Greetings from Ghana. I spent my first week undergoing training as a Peace Corps Response Volunteer (PCRV) and have been sworn in as such. The ceremony involved me taking an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution. I felt very presidential.
I also pledged to serve alongside the people of Ghana with an open heart and mind, fostering understanding, facing challenges with patience, humility and determination, and embracing the mission of world peace. Somewhere around saying the words, "patience, humility and determination," it really hit me that in addition to being an IBMer, I am truly a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) - both roles associated with proud traditions and legacies. And somehow, I need to figure out how to weave those two traditions together whilst helping make infrastructure improvements that will help improve girls' learning experiences...all in three months. I felt very small...and got choked up... So much for feeling presidential.
During the same week that I learned the rules and regulations governing the Peace Corps (PC), I re-certified my commitment to IBM's Business Conduct Guidelines (BCG) - IBM's version of rules and regulations. Respect, integrity, sound ethics, safety and security are expected from both organizations. So, in some ways, having a hybrid role as both corporate citizen and government employee introduces no culture clash.
However, some differences do come into play. For example, from now until the end of my PC assignment, I must hit the pause button on any political comments. That means at work and in my private life, no political discussions or even any political expressions on social media such as Facebook...no hitting the "like" button on any politically oriented posts. Why oh why did I agree to become a PCV in a national election year? By the way, I never thought of myself as having much political opinion until I was in a position that I could not express it. It's causing me to be more thoughtful about what I say.
Also, IBM does not provide the gravitas of a swearing-in ceremony. I did graduate from IBM Sales School but the venue was not nearly as cool as an embassy. With the PC, there is an oath and a pledge and then I am held to it for as long as my service lasts. With IBM, every year, I re-certify that I will follow our BCG. It's not that IBM thinks its employees regularly suffer head trauma and forget. Changes in regulations and technology justify annual re-certification.
As PCV, a U.S. government person, I must not accept gifts or money from people. As an IBMer I must neither accept nor offer gifts or money. I think my hybrid self is the one allowed exception. I as a PCV can allow myself as an IBMer to buy myself food, pay taxi fares, or buy local crafts. And trust me, it is not the other way around. PCVs receive stipends akin to the local wage. In Ghana, that is often more modest than most wages in the U.S.
I am trying to sort out lifestyle differences between PCV and IBMer. PCVs, as grassroots volunteers, live in the local community on a par with the local community members. However, I am staying in a hotel approved by IBM rather than typical PCV housing. Since I will primarily interact with business and governmental leaders, I think I'm still honoring the PC principle of living a lifestyle similar to those with whom I'll work. But, that is quite different from the average PCV.
Far and away the biggest learning hurdle last week in addition to learning some Twi, the Ashanti language understood by all Ghanaians, was learning to speak in PC acronym-ese. IBM has no shortage of TLAs and FLAs (three and four letter acronymn) but I believe we have met our match in the U.S. government. I now can both say and understand sentences such as, "The PCMO is busy so this PCV will take you to the CD." (The Peace Corps Medical Officer is busy so this Peace Corps Volunteer will take you to the Country Director.) I guess my challenge is to keep the two acronym-ese dialects separate, or I could opt to just speak in plain English.
Well, it's time to sign off and prepare for week 2.
I also pledged to serve alongside the people of Ghana with an open heart and mind, fostering understanding, facing challenges with patience, humility and determination, and embracing the mission of world peace. Somewhere around saying the words, "patience, humility and determination," it really hit me that in addition to being an IBMer, I am truly a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) - both roles associated with proud traditions and legacies. And somehow, I need to figure out how to weave those two traditions together whilst helping make infrastructure improvements that will help improve girls' learning experiences...all in three months. I felt very small...and got choked up... So much for feeling presidential.
During the same week that I learned the rules and regulations governing the Peace Corps (PC), I re-certified my commitment to IBM's Business Conduct Guidelines (BCG) - IBM's version of rules and regulations. Respect, integrity, sound ethics, safety and security are expected from both organizations. So, in some ways, having a hybrid role as both corporate citizen and government employee introduces no culture clash.
However, some differences do come into play. For example, from now until the end of my PC assignment, I must hit the pause button on any political comments. That means at work and in my private life, no political discussions or even any political expressions on social media such as Facebook...no hitting the "like" button on any politically oriented posts. Why oh why did I agree to become a PCV in a national election year? By the way, I never thought of myself as having much political opinion until I was in a position that I could not express it. It's causing me to be more thoughtful about what I say.
Also, IBM does not provide the gravitas of a swearing-in ceremony. I did graduate from IBM Sales School but the venue was not nearly as cool as an embassy. With the PC, there is an oath and a pledge and then I am held to it for as long as my service lasts. With IBM, every year, I re-certify that I will follow our BCG. It's not that IBM thinks its employees regularly suffer head trauma and forget. Changes in regulations and technology justify annual re-certification.
As PCV, a U.S. government person, I must not accept gifts or money from people. As an IBMer I must neither accept nor offer gifts or money. I think my hybrid self is the one allowed exception. I as a PCV can allow myself as an IBMer to buy myself food, pay taxi fares, or buy local crafts. And trust me, it is not the other way around. PCVs receive stipends akin to the local wage. In Ghana, that is often more modest than most wages in the U.S.
I am trying to sort out lifestyle differences between PCV and IBMer. PCVs, as grassroots volunteers, live in the local community on a par with the local community members. However, I am staying in a hotel approved by IBM rather than typical PCV housing. Since I will primarily interact with business and governmental leaders, I think I'm still honoring the PC principle of living a lifestyle similar to those with whom I'll work. But, that is quite different from the average PCV.
Far and away the biggest learning hurdle last week in addition to learning some Twi, the Ashanti language understood by all Ghanaians, was learning to speak in PC acronym-ese. IBM has no shortage of TLAs and FLAs (three and four letter acronymn) but I believe we have met our match in the U.S. government. I now can both say and understand sentences such as, "The PCMO is busy so this PCV will take you to the CD." (The Peace Corps Medical Officer is busy so this Peace Corps Volunteer will take you to the Country Director.) I guess my challenge is to keep the two acronym-ese dialects separate, or I could opt to just speak in plain English.
Well, it's time to sign off and prepare for week 2.
Great post :) Looking forward to meet you and see you in 1 month in Ghana!
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