Successfully Arrived and Started

After meeting 4 of my colleagues in Amsterdam and a total of 20 hours in the air we arrived late on March 2 in  Dar-Es-Salaam the capital of Tanzania.  I stirred at 5:15 am. to the loud call of an Islamic prayer that wafted over many blocks and through my 7th floor windows at the Peacock Hotel... a sound I have heard on television but never live!  At 7 I awoke again, this time for good to the continuous beep beep of morning traffic.  I stepped out on the balcony to this tropical view. We visited the IBM office to pick up Sonja's luggage and check to see if the box of Canadian gifts I sent had arrived.  Got the luggage .... no luck on my box.  That said the view from our 5 person IBM office was worth the trip. It is a little hazy given the humidity... but that is the Indian Ocean a few block away.

Back to the hotel where all 15 of us departed in our assigned bus for Coco Beach.. a local favourite.  Fairly easy to spot the IBMers!  The boys from China, Canada, Costa Rica, Northern Ireland .. present.   Australia flanked by Germany and Hungary...present.  I met a "peaceful" song writer under a rock ledge.  Shaun our Aussie wasn't too hard to spot when he ... given the 37C and sun... decided to meet a few new friends in the sea. He ended up with a foot full of sea urchin spines .. nothing a needle wouldn't get MOST of them out.  (ps - two days later he had another 2 removed)

Augusto and I did a tour of the outdoor market next door to the hotel. Rice, beans, banana's and ....

At 7 pm. we met our host organizations and kicked off the project. I started my presentation by pulling out my camera and taking a picture of all assembled! Augusto is wearing my shoes, Aldrey's jacket and  Shaun's belt....who knows what else.  His luggage found in Turkey. A super 1st day for IBM Service Corp - Tanzania 8!!

#ibmcsc tanzania