October 14th is getting closer.  It is a Friday and I will be flying from JFK to Barat, Morocco to spend the next four weeks working with the citizens of Barat on projects important to their country (#ibmcsc morocco).

Since 2008, IBM’s Corporate Service Corps program has sent teams of the company’s most talented employees to provide pro bono counsel to countries in the developing world that are grappling with issues that intersect business, technology, and society.

The initiative deploys teams of IBM employees from around the world with skills in technology, scientific research, marketing, finance, human resources, law, and economic development. As part of their assignments, they work with local government, non-profit civic groups, and small business to develop blueprints that touch issues ranging from economic development, energy and transportation, to education and health care.

Corporate Service Corps, which began operation in 2008, is considered the largest program of its kind. By the end of 2014, 3,000 IBM participants from 58 countries had participated in more than 1,000 CSC projects in 37 countries, generating more than $100 million in value for host organizations over a six-year period and has worked on services consumed by over 33 million worldwide.

IBM has partnered with a growing number of its clients on Corporate Service Corps engagements, providing client employees with experiences that have enabled them to grow their skills and improve cultural literacy. IBM has worked with companies like Dow, Novartis, Becton Dickinson, JP Morgan Chase, HSBC, Citi, Deere and FedEx.

This past Tuesday, I created my first blog post for my Corporate Service Corps Assignment to Morocco this October and posted a link to it on my Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter pages.  I was amazed by the amount and breadth of the support and encouragement that I have received from the communities. This experience has reinforced my belief that despite the many societal, racial and cultural differences that humans face, there is a fundamental good in the human experience that drives us to support, encourage and uplift each other.

One example of this came from a fellow IBM employee who I did not know well before my blog this past Tuesday.  After reading my blog, she reached out to me and offered to help me answer any questions about Morocco that I have.  She has not been to Morocco, but knows people who have lived there.

Some answers from this past week:

My question:

What are the top five cultural topics that I should be aware of?

Answer:

1. No public display of affection
2. It is a Muslim country, but they are cool people not very orthodox.
3.  Moroccans love soccer, they don’t follow baseball or hockey or basketball
4. Moroccan cuisines to try out: couscous, bastilla, tagine ( i have tried tagine, its amazing).
5. Morocco is ruled by a king and he is well respected and loved by the masses

My question:

How should I great someone? Is it different if the person is male or female? Government official vs business person? Should I use business cards? Any hints on what to do ?

Answer:

The Moroccan people are very warm and courteous but very reserved. Men usually hug and greet each other and you don’t hug women while greeting them unless you share a certain comfort level with them.

Finally, below is a picture of some of my church community which participated in a local 5K run yesterday. As some of you know, my wife and I have become serious runners over the last couple of years.  Yesterday, we went to this 5K race with my church group not to race, but to encourage the others in their race.  It was a wonderful experience to run with others and help them to achieve their goal of finishing this 5K race.