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Inch Allah ! It will come. Meanwhile enjoy your stay in our country. #IBMCSC #UAE1

First ‘active’ week in Sharjah.

Have to say, this Arabic time is really getting to you.   We even turned it into a running gag…

“Inch Allah !  It will come. Meanwhile enjoy your stay in our country.”

We had formal meetings with Government officials, with the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA). We had informal meetings with officials, but we were not really moving forward.

The scope of work was unclear for 2/3 sub teams, the workplace was not arranged yet, there was a lot of discussion between the government and DOT.

A lot of people were getting frustrated.

We’re IBM’ers, we want to move forward.   And if there was one thing, we were not doing, then it was moving forward.

My dime dropped when we visited the IBM office in Dubai, where an CSC alumni told us about her experience in the outback of Turkey.  And life was no sunshine there.  But she made the best of it !

And that’s what we did.   We started working, with no information, except our ideas.  We took over the Chillout cafe in the hotel and made it into a temporary IBM-office (excellent coffee, bad internet connection). 

We went on Arabic time…  with an IBM twist… Yes, it will come, and when it comes we’re prepared !

Meanwhile we enjoy our stay in their country.  We walk through Sharjah, visit Dubai, meet colleagues in the IBM Dubai Office, go to the Children reading Festival, have diners in local restaurants, and drinks in local bars (although for these, we have to escape to Dubai - Sharjah is a dry emirate)

The place also never seizes to amaze me. I continuously have to adapt my views on this country.  

I was discussing this with a local gov. official the other day. He was showing us around at the Children’s Reading festival.  It is a huge book fair for children’s books. There are publishing houses from all over the Arabic world.  It was huge, well organized, tailored for the kids.

Still our companion said that there was still much to do before they could even achieve the level of the western countries.

He’s wrong ! They have everything and better. And they are moving forward fast !

Maybe too fast ?  

Yesterday we went visit Dubai heritage city.  Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House is a museum that houses a remarkable collection of photographs that pictures Dubai life roughly between 1949 and 1959.  You would not recognize the place.  

Left - A pic of Dubai Creek round 1950         Right - Same creek today

The last 60 years they’ve changed/evolved so much so fast.  The rulers are really investing in the future of their countries - which is a good thing.  but at the same time, I wonder if the local residents are keeping up with the pace.   Maybe the government is moving forward to fast. Maybe they sometimes need to take their foot of the throttle and look back if everybody is still with them.

Then again, the locals have the perfect attitude to deal with that.

“Inch Allah.  It will come”

Coool ! Sharjah Ladies club has a fencing section. #ibmcsc #UAE1

Now the only thing I have to do, is find my way in.

Maybe I can volunteer to teach them foil/epee/sabre 1 night

One tries to get away from his daily job by going on a CSC-assignment to find oneself exactly doing what one did before #ibmcsc #UAE1

So today was our really first day at work (the other were holiday trips brutally interrupted by formal presentations).   We wen tot the Sharjah Municipality, where Mrs. Ohoud Ali Shehail, Director of e-Government of the Sharjah emirate.   It’s is quite impressive what they are trying to pull. They want to evolve in no time from a paper administration to a paperless administration.  The foundations are there (ibm infrstructure), the applications are being developed, and soon a brand new Government Portal shall go live.  Sharjah residents no longer have to queue to interact with a physical representative of the government.   They can do everything online.  

I quoted her in the press release Aly Rifaah, director of Communications IBM AE, and myself, drafted;  under supervision of Mrs. Arlene Wainstein  (Yes, it is very formal in the Arab emirates):

”Our objective is to create an intelligent government with a high level of services to serve the community. Therefore we need to promote and extend  electronic culture to all members of society; women in particular.  If you teach the women, you teach the family.”

An that ‘s our job.  You may evolve as a country, it does not necessarily means that your citizens are evolving with you.   So it’s our job to come up with a plan to educate people on the new e-services of the government (Sub-team 1) and to draft a communication plan to inform the Sharjah residents of these new e-services (sub team 2).

Guess what team I’m in….

So you leave your daily PR job to do some exciting development work with an international team, to find yourself doing exactly what you’ve left behind.Creat a communication plan !

But I’m not complaining….  The environment (the Persian gulf, the nice weather, the very divers culture, the luxurious hote,…) makes it up for it.

So we thought we had to do that. Until we arrived at the Supreme Council of Family Affairs.

Everything was nicely set up.  We presented our workplans to Mrs. Maryam Ahmed Saeed, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Family affairs, to find ourself completely sidetracked when Mona Ashiri, CSR & CA Manager IBM Egypt, who acted as our interpreter, got in a heavy discussion - in Arabic - with the council. 

It’s a kind of funny when your find your team at one end of the table, the client at the other end, and local IBM CSR & CA Mgr.and the DOT-representative in the middle, discussing in Arabic.  It’s like watching TV in a foreign language with no subtitles.   Only from the body language you can determine what’s going on…

Eventually it surfaced that there was some sort of miscommunication. With some changes on the scope of work, everything got cleared up.

Or as I quoted Mrs. Maryam Ahmed Saeed, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Family affairs:

“We asked IBM to support our efforts to enhance the e-literacy amongst all Sharjah residents.  Knowing the reputation of IBM, we are convinced that the results will surpass our highest expectations.”

Bottom line…  My team still has to write a communication plan !

To top it off: Arlene asked me to become the PR person of this CSC-assingment. (Honestly, I did not see that one coming…)

So, back in communications.    I already know where I’m going to write it:  lying in the sun, poolside, while sipping an alcohol-free mint mojito.

Life can be beautiful !

How to see 3 out of 7 emirates in one evening #ibmcsc #UAE1

Sunil called me.   If I’d care to join him and his friend.   They went out for a drink.  Why not ?

Amal, Sunil’s friend is an Indian businessman, living in the emirates for almost 10 years.   So we set off, going to the Dubai marina.

Passed the most amazing architecture.  I think an architectural project in Dubai has to meet the following standards:

1. Has to be the tallest building on earth
2. Must be very shiny

Their motto must be: “Built it tall, or don’t build at all!”

I saw Burj Al Khalifa - tallest building in the world.   Amal told me that the architects guaranteed the owners that it will remain the tallest building.   If one built another skyscraper that is taller than Khalifa, they will adjust the hight, so that it becomes the tallest building again.   Wonder how they are going to do that ?

And everything is possible: take the Ski Dubai Resort for example (I googled the picture - could not get a great shot)

They just built the biggest indoor ski experience in the world. It’s a resort, so you can book a hotel for a week, have individual or group lessons en ski some mighty fine slopes, errr, slope !

Anyway, there was a comic convention in the Dubai marina, so the place was packed.  I saw an arab woman, wearing the traditional abaya , but holding a light sabre and a Darthvader helmet on her head.  Was so flabbergasted, I forgot to take a picture.

Back to Sjarjah.  There is indeed a clear distinction between Sjarjah and Dubai - although their neighbors.   Roads in Dubai are wider, and everything looks pretty clean.   But with the high rise constantly flanking the roads, it also is a very cold place.   Sjarjah has much smaller roads, looks scrubby (thick layer of sand/dust on everything) but is very alive.

Point of having a network: Sunil’s friend Amal called an associate of his.  Result: we saw the film “Battleship” for free.   Brainless entertainment, with Arab subtitles. 

Afterwards Amal took us to a local beach club in Ajman for a late-night meal on the shore. 

Great view on the Corniche with it’s twinkling lights, the sound of the sea next to us, and all the Emiratis (mostly men) sitting on the beach reading/studying/discussing the Koran, or just chillin’.  Although the emirates are quite strict on serving alcohol - in Sjarjah alcohol is completely banned - you can have a beer in tourist places (hotels, resorts) or in clubs like these.   Outside you’ll never ever see people drinking alcohol in public.   At night they walk to the beach with plastic bags that make klinging sounds…

I realized that in 1 night - I saw and set food in three out of 7 emirates. 

To remember:

1. Distances are nothing - everything is very close by
2. a car is indispensable - you need to have one
3. because everybody has a car, traffic is hell
4. Eating tandoori fish in a local restaurant on the beach is just wonderfull
5. If you go to a local club as a European, brace yourself (this story I tell you in person !)

First day impressions #IBMcsc #UAE1

D-day!  Today I’m flying out to Sjarjah. Typing this from Düsseldorf Airport - no Free Wi-Fi, can you imagine that?  Totally over the top day: started with building à KidSmart computer for my daughter’s kindergarten, then rushed hole to pack - unpack - repack my cases, buy chocolates (since beer is prohibited, what else is there to represent Belgium), see a calf being born in the meadow next to our house, pick-up my little girl from school, take à quick shower, kissed the family goodbye and away we were.

And now, I’m sitting in Dusseldorf Airport - way to early - waiting to embark, getting bored.  Time for a latte.

Smooth flight – but hardly any sleep…..  Even with two chairs to my disposition.   I can never find a good position to lay my head down.

Sun is coming up over the dessert when we’re starting our approach.  Beautiful sight!

Dubai International is quite a huge airport.  It took us 15 min to arrive to the parking spot.   At least I had the chance to see some Airbus 380 – monstrous airplanes.

Another 15 min to shuttle us from the plane to the terminal.  

Customs takes ages….  Long line. Good that the Emiratis keep an eye on families with young kids.   They don’t have to wait in line but are swiftly rushed through customs. A-OK !

Just picked up by my personal driver.   How cool is that.

Sjarjah and Dubai are very close.   Had the impression that the driver just took a right and a left turn, and tadaaaam: Welcome to Sjarjah.

Everywhere I see, I see high rise under construction.   If you kick the sand, a skyscraper pops out!

How conveniently:  Hotel is next to the supreme council of family affairs, our client.

Dragged myself into the room.  Nice view: looking at a creek with some dhows on it, and a shipyard where they’re servicing (or constructing) some impressive oil rigs.   First time I see one up close.

Knock on the door: welcome breakfast, courtesy of the hotel: Fruit, some nuts, some cookies, some chocolates.

Need some sleep.

Cheryl  calls and wakes me.  Apparently I dozed off. We had a date.  Since we are the early birds, I promised her before we left that I buy her a cup of coffee.  Cheryl flew 16 hours From Sidney. RESPECT!

First contact is fun.  We discover Asuka and Ryutaro in the hotel lobby. Already 3 continents present: Asia (with Japan), Australia and Europe.   And with that, sub teams are accounted for as well.   Cheryl: Sub team 1, Ryutaro and myself, sub team 2 and Asuka, Sub team 3.  What are we waiting for… let’s get started!

Brief meeting with Jihan and Marianne from DOT.   We got our cell phones – very basic.    Now trying to wrestle the sim-card into my iPhone.   

Scouting the hotel:  nice pools, nice beach (with shark nets!!!), nice gym, nice shops, nice restaurants, and nice meeting rooms.

Back to my room.  Really need to sleep

#IBM ? The Big IBM ?

Funny story… 

Had a call yesterday from a sales guy pitching his firms accountability software…

His regional manager told him to round up some firms in the environment and start cold calling them.

So I politely interrupted his sales pitch and said that if he wants to sell us something, he has to talk to procurement. And since I wanted to get rid of the guy, I referred him to our HQ in Armonk, NY.

Silence on the other side of the phone….

- ‘New York ?  Are you then IBM ?  I mean the BIG IBM ?”

You could almost taste the respect dripping out of the phone

-‘Yes, we are the big IBM’

- ‘Then there is no competition.  You’ve invented already everything.  I’m sorry for disturbing you…”

Moments that I’m really proud working for the BIG IBM !