The Final Blog (O Blog final)

I started this first part in Santiago airport, about to board my flight to Auckland.

The morning was off to an early start – I opted to get up around 5am after sleeping through from 12:30 to 3:30 then dozing fitfully, waiting for the alarm to go off at 5:30 - silly, I know!  I finished my packing – a minor miracle – showered and dressed and was downstairs around 6:15.  The others arrived and so did the taxis. We had one extra passenger as Terumine’s flight had changed so he squeezed in with Cecilia and Leslie in the larger cab and Robert and I in the other.  We were early to the check-in so that was accomplished fairly quickly and the extra couple of kilos in my bag went unremarked. Leslie unfortunately ended up having to pay but Cecilia, who was carrying a case she could just about fit into, and who we all thought would be way overweight with all she had bought, escaped without any charges.

After a breakfast drink and sandwich it was time to board.  In the queue we met up with one of the reviewers who was also heading home. An uneventful flight, followed by a long wait for the transfer bus from the “small” (being relative – much bigger than Auckland!) Congonh airport we landed at to the main international airport in Sao Paulo,Guarulh.  We farewelled Robert and Cecilia at Congonh, as Robert was transferring there to another flight and Cecilia was staying in Sao Paulo for a few days.

A final look at an Ipê tree outside Congonh airport,
before boarding the bus to Guarulh

At Guarulh Leslie and I were able to check our bags in straight away but Terumine had to wait for his check-in to open.  We chanced to meet up with Sylvia and Hajira who had travelled there on an earlier flight via Belo Horizonte so it was another round of farewells!  We had lunch whilst we waited for Terumine’s check-in to open – unfortunately it turned out this was not a good way to leave Brazil as we picked a poor spot, with very expensive food of poor quality and quantity.  I felt the waiter was going through the motions as well.  

After that we said our farewells, Terumine going to check in and Leslie heading for a relaxation zone as she had a long wait for her flight. I headed for my gate and was soon on the flight to Santiago, Chile.  I was in the back row again, the other side this time, so it wasn’t the most comfortable of journeys, particularly as the “loo queue” was at my side – there was only one toilet at the back for around 60 passengers.  Otherwise the journey was OK and the cabin staff looked after us well. The man in front of me was quite unwell – I hope it was airsickness rather than a bug! 

And now I am back home in Auckland.  

Once again I end up in the back row of the plane for my last flight to Auckland - my own fault, I failed to follow our flight arranger's advice to check and if necessary change my seat allocation.  Unfortunately this poor location was made worse by a faulty entertainment system (no sound and no controller functions for our row), and a Polar blast from the air conditioning (everybody around us was sitting with coats and jackets on as well as the blankets you get).  I have to say the airline staff did all they could to help but it was beyond their resources, so instead they advised us on how to fill in the complaint form.  The Chilean lady beside me wrote reams on hers - she was incensed that the airline was letting Chile down by having these faults.  Despite all these problems, and contrary to my expectations, I did manage around 6 hours of sleep, which is good for me in economy (unfortunately my usual location!).

We arrived around 4:30am or so and I was through Customs and Immigration in no time at all. I had a brief stop at our agricultural checkpoint to have shoes I'd worn on a farm disinfected but that too was done in minutes so I was waiting on the kerb when my wife arrived to collect me at the local time of just after 5am. Yes, I have a wife to be treasured!

Although the journey back had its minor drawbacks, nothing can take away the fact that I will look back on the four weeks I spent in Brazil as a complex and hugely enjoyable experience.  As I said in our final review meeting on the Friday I am not yet sure where it is going to take me or how it is going to influence me, but I am sure it will have a profound effect on me and where I go from here.

On a lighter note the opportunity to spend a lot of time with fellow IBMers from all over the globe and hear their stories, find out their pet peeves, and see how globally-integrated IBM has become has been interesting and enjoyable. A great experience and I consider myself fortunate to have been selected for it, and supported by my own NZ team in being released for it.

Thanks to all who I worked with or who supported us in getting to and working in Brazil, the 19 people of Brazil 14, and my NZ supporters - you were all critical in this.

And that's all folks.

#ibmcsc brazil