3 weeks, I enjoyed my vegetarian food - Salad and Pizza, at the restaurant in the forest. GREAT to end the week on a happy note and of course we will continue to tweak the final presentation for another round of review with ONAS team on Tuesday, before we share with the Managing Director on Wednesday. 

 

This journey has been an enriching experience for me personally, professionally and spiritually..... it would be the same for my fellow colleagues. This program (CSC) has enabled me to learn more and understand people, culture (Senagalese) and their way of life.....



Popular posts from this blog

The 7 Main Chakras

Chakra pronounced in Hindi as Pali, in Chinese as Chakka and in Tibet as Khorlo is a sanskrit work meaning "Wheel".   Chakras are depicted as flower like or wheel like. When it is depicted as flower like, a specific number of petals are shown around the circle. It is said that human body contains hundreds of chakras that are key to the operation of our being. According to ancient scriptures, a chakra is where 216 nadis (energy channels) cross over each other, forming energy spirals. The 7 main chakras in human body refer to the 7 energy centers of which our consciouness and energy system is composed. The 7 chakras are aligned along the spinal column. Each of the 7 main chakras is their own intelligence center. It means each chakra is not only associated with our physical health but also controls aspects connected to our physical, emotional, mental and belief system.   1.Muladhara/Base Chakra (last bone in spinal cord) 2.Svadhisthana/Sacral Chakra (ovaries and prostrate) 3.M...

Ratha Sapthami

Ratha Sapthami comes on maaga shudda sapthami. Ratha means chariot and Sapthami means 7th day. This festival is in the month of January-February. It is the day when Sun God will ride on the chariot drawn by 7 horses. On this day, Sun moves from Southeast to Northeast. The day is also known as Surya Jayanthi as it celebrates the power of Sun God, believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. On Ratha Sapthami day, people take bath with 7 leaves of Ekka or Arka or Jilledu or Erukku (Calotropis Gigantea). Place 1 on head, 2 on shoulders, 2 on knees, 2 on foot. Perform puja to Lord Sun/Surya and do 12 surya namaskaras. The worship of Sun on Ratha Sapthami signifies the spread of energy and light from Sun God. Sun is the ruler of all planets and it is he who disburses energy. The Sun is approximately 149,600,000 kilometers from earth and sunlight takes 8.3 minutes to reach the earth. Mantra chanted while taking bath, Saptha Saptha Maha Saptha Saptha Dweepa Vasundara Saptharka Parn...

Importance of Dhanurmasa

Dhanur Masa or Dhanurmas is a month in the Hindu calendar. It corresponds to the zodiac sign of Saggitarius (Sun transits through Saggitarius). The Dhanus month or masa is called Margazhi (Margali) in the Tamil Hindu calendar. Dhanurmasa is also called as Shoonya Masa as it is considered inauspicious to do any good thing other than God and Holy functions. According to tradition, Gods wake up early in the morning during the month of Dhanurmasa. Special prayers are offered to Sri Maha Vishnu during the auspicious period of "Brahm Muhurta", i.e one and half hours before sunrise. During this month, devotees offer prayers to the Lord very early in the morning. The month of Dhanurmasa is considered a very special month for performing Puja of Vishnu. Vishnu Sahasranama is chanted during the period. The 30 pasurams/verses of Thiruppavai will be recited to wake up Lord Vishnu. Thiru means Sacred and Ppavai means Vrat. It is believed that Goddess Goda Devi, also known as Andal has comp...