The Tianjin Journey Begins

The Tianjin Journey Begins

I departed Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson airport in the pre-dawn hours of Friday, August 5. As the flight attendants announced "please fasten your seat belts we have been cleared for takeoff" the anxiety began to set in. I asked myself how am I ever going to handle this 15 hour flight (can I get off the plane now)? Surprisingly, in spite of the turbulence, fear of flying and close to 15 hours in the air, found that all my fears were unfounded. I had a 5 hour layover in Seoul, South Korea; the airport is absolutely beautiful. Upon arrival into Tianjin was greeted by my gracious and friendly interpreter, Vicky. Having not slept the entire journey, upon my arrival at the hotel napped and slept a good 6 hours. The DOT hosts took the CSC China 14 team out to dinner that evening where we experienced many delightful Chinese dishes. In China the food is plentiful and is served on a carousel where everyone has the opportunity to sample each dish (seafood is plentiful and very flavorful). It is amazing how many varieties of food are served in one meal; it seems the food is never ending.

The 1st official work day, the team traveled to a watch company for a 1/2 day kick-off session. Upon arrival the CSC team was greeted by the senior management team as well as an IBM China representative from External Community Programs. The team had an opportunity to present the purpose of the IBM's Corporate Service Corps, and shared our areas of expertise with the executives. We went on a tour of a watch company which was very interesting. The executives also hosted a luncheon for our entire team where we were able to experience more of the local cuisine. After lunch, we broke out into sub-teams (my team is comprised of 3 IBMers) and we are working with two clients (a watch company and a chemical company). The executives of the watch company addressed issues they are experiencing in various parts of their business. My sub team is tasked to offer suggested solutions to the issues they are encountering.

Yesterday my sub-team met with the chemical company (this company makes dyes and detergents). We were taken on a guided tour of the plant and able to experience 1st hand how chemicals are manufactured from conception to birth. After our tour, we sat down with the General Manager and various senior leaders who addressed their issues / concerns, most of which are geared toward supply chain management and corporate culture. The team came back to hotel yesterday afternoon and prepared a presentation on how to address the client's concerns. This afternoon we are going to return to the chemical company and present our initial suggestions. The remainder of the week we will be working on preparing presentations to offer suggestions for all the issues each client has addressed (the watch company has issues in a wide-variety of areas including Human Resources, Marketing, I/T, Finance and Sustaining Growth).

On August 22 I will have the opportunity to meet with small business owners to determine what areas they would like for me to present to the Woman's Incubator project. The IBM women on the CSC are to deliver our presentations on August 26. Most will be geared toward effective communications, work / life balance and self confidence. (More detail to follow once known).

The traffic in China makes Atlanta traffic look like a picnic. Many people opt to commute via bicycle as opposed to driving. A 15 minute drive can take as long as 1-1/2 hours and the people drive insane (yikes).

So far it has been hot and humid here (with temperatures in the high 80's with very high humidity). Okay so Judy is going to have bad hair days the entire time in China (I'm okay with that).

This weekend, the team is planning to take a trip to Beijing on the high-speed bullet train.

Everyone is absolutely wonderful to work with (warm, genuine and friendly).

That's all for now...hope everyone is well and I miss my friends and colleagues in the US. More updates will follow in the days to come.