The Travel Prelude

All travelers whether they want or not are changed. - Shams Tabrizi

The above line is picked from a broader statement intended to refer to Love, but this should be true for all travels. No two travels, even when done to the same place, will have the same experience and same is true for what we gain from each of these journeys.

Of all the travels I have undertaken so far, expect this to be different. Different not because of location or time period, but because of purpose. This travel is unlike any travel undertaken so far for business or leisure. 

This one is part of a program named CSC (http://www.ibm.com/ibm/responsibility/corporateservicecorps/ #ibmcsc Chile) aimed at serving multiple objectives, including serving serving the community, developing leadership skills, along with development of new markets. Offcourse the link shared can provide insights into the program in detail. 

For me, got through this program 3 years back, but have been deferring it so far due to primary assignment at the time. Last time was asked to join CSC team in Mexico, but the account I was assigned to was new, so had to defer it again.

This time travel is to different country, Chile. Its one of the longest countries in the world and almost diagonally opposite India on the globe (from North to South Hemisphere and East to West) and right at the end of Pacific. This travel takes me again within the ring of fire (last time was in Japan). Travel and Transit times itself will be a killer.

We are to be based in the port city of Puerto Montt for 4 weeks. Unlike other travels, this one is with a group of IBMers from different parts of the globe, 12 of us from 9 countries, to work on 4 different projects (in subteams) in period of 4 weeks that all of us would be there. The projects we have been assigned are interesting, very diverse from what we are used to but those details are for another day.

Currently we are in pre-work phase of this CSC assignment, spending last few weeks in knowing the team, understanding Chile's culture and also how cultural diversity influences the way we do business and in turn decisions that would be taken in a similar situation in some other place. Its been fun going through all this and more.

Our travel will start on 7th midnight (depending on everyone's location may differ +/- 1 day) for we have to be in Puerto Montt by 8th, after a long transit and hopefully not jet-lagged, but long flights with multiple transits are not easy. Am flying via Europe to Santiago and from there onto Puerto Montt. With two of the flights of 8+ hour duration (one of 9+ and other of 16.5) apart from a short connecting flight as well. I hope to be able to share my experience about the work, place and culture through this trip. Now that am sleepy (already way past midnight in Riyadh) Till next time, Chao!!