GENTE
Issue 2016 - 2
From a Small town to the Big City
End -of- year traditions
Adopting a Second Country as home
2016 editor`s letter Dear HR Team, December is almost upon us. A time for rushing, deadlines, shopping, lots of work and of course lots of food! A time for family get-togethers, celebration and happiness. A time for exchanging gifts with those dearest to us. A very special time, and this is why we discovered what the year-end traditions of our teammates in HR are. We all have different experiences, but all of them very special to us. Tradition melts our hearts and connects us with our roots. I promise you will laugh, enjoy and know more about each other with this note.
Bettina Masulli HR Business Partner.
An initiative of:
After that, we will travel to a beautiful town in Argentina called Lezama, were we will find the impact of parent legacy and how the values they teach us since birth, with their way of living, can transmit core values forever reflected in every aspect of our lives. We also know that home can be whenever you feel your heart is, and sometimes you find out that home means adopting a second country as your own. We will share three different stories about how you can embrace, enjoy and learn other cultures and how that enriches your identity. Hope you enjoy this edition, and have a fabulous end of year!
Do you want to be part of our next edition? Do you know some interesting story of your collegues that worth to be shared?
ed.02-2016
Contents STORIES WE DON´T SEE
Adopting a Second Country as home María Dolores López Yohanna Fernandez Dayelle De Peña
Send us your story to: bettina.masulli@ericsson.com
and don´t forget to follow us at: /EricssonLatinAmerica /EricssonCaribbean /EricssonBR @EricssonLATAM @EricssonCarib
From a Small town to the Big City Albano Otegui
/ericssonlatam /ericssonBrazil
End -of- year traditions Pamela Chusyd Sebastião Cavalcante Ana Virguez Michelle Diaz
Yohanna Fernandez – HRBP A little more than five years ago my adventure began in Chile, and I must confess that I have adored all my days living in this wonderful city and the life that I have built in this new home. I think some of the fundamental things that helped me decide to move were being aware of the good things that my destination country could offer me, contacting people who had already gone through the process of emigrating to learn from their experiences, and having the unconditional emotional support of my family and friends. The first few days were a mixture of the excitement of discovering everything new, and the anxiety of what it meant to live in a new country where I literally didn’t know anyone outside the office. María Dolores López – HR Generalist All my life, I grew up and enjoyed living in my country, Venezuela; unfortunately the economic and security situation there led me deciding to leave my country, to make sure I had quality of life for me and my family. The best experience when you live in another country is the opportunity to learn about other customs, values and realities that help you discover the strength we all have inside to adapt, to transform the fear into a strength to overcome the new challenges and to learn the value of what you have left behind. I feel blessed to I have met wonderful people who have taught me new things every day, and that have helped me grow personally and professionally. In the wonderful experience of making new friends, having new routines and enjoying stability and security that I didn’t have in my country, the hardest part is having my mother still living in Venezuela, and knowing all the difficulties she is going through. I am grateful to Ericsson for the opportunity to be where I am now and to be able to live a great experience in another country, where adapting can be challenging when you are away from the people you love. I carry them in my heart: my country, my family, my friends and the hope to one day I will be able to meet with them again in a different reality from the one we have now in Venezuela.
One of the best tips was given to me by Rosario Saud, who told me about www.internations.org, so I registered and started to go to their meetings. There, I met a lot of people that today I consider good friends. Another good action I took was to ask all my Facebook contacts who knew people in Santiago to contact me; two responded and introduced me to wonderful people who are still close friends today. Being able to count on a solid group and being nourished by friends that accompany you and make you feel at home is fundamental when you do not have family close by.
The first year, I think I felt like I was just traveling, and that I was going to return at any time, but I remember after a trip that I felt I wanted to get home soon, thinking about the house that was in Santiago. I am a person who adapts easily and I am very curious to learn new things, but surely something I have missed a lot has been seeing my nieces grow. I compensate by being very in touch whenever we can and enjoying the time we do have together!
It has its challenges, of course, but missing my family is definitely the hardest one. As an example, my nephew is only five years old and not seeing him grow or being able to take him to the park or to the movies is difficult. I admit I am paranoid because I wonder if he will forget about me (him being so little), so to avoid that I call him a lot, with video! Most of the time he asks me where I am and when I say, “Guatemala,” he always replies: “¡¿Otra vez?!” / “Again?!” It is quite funny!
You have to find things that you like and enjoy in the new country. Chile is a wonderful country with many wine-producing valleys recognized worldwide, so every March I join the party of the vintage. Also in the winter I have discovered something totally new for me — every year I keep trying with snowboarding.
Baseball is played in Venezuela, but since I live in Chile I love the passion they have for soccer and their team. During the 2014 World Cup I became a fan of the national team and even shouted and suffered with each penalty, no doubt a passion adopted in my new home! Dayelle De Peña – HR Generalist Arriving in a new country is a fresh beginning! You have a whole new country to discover, new food, new customs, new places and adventures! Internal tourism becomes a vast and open adventure and every day you learn and understand a bit more about the people, their background and the country itself.
I also miss the long talks with my mom and her cooking, as well as seeing my best friends. The Networked Society makes it a lot easier with video cost-effective calls, but there is nothing like being close to your family!
Although the good part is that the warmth of the people in Guatemala has helped me feel that I have made good friends here as well. Having moved while working at Ericsson provides a sense of stability and allows you to build a routine around work that gives you focus. When you move to a new country, you really do adopt it as your new home and it becomes a part of you, of your identity. One of the things that I enjoy the most of my new Guatemalan experience is that I also get to share it with my family and my friends. Enclosed is a picture of me, my dad and my brother when I took them to see volcanos, which we don’t have in the Dominican Republic, and that was a great family experience!
Awards Q4 | 2016
Awards | 2016 Nominations open from December 13, 2016 until January 9, 2017
From a Small town
to the big city GENTE: Hello Albano, please tell us more about this cozy town you grew up in. Albano: Lezama is a town with a population of approximately 5000 people. Actually, I always say that I grew up inside a business because my parents had, and my mother still keeps, what you call a typical countryside grocery store. One of the peculiarities about it is that it is part of the building where our house is, so I woke up, walked two steps and I was already inside the store. Every day the store opened at 7:30, closed at 1 pm for a “siesta,” and then reopened from 4 to 9 in the evening.
all the other items there. Today, what my mom still sells in the store are shoes. She is today 80 years old and still working there; it keeps her occupied and alive.
GENTE: And tell us Albano, who runs the business, your mom or your dad? Albano: Definitely both of them. The store, with the years, changed its profile. Imagine that it is now almost 60 years old and keeps running. Of course its concept has suffered many changes -like the ones we are experiencing today in Ericsson- to adapt to new realities and stay alive. At the beginning, the first years, they sold food, vegetables, etc. Later, my mother and my father also began to sell homemade pasta on Saturdays and Sundays. After that it turned out to a general product store. They supply the people that live there and also others from the countryside near Lezama. The store had products from charcoal for the typical Argentinean barbecue up to hair products. My mom was the specialist in all that encompasses “women’s products.” My father was dedicated to
GENTE: And growing up in a store like this, did you eat all the candies? How was that treated in your case? (laughs) Albano: No, I didn’t have the need. I saw that every day so it didn’t catch my attention. When we really had issues was with our daughters, because for them it was a big party and my mom always gave them all the candy they wanted. GENTE: At what age did you came to Buenos Aires? Albano: I came to Buenos Aires at 23 years old. Before that I studied Administration in Dolores, a city 50 km from Lezama. In Buenos Aires, I went to university (I got a degree in systems) and I remain here. My wife Claudia (who is a teacher of
mathematics and a librarian) is from a town that is 25 kms from Lezama, called Castelli, so we met there. I came to study here in Buenos Aires and, after a couple of years, we got married and she also came here with me. GENTE: How did you meet your wife, since you were 25 Kms apart? Albano: The tradition was that the boys went to the dances in the nearby towns, and generally speaking, the ones that were visitors were the “winners.” I don’t know if this is understood, but what I mean is that the girls usually paid more attention to guys from other towns (laughs). So I met her when I was in my last year of high school. There was a party where they choose the queen and king of students, and I was picked as the king, so that gave me extra points with her. We now have two beautiful daughters: Sofia (27 years old, studying arts) and Camila (22 years old, studying psychology). GENTE: What where your main challenges in the big city? Albano: One of the things that was hard for me was that, in my town, I used to be a soccer player (goalkeeper), almost a professional one, and when I came to the city it was very difficult to keep training, as I studied and worked at that time, too. I managed to go to the gym and I was able to keep up with the rhythm for two years, but after that it became really hard and I had to quit. The other very difficult thing was that we missed our friends and family. GENTE: Tell us an anecdote that you remember the most from Lezama? Albano: One of the most memorable anecdotes was that Lezama was a dependent city from a
bigger one called Chascomus, and for many, many years, we fought for Lezama to be independent. The whole town organized activities and protests, where I used to participate when I was young. Finally, after 80 years we achieved our independence. Coincidently, I was in Sweden for Ericsson when I received the news, and I still have a photo of myself with a big poster that said “Lezama es LIBRE” (Lezama is free). That picture appeared in the newspapers of my town. Maria Luisa Perez, our colleague from Mexico, took that picture. GENTE: What did you learn from growing up in a small town that you still keep with you? Albano: I always say that most of the values and the “customer services” I’ve learned, came from my parents and my life experience in Lezama. There I grew up watching my parents taking care of their customers. They checked every day what the weather would be like, so they could assist fishermen in the zone. Also, they never complained if they had to go to another nearby town or to the countryside to let a customer know that someone gave birth or someone died. The relationship they built with their customers went far beyond business. Another amazing aspect of my town was that social classes didn’t exist: it was the same hospital and doctors for all, public schools and catholic school (without fees) for all, sport clubs open for the entire community, etc. A lifestyle that, I believe, has shaped the way I relate to people. Nowadays I come back to town, and I greet everyone with a hug, and then, I feel like home. Thanks Albano for sharing this great story with us!
Pamela Chusyd - TA SME When it comes to the new year’s tradition, my story brings a mix of cultures and religion. I’m a traditional Jewish girl and my family practices the main holidays of our religion. Our New Years has already taken place; we celebrated Rosh Hashanah in October, entering the year 5777. But I’m also Brazilian born and, because of that, I get to add many other traditions to my life related to my country’s culture. At the end of the year, my family throws a dinner for friends so we can get together, share a good meal, and have fun as a last dinner together for that year. We play a very known Brazilian game at this dinner party, called “amigo secreto roubado – stolen secret gift.” We all must buy a random nice gift and take it to the party. When the dinner ends, we all seat together and, then, one person at a time chooses a gift (which are all wrapped, so no one can see what is inside). If it's your turn and you really like a gift that has already been opened by someone else, you may steal it, but you can do it only once and you must remember that this “stolen gift” can also get stolen by others. It can get very funny when people start wanting other’s gifts. It all ends when the last person picks a gift from the pile and decides to keep it and everyone ends up with something nice. Another interesting tradition we have in Brazil is the “sete ondinhas.” Brazilians love the beach and we usually spend the end of the year at the beach with family and friends. It is a very popular tradition for men and women to wear all white in the last night of the year and to jump seven waves for good luck! The truth is that I feel lucky I can celebrate two different New Years and lots of other rituals with my family and friends. I’m glad I´m able to live and express my traditions. It’s all about accepting and respecting everyone’s cultural differences!
Sebastião Cavalcante - HR Generalist Christmas for me is the most special day of the year. On this day, I go with my family to the interior of the state, to a small farm. Everything is very simply prepared by our “matriarch,” my 90-year-old mother-in-law, both the surroundings and the dishes. Her joy is contagious. She prepares and does not let anyone stir before dinner time. When the time comes, we all gather around the table and we thank God for the year we had, the achievements, the defeats, the learning in a general way and for us to be together in prayer.
Ana Virguez - Head of HR Generalist December is a month full of traditions in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus in the company of friends and family, and of course with the great company of lots of food! One of the most important traditions is the “Novena de Aguinaldos” which starts on December 16 and in which for nine consecutive days we follow the path of Maria and Jose up to the moment of Jesus’ birth. These nine days are an excellent reason to meet with friends and family, each day at a different place, read the lecture of the day and sing some local carols, followed by some enjoyable treats. In summary, the Novena is the perfect moment to connect with people that you value the most, even if during the year the day-to-day rush does not much allow for it.
Michelle Diaz - HR Generalist There are many reasons why I declare myself a fan of Christmas. The number one reason I will share with you is that regardless of the distance and occupations of our beautiful family we always find a way to align our agendas to be together. The emotion begins from the day before, which is when we symbolically celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We start with long calls to discuss logistics, for example: what will we cook, who will take care of what, who will bring the desserts, how much food, the time of the appointment, if we will have special guests, etc. My parents’ house has always been the center, and unquestionably will remain so. We used to move there one or two days before, to help in the kitchen as we prepare lots of stews and the portions are calculated to supply an infantry battalion. On December 25, the big day, we try to rest a little before noon and be ready in the room next to the Christmas tree at 7:30 pm. The hours seem too few to welcome visitors, listen to music, dance, exchange gifts, take pictures, light and maintain the fireplace that I love, etc. At dinner time, we work together to serve, change dishes and stews and make room to enjoy the dessert. We distinguish ourselves for being a scandalous family where we all speak of a thousand subjects at the same time and with enthusiastic tone, so it is great fun to hear the controversies that are caused due to this joint conversation. The night before Santa arrives, we leave the toys for my nephews around the tree, so that the next day we delight ourselves watching them enjoy their surprises and eating the delicious leftovers.