I have been back in the United States since last Thursday.  There are a number of videos from my CSC experience that I did not have the chance to share.  Uploading them in Morocco was difficult, the files were too big for the available bandwidth.  Now, in New York I have the bandwidth so here we go.. Enjoy the videos,  they are a great testimony to the breath, reach, impact and positive influence of the IBM Corporate Service program.  They are also a wonderful example of the joy and caring nature of the Moroccan people. I have more to blog about from the end of my trip.  I will be working on additional posts this upcoming holiday weekend.  @ibmcsc @ibmaotalbany #ibmcsc

Overview of the IBM CSC Morocco9 experience:

One of our first adventures was going to the Saharan desert to ride camels near Zagora.   Before getting to Zagora, we had to buy turbans to cover our faces from the sand.  We found them the night before our trip in the Marrakesh medina (market).  Below is Kazu from Japan, getting a lesson on how to tie a turban.

 

After buying the turbans (for $4 each), we then drove to Zagora the next day (about 9 hours) where our camels were waiting to take us to an overnight camp in the desert.  We each climbed onto a camel (some seemed 10 feet tall when riding them) and off we went into the desert.

That night, we ended up around a campfire.  The Moroccan guides were playing their drums.  One of our team members, Linda from China joined them and started to play.  It was so cool!

The following week, we spent a day doing community service in Rabat at a local agency which helps children with  down syndrome adjust back into society.  I spent the day at a local horse farm, encouraging the children with down syndrome while they were riding.

That evening we had a surprise for one of our team members Ji Hyun Shin (Korea)

The following weekend, we visited Pottery makers in the ancient City of Fez.  The city was founded around 950 AD and now has the largest medina market in the world.  The market is at least 10 square miles of very narrow and windy streets of vendors selling a wide variety of goods.  The pottery is hand made (see the five videos below) and is beautiful.