Friday, May 11, 2007
Back home and photos posted
Here's the link if you're interested to check them out:
http://picasaweb.google.com/brianwahlgren
Enjoy,
BW
Friday, March 30, 2007
Oh... and where am I traveling...
Week 1 of my travels includes Joburg, down to Cape Town, drive the Garden Route (stops in the Winelands of Stellenbosch, then to Knysna, Tsitsikamma National Park, Jeffrey's Bay) to Port Elizabeth, then fly back up to Durban and drive out to the Drakensberg Mountains before returning to Joburg...
... where we will meet Brennan's girlfriend for Week 2 - 4 day safari through Botswana's Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve, and Chobe National Park. And finishing off in Zimbabwe and Zambia at Victoria Falls.
I realize how fortunate I am to take in all of these places, especially to top off an experience like this! Come to southern Africa, you will not regret it! So much to see and do.
My work is through
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In true Mbizana fashion, they threw Heather and I quite the sendoff, with a celebration in the Council Chamber - highighted with speeches by Managers and by Heather and I, of course everybody joining together in song, and a champagne toast. And then it was out for the braai!
It is really hard to believe that I've already come and gone from Bizana - what a fast 3 months. I really have learned so much and met so many unforgettable people. We have been welcomed into their community and their family, and I hope that I will see some of them again at some point in my life. I hope that I can return to see a flourishing Bizana.
I spent a lot of the week transitioning with the people of my department, having last training sessions. And I spent most of Thursday morning transitioning with my Manager. Words can't express their gratitude to us - it has meant so much to them that we have come so far from our homes and our families to a place we didn't really know before - but now a place we appreciately immeasurably. The Municipal Manager told me I must return home to tell my family that I have a new family now in Bizana, and their homes were open to my family... so when I brought my family and friends back, we always had a place to stay. I really believe that we did accomplish a great deal in short time on the work front. But even more so, we built personal relationships and friendships that I hope can uphold, over email to start (assuming they keep it up after our training!)
By the way, this is where I've been sitting for the last 3 months writing most of these posts - this is the trailer which is my Manager's office... I usually sit right there at the table.
With Hlangabezo, Ncumisa, and Nwabisa - 3 department officers - before I left yesterday
Last few things... we went out during lunch the other day to the village of Nkantolo close to Bizana, which is where OR Tambo is from and where his Heritage monument is located. I drove out with Heather, Tanya (UN Volunteer) and Tanya's husband Scott. About halfway there, we thought we were lost, so I told Heather to pull over and I would ask the woman on the side of the road. They thought I was crazy because she probably didn't speak any English... and I rolled down the window and completely in Xhosa greeted her, asked her where Nkantolo was, and Thanked her and finished the conversation as she pointed us on our way. When I rolled up the window, Scott turned to me and said, "That was amazing. You didn't speak any English!" By far, one of my crowning moments here in Bizana - and the department LOVED it when I told them. Their lessons paid off.
Had dinner and a few drinks at The Estuary last night and said goodbye to all our local Port Edward/Estuary friends. This morning it was up at 530 and driving the hour and a half to Durban Airport. Seeing the sun rise about the Indian made in a memorable drive - I am sad to not be returning to the Estuary. I landed in Johannesburg this morning.
Spent today in Accenture's Johannesburg office - major shock! A proper office. Good lighting. High speed internet - who knew! Talk about a contrast from one day to the next.
So with that, I am done. I am off to travel for a few weeks before my return home on April 15.
I've really enjoyed keeping up the blog and thank you all out there for reading and continually corresponding with me. I hope you've enjoyed as well. I hope it has painted a picture of my few short months here - and it will certainly serve as a timepiece for me years from now when I read what I wrote.
Hope to check in from my travels - and please do check this still in a few weeks. When I have more time, I will probably post one or two more times, and have more time to share a load of pictures.
Cheers! - Brian
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Pondo pants for my last day
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Vuyo (my Manager) had me go to the local crafter to be fitted so that everything fit well. Here I am standing with Radi (pronouced Hadi) who crafts and hand makes all of Vuyo's traditional clothing. Radi had me try on my new beaded vest and also the Pondo pants that I will take with me. Basically like khakis, but all sorts of patches and strings hanging from them. Radi has hanging over her shoulder a couple of the skirts that they are going to present to Heather too.
Look close enough too and Radi's skirt is made of cloth with Mandela's face on it.
My family would get a huge kick out of seeing this fitting and Radi's shop that I went into to be fit. My grandmother was a seamstress and a crafter of her own for about 60 years - tailoring clothes, making clothes, pillow cases, dust ruffles, curtains, etc etc - such an intricate skill and art that is dying out. Anyway, I walked into Radi's shop and I felt like I walked into Grandma's sewing room - it was surreal. Sewing machine, large rolls and random pieces of fabric all over the place, clothes hanging everywhere, yarn and string on the table next to sewing machine. I told Radi about my grandmother and we talked a bit more about their similar skill - she enjoyed that.
This morning, I presented everyone with 1 CD of photos and 1 CD of all the files and templates we've created. Success was marked by seeing them opening their CD-ROM drives after handing it to them.
Sendoff to start around lunch today... my last day in Bizana.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Seeing progress
So last Friday I walked into her office... and she and I have a great relationship, always laughing and joking... and I say to her "Hey P! How's the project going? You file all of your documents?" and she said yes and asked me if I wanted to see. And so easily, she navigated through her folders and wouldn't you know it, 20 neatly organized and appropriately named folders - for all the different types of docs she has. It put a huge smile on my face, and I just told her how great of a job she'd done, and now could better manage all the department files. I know this all sounds so easy and basic, but you should have seen the smile it put on her face and the confidence it built in her.
So this morning was my final training session - we reviewed all the templates we've created so that they have a refresher in how to use them - project concept template, detailed project plan template, meeting minutes template. As a way to end it, I put together a slide show of photos I've taken here in the Municipality with them, at each of the events, and even a few of the videos I've taken. As many of them don't have cameras, they LOVE seeing photos. And I'm going to burn a CD of the photos for each of them before I leave tomorrow.
Then after the photos of them and us, I showed some photos of me and my life back home - family, friends, Boston, what 3 feet of snow in a blizzard looks like, Fenway Park, and all my other favorite things. They also loved that and got a kick out of it! Some of you out there reading this definitely made the slide show too!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Last week, if you can believe it
Hard to believe, but this is my last week on the project - our contract with UNDP ends this Friday, March 30. So the transition process has begun, and Thursday is the last day at the Municipality. Friday morning I fly to Johannesburg and work from our Accenture office there. I've started to complete all my final documents to hand over to the Municipality and to UNDP. And when I started to reconcile all the documents we've created, and summarize all of our activites, I realized that in short time, we've actually accomplished a lot. Sometimes it doesn't seem so in the daily chaos around this place. But I am organizing files, templates, documents, reports, a transition plan, and everything else to handover to my Manager, Rodger (UNDP Project Lead) and the Municipal Manager.
I spent my last weekend locally in Port Edward and had a great one. Friday night, Heather and I joined Tanya and her husband Scott, and Christina, for the Friday curry buffet at The Estuary. So good. I think it might be the third Friday I've done it. Scott laughed when we walked in because everyone knew me and Heather, we were greeted by everyone. We have become regulars. So a huge Thanks to Gavin (the owner), Sara (manager) and her boyfriend Doug, Sacha, the chefs (including my sports watching pals Des and Boyd), Gugu (receptionist) - just a great bunch of people there who have all made our stay easy, comfortable, and worthwhile. If anyone ever comes through Port Edward on a trip through South Africa, a stop at The Estuary is a must.
Saturday added to the weekend, I certainly had an active day. I was up at 6:00 and on the golf course for 18 holes with Scott by 7:15. Then came home, regrouped a bit, then went on a strenuous yet scenic mountain bike ride through the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve with Heather and Tanya (about 14km, a good balance of up and down hill... I ached on Sunday). I had gone on the trails once about a month ago and loved it, so am glad I was able to make it there a second time before I left. Also a big thanks to Natalie and Jan at Clearwater Trails. And ended the day out for dinner, a few Castle (my favorite South African beer) and a chance to watch the biggest match of the Cricket World Cup thus far - South Africa v. Australia. Unfortunately, SA lost pretty badly.
Stay tuned for updates on the work front through the week...
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Finally posting photos
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Here's a view looking down Main Street Bizana...
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... and the perpendicular cross street how we enter the town
View of the estuary forming from Port Edward beach into the resort complex (my little villa is in the top right corner of the photo, upon the hill) A photo caught of me doing computer skills training in one of our offices last week
Moude Cafe, a shabeen (local tavern) we drive past on R61. These shabeens are pretty common all along the way. We like this one because the wall outside reads "GREAT BEER - Just a day to brew"
Bryce, Heather, Lindsay, and I in the Drakensberg Mtns at Sani Pass. If you look all the way top center of the photo, right underneath the cloudless part of sky, we drove on a guided 4X4 tour to the top of that mountain, 9000 ft, apparently the 3rd steepest pass in the world, and the only entrance in the Drakensberg into the Kingdom of Lesotho...
Pulling up into Lesotho. This is border patrol - "Immigration Welcome to Lesotho" painted there on the building.
With Heather and Pete at Mama Africa in Cape Town
Mountain biking through the banana trees in the Umtamvuna Nature Reserve