Busy CSCBul1 Teams

Kickoff was just yesterday. But the amount of information each of our teams has gathered is mind boggling. SOWs are being revised, client interviews are being done and we are having fun too.

Time to get to work

Kick-off is tomorrow morning and then we get to work on our projects! I'm really excited about my project - we get to help with an organ donor agency here in Bulgaria with their database. For more details, see the video.

First full day in Sofia

It has been a full day of activities in Sofia. The best part was to meet the other eleven team members from different parts of the world and also contacts from Pyxera Global (yes you too, Angel Spasov 😀). Sofia is a quiet place in the foothills of a mountain. My room has a beautiful view of the mountains. Jet lag has been hard but nothing beats all the laughter and camaraderie that I have experienced since landing in Sofia. I  can not wait to interact with our local client here and get started on making a difference in this community. 

T- 1 Almost ready for takeoff

Tomorrow is the day for me to set off on my trip of a lifetime. I owe a great thanks to IBM for this opportunity through the Corporraye Service Cora program. This program has been in existence for ten years! IBM truly empowers its employees to be active participants in the community. Most of my friends can not believe that a company would sponsor its employees for amonth to a foreign country solely for a philanthropic purpose! I'm proud to be a IBMer.

See https://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/corporateservicecorps/ to learn more about CSC.

So not ready, but yes I can!

Less than a week to D day. And I feel like I'm not ready at all. Why is that? I have completed all my pre-work education - I learned about cultural adaptability, about consulting skills, connected with the non-profit agency that I will be working with. But can not shake the feeling of not being prepared enough. Its a mixture of anticipation and the feeling of being in an area away from the comfort zone that is contributing to this state! Well, this uncertainty is what's going to fuel my growth as I embark on this journey of a lifetime.

Sofia - Can not wait to see you.

Assignment Notification

The moment was here — the email inviting me to join a CSC team. Hands tingling with excitement, I opened the email to find out that I have been assigned to the Bulgaria team. No word on who my teammates were or what we would be doing. First thing I did was to locate Bulgaria on a map ( sad state of my geography knowledge!). Once the news began to sink in, along with my excitement came nervousness — tasks I need to complete at work, things to take care of at home, security concerns, and million other small worries. But the paramount feeling was one of standing at the bottom of the hill and having been given a ticket to embark on this fantastic journey.

I am a software engineer at IBM and I want to capture all the moments in this once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of the IBM Corporate Service Corps teams.