Today our CSC project is formally kicked off with introductory presentations by IBM and Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT). Our client is present with several participants.

Each sub-team presents their Statement of Work. I am in sub-team 2, and the scope of our assignment is: "For the Sharjah emirate, make strategy recommendations to promote increased citizen awareness, usage of e-Services/e-Government services and new delivery channels for those services."

In the late afternoon, most of the CSC team take the shuttle bus to Dubai. This is my first time ever in Dubai!

We stroll along Dubai Creek, visit the Heritage Area and discover several souqs and shopping malls. Dubai is a city of contrasts.

Dubai Heritage Area

Textile Souq

Creek 

Spice Souq

Subway Stations are spotlessly clean: You could probably eat off the floor!

The long walk made us hungry

Saturday is my first whole day in Sharjah, and I still have to actually get my feet on the ground! I needed to complete some work for my regular job, and unfortunately have not been quite able to finish everything today.


I am, however, already familiar with the Radisson Blu hotel - my home away from home for the next four weeks.

During the day, I finally meet all my IBM CSC colleagues in person. Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT), IBM's local partner organization for the UAE CSC deployment, provides a first formal program briefing. 

In the evening we have a barbecue dinner at the Calypso! restaurant by the pool. This is my first chance to taste some local food. The local IBM Client Executive for the Sharjah government and two representatives from our Sharjah clients, also attend.

My flight got into Dubai at 20.50h in the evening, so I only saw the nighttime view.

Airport pickup by the hotel driver worked perfectly! I was surprised to find that even late in the evening there are traffic jams on the way from Dubai to Sharjah.

Transfer took over an hour. The driver was an Indian national who has been living in the UAE for 10 years. We had an interesting conversation on life in the UAE as he sees it.

Not too long ago, I wasn't at all familiar with the United Arab Emirates. I had heard about Dubai or Abu Dhabi, but not about the other Emirates. And I would have been hard pressed to get the UAE geographic location right at the first try. And to be honest, I would not have travelled to the UAE on my own initiative.

The three month CSC preparation period gave me the chance to gather lots of information.