Thursday, January 29, 2015

Beginnings - Excitement Era!

I heard about the Social Sabbatical program and instantly knew this is a challenge that I will love. Although I adapt fairly well to change, I get very jittery and nervous when there are a lot of unknowns in a project or task. The Social Sabbatical Program challenges exactly this - where you work with a client from another country, on a problem statement that you have no prior experience in ,with team mates from 12 different nations whom you have never met.While it sounds daunting there is a shiver of excitement even while I write this!

When I applied for the program I did not know which location I will be going to. The 2014-15 SoSa program was to be based out of 7 locations - Mumbai, Beijing, Istanbul, Cape Town, Manila, Bogota and East Africa. I didn't really expect to get shortlisted - we had to write three essays- to explain our intent for applying to the program, what we hope to gain from it and what  we bring back to SAP from this experience. I was pleasantly surprised when I got through and was thrilled that my location of work is Manila ( closer home , similar temperatures as in Bangalore ). 

Last week we were introduced to our clients and my client is Messy Bessy. Messy Bessy is a manufacturer and wholesaler of natural, biodegradable household cleaners with the primary goal of employing, training and educating disadvantaged (formerly abused, trafficked, out-of-school, impoverished) young adults. It is a fusion of addressing a need for a greener lifestyle and a cleaner environment and helping these young adults out of their victim complex and leading them into a life that they choose to live. Messy Bessy has the cutest logo which is a painting by the founder  Krie Reyes-Lopez. The painting depicts a woman from a simpler, less industrialized era – when household cleaners were still made from the kitchen, and not made of chemicals.

Messy Bessy Logo

 My team mates in this assignment are Dirk-Jan Sligenberg from Netherlands and Vince Lu from China. Dirk-Jan happened to be in India - working very close to where I live. We met up for coffee and enjoyed a nice chat. What are the odds that of sub team of 3- selected for the same client in the Social Sabbatical - that one of your teammates happens to be visiting so close to where you live! It s like the universe is giving out a sign to go bond!  Looking forward to more such meets and the assignment with Messy Bessy.


P.S: I love saying Messy-Bessy. There is a playfulness to the word- a nice feel on the tongue while you say it. 

No comments:

Post a Comment