Category Archives: Morocco. My journey there and back.

Freedom

The word freedom has always been one of my top 10 words if not top 5. And over the past two years it has become even more important as I ponder life. Once I realized that I have the freedom to choose what action I take and//or how I feel about this certain situation my perspective on just about everything changed. Taking responsibilty for this moment in time, regardless of the conditions that came together to create it, is the ultimate embracing of freedom.

This weekend our IBM Corporate Service Core team visited northern Morocco to the province of Chefchaouen and the most famous Blue City. The experience was nothing short of amazing. As such this blog might be a little long.

Amazing that 15 people who had never been together before, in less than a week, chose to spend a weekend in the same place together, in accommodations that were unknown and an itinerary not yet decided. We manifested transportation, Three Airbnb Dars (Arabic for home) and a most precious local guide,

Lofti, the childhood friend from one of the Days we rented, chose also to spend the weekend guiding us around. Yes we paid him money at the end of our trip but before anything was agreed to, he meet us in person as we arrived in the dark of night to welcome us to his city. He made himself available the next day to take us to the famous Cascades d’Akchour arranging both transportation and hiking guide along the way. While the full hike was almost 4 hours round trip there were several stopping points along the way. Many of which members of my team chose to turn back as this was enough for them. It was great to see how everyone supported their choice. No pressure to continue or pressure for others to stop. Those that completed the full trip were rewarded by the tall lean waterfall at the end and a lovely Moroccan mint tea.

Then on our trip back we discovered monkeys in the trees, also free of any bondage or cage. They would usually be in groups of 20 or more. You might see a slight rustling of the tree leaves. We were apparently lucky to see them at all, much less spotting them three times on our journey back. It was something else to know that you were standing so close to an animal that previously you have only seen in captivity. Can you find the 3 monkeys in the below picture?

Lofti chose again to be with us the next morning, sharing the history of his city and all the secrets that this little town had to offer. He so genuinely loved what he was doing, not only because of how proud he was of his city and province, but also because I believe he could sense how much we greatly valued him. Us being there gave him purpose. Meaning. He was an absolute treasure and will remain an important memory for me for this trip.

One piece of knowledge that he shared with our team was the background of where the name “Berber” came from. The Berber tribes have been around since pre-historic times and fought against many for their freedom – including the Romans. The Romans and Egyptians, and others who tried to conquer them, referred to them as Barbarians – or outlanders, nomads. People who are free of control.

A tribe of Berbers came to what is now northern Morocco and the Rif mountains. These mountains were excellent for hiding grounds allowing them to continue to remain “free” against those who were trying to conquer. In the 1471 the old city, or Medina, of Chefchaouen, was founded by one tribe of Berbers. They also were called Amazigh, or proud raiders. They developed their own language, which is largely oral but has some limited symbols. The picture at the heading of this blog is a necklace I was fortunate to find that has the Berber symbol for…freedom.

It was clear how important freedom continues to be for the people of Chefchaouen today. They choose to open their shops as they please. Some as early as 8 and others as late as just before lunch. As a community they choose to support each other in many important ways. One person chooses to have the brick oven for baking which is used by everyone else in the city. A family would make their dough at home and then bring to the baker to bake. Neighbors all took care of each other. If one person was fortunate in one way they would share their fortunes with the other. Lofti himself spoke very good English which he told me he learned as a mixture from school and Bob Marley. His English I’m sure was good enough to warrant him finding most likely a more modern and possibly lucrative career in one of the bigger Moroccan cities. However, he chose to stay here, and take care of his mother with his brother. All in the same dar.

When I asked Lofti, late one evening as he helped us once again to navigate the confusing pathways in the Medina, what was one thing that he would like the Moroccan government to do for the province of Chefchaouen, his answer was to give us more freedom to live our traditional ways.

I am so glad that I made it to this lovely little city. It is not often that places like this live up to your expectations, much less exceed them. I am forever grateful for the experiences. Here are some of my favourites:

Best crepe EVER can be found in the small courtyard in the Medina. The cafe on the far left hand side of the courtyard. The flavour is magnificent.
Best guide. I’ve experienced many local guides in my travelling around the world. Lofti was the most authentic and genuinely caring of them all! If you are ever going to this place I can hook you up with him directly!
If you like to bargain – great place to practice those skills. I personally am terrible at it. So I leaned on my dear colleague and now friend Jinzi Huang. Don’t let her charming smile fool you. She is a tough negotiator!
Great place to get lost! And you will get lost. Just as we were about to leave I felt like I could get from the large courtyard back to our dar. But everything looks the same. However, everything is beautiful and everyone is friendly so if you are going to get lost somewhere then it might as well be here.

That completes our 2nd weekend in Morocco and 2nd city visited. Another week serving our clients here in Rabat and we are off to Fes for another exciting adventure. Stay tuned.

Our Instagram Picture

Me with Lofti!

Magical Blue City

Is That Car Stopping?

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I’m almost through with week 1 of my trip and I do indeed LOVE Rabat. While it feels like I just arrived yesterday, as I reflect back on this first week there has already been amazing experiences, great laughs and suprising feelings of relaxation. For those who read my prior blog I still highly recommend the No Jet Lag homeopathic medicine. Brilliant stuff!

If there is a regret so far it is that I did not do enough homework in learning the language. I know the basics. And I suppose I was foolish to think I could learn enough on DuoLingo to be able to really talk with others. Fortunately the Moroccan people are SUPER FRIENDLY and PATIENT. Maybe their smiles are really just laughing at the lazy American who wasn’t smart enough to learn their language. If they are faking it, then their smiles seem so genuinely kind that they deserve an Oscar.

Here is what I have learned so far.

Most everyone speaks French and Arabic. And most of the people that I have needed to communicate with have better than basic English skills if not very good English. Particularly those in the professional and service industries. However, I do not recommend booking a massage unless you are certain you speak some common language with the your masseuse. Otherwise, like me, you will most likely get a gentle pat down for your massage.
The weather here reminds me a bit of Hawaii Islands. It can be very warm during the day. Beautiful blue skies. At night it has often rained. And occasionally we have seen rain during the day. But the rain can disappear at a moments notice and the blue skies are right back out. This is nothing for someone from Vancouver Canada where rain can last for weeks not hours.
Food is geared towards meat eaters. While I’m not going hungry as a vegetarian, I would say that my options are fairly limited. Salad (and usually only one choice as most have meat on them). Cheese Pizza. Vegetable Tangine. Luckily I LOVE vegetable Tangine particularly from the restaurant just around the corner of our hotel.
There are cats around ever corner. And Palm Trees. Also like Hawaii.
While the traffic can look a bit daunting at first, when it comes to crossing the road we have found that the cars will stop for you. Really they will. It’s almost amazing how well the people and cars seem to share the road. A huge level of trust on both sides. I feel significantly more efficient and at the same time safer crossing a road here than many other cities I have visited around the world.

We have visited many beautiful things. Many historical things. Explored many food varieties. Taken many pictures of the food. Enjoyed a Moroccan Hamman Spa. And on top of all that we have met with our clients, learned about the specific work we are meant to be doing and started doing actual work. Sounds busy right?

Here’s the thing. I’m not. I have no dog to walk twice a day. No meals to cook – for me or others. No groceries to buy. No house to tidy. No laundry. No driving myself or anyone else anywhere. I am instead indulging in yoga at 6:30 and another good workout post my day with the host client. A leisurely dinner. A bit of checking in back home. Read or what not. Sleep and repeat. I’m not sure I’ve been this relaxed while also working full time since I don’t even know when. Could it be the Moroccan culture? Whatever it is please don’t tell my husband!

Finally, I must say a few words about this IBM CSC team. They are pure delight. We are here representing Canada, USA, Ireland/England, Republic of Georgia, Brazil, Philippines, China, Australia and India (I hope I did not miss anyone). It is amazing the diversity in the culture that is in this team AND YET we have so brilliantly found a way to communicate with each other with openness and respect.

And I’ve yet to feel that icky feeling you sometimes get in large groups when tensions rise between one or more people. I’ve been trying to put my finger on what is the contributing factor to the absence of this. It could be that everyone is simply that kind and respectful. I would also say there is allot of eagerness to want to experience this culture. And to learn from each other. As such allot of openness is present. And a desire to provide good value to our respective clients while we are here.

But I’m going to come back to being kind and respectful. These are the two simplest rules that we can all remember a little bit more when we are with each other. It makes me reflect where in my life back in Canada (work and at home) that I may be forgetting these basic principles? And/Or is there still a missing ingredient that I have not yet identified that has created the relationships present here?

To be continued…

Expectations

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After 2 flights and about 15 hours I made it to Paris. Like many people after a long over night flight my first need was finding the nearest washroom to freshen up. While on my flight I had tried a recommended homeopathic medicine for no jet lag (literally called no jet lag). As I went to the mirror to assess the damage of no sleep I glanced at myself and thought – not too shabby. This medicine is pretty amazing. 😉

I navigated my way through to the proper terminal for my next departure. I knew from the 19 messages on What’s App when I landed that several of my colleagues were already at CDG waiting at the gate. I was excited to finally meet them all in person. But not so excited that I didn’t stop at the Starbucks along the way! What I love about Starbucks is that it always meets my expectations. I can rely on them having exactly what I want (matcha green tea latte with soy milk). No matter the country (so far) I’ve not been let down in meeting my expectations.

Expectations are interesting. We get used to a preference, a way that things always are, and whether it is good or bad often does not matter. It’s what we expected. We have an emotional connection to being able to rely on that expectation. We can trust that it will be that way and this is calming. Relaxing.

While I had met all of my colleagues (minus one) through video conference I still did not really know them. However, we had been messaging each other through different tools along the way so there were certain things I had come to expect. For example, anytime I posted a question in our SLACK group I was confident that one of three people (Anna, John or Muruli) would respond within minutes if not seconds. I already had a great sense of reliability and thoughtfulness just in that small level of exchange. And of course within the hour of meeting Anna she has thoughtfully offered to teach us all yoga every morning. My expectations once again have lined up to reality. All is good.

This is not my first time being put together with “strangers” for a unique purpose and timeframe. I can recall my most recent experience in becoming a faculty member in one of our internal leadership courses. On that first day together it became very clear that we were all very passionate about this topic and had unique perspectives to share. And we were not shy about sharing them. I’m afraid the learning and knowledge internal team that was there to train us might have hoped we were a little less vocal. However, we bonded quickly because of these similarities. First on passion for the topic. Second on respect for each other’s voice.

Before this I had been part of a year long leadership program with people from around the world and outside of IBM. While we may have all joined this leadership program for the sake of improving our leadership – we each still came to the first morning with mixed personal goals. That first week was slightly different than my experience today or the one mentioned above. I felt allot of “sizing each other up” in that first day or two. A mix of quiet reserve and occasional outspokenness with a quick dash of checking out where do I fit into this group. Obviously that judgement I felt was completely in my own head, whether shared or not, and says something about where I was in my leadership journey as I started that program.

Today was easy. Comfortable. Immediate connection. Laughter. Playfulness. Sharing experiences. So much so that by the end of the first day all 15 of us had committed to a weekend away together for the very next weekend.

What I notice in two of these experiences is how when a group is brought together for a specific purpose then I believe there is a different mindset we come into that relationship with each other. Maybe there is still some sizing up going on and I’ve just grown out of that for myself. But for me I certainly feel a difference. When we have a common goal there is alignment. There is an interest to understand each other for the sake of how will we work together. There is a desire to be the best team who have ever done this before. There is a hope that not only will we achieve something great but we will have allot of fun doing it.

How do our expectations about meeting each other change how we choose to be in relationship with each other?

How much am I looking for the evidence to line up with my expectations versus being open to something new emerging?

I know our brains are hardwired for much of this and as such we need to be very conscious of that hard wiring. If my Starbucks Matcha Green Tea Soy Latte this morning was actually really bad would I have noticed a difference?

S’il vous plaît

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I recently listened to the audio book by Trevor Noah Born a Crime. Besides being full of endlessly entertaining stories, there were many words of wisdom the young Trevor shared. One that stuck with me was the power of language in creating connection. Even when two people appear to be different in many facets, if they can share a common language together, there is a meaningful bond created that says “ah…you aren’t so different”.

French is one of the most common languages used in Morocco for business and government. As my IBM assignment will most certainly be with the local government and likely to involve business then it is very likely that the people I will be working with will speak French. As such I’ve decided to take heed to Trevor’s advice and learn the language.

For me this is a big deal. While I live in Canada I’m actually American. My only exposure to French growing up was in high school where I barely managed a passing grade. Fortunately (or unfortunately), where I live in Vancouver British Columbia, French is rarely spoken. So I’ve never felt obliged to put much effort to learn the language.

One of the other reasons I believe I struggle to pick up the language is I believe I have a bit of a disability when it comes to hearing distinctions in sounds. I can recall a few years back on a trip in France with my family, sitting at a restaurant and being ridiculed by my two sons who were told they speak eloquent French – and with no Canadian accent. They had been in French Immersion school since five and I was quite proud of how well this appeared to pay off. However, they decided their credibility was now on the line when their own mother couldn’t properly say merci. So they tried to teach me the correct pronunciation. They would say it. Then I would say it. Then they would laugh. Then they would say it again. I would say it. They would shake their heads. Round and round we went until I finally gave up and left them to do all the talking going forward. But as they will not be there with me in Morocco and I really appreciate the challenge of building relationships quickly, I’m endeavoured to make a better go of it this time.

I find it fascinating (read frustrating) these small distinctions in language. There are the rules and then the pronunciations. Then the exceptions to the rules (don’t pronounce the “s” when it is at the end). The feminine and masculine. And let’s not forget the formal language vs. the slang version or phrases. Finally, you could have rules and accents that vary from one region to another. The US is a perfect example of that with the “Southern” states, where I am from, vs New York vs Texas vs Boston or Louisiana or even Cajun Louisiana. There is a different accent and phrases for almost every state that exist. And often we let these differences be the slippery path to further divide us.

Yet when we want to bond we are looking for what we have in common. I again think of my two boys who see their cousins from England once every year or so. And the first day of their re-connecting it is always the same conversations. Have you played this video game? Do you have this class in school? Do you have this drink or chocolate bar over there/here? And when they find something that is the same you see their faces light up just a little and smile. And when they find something that is different they get this strange look on their face and/or say “Weird”. Then they go back to trying to find the things in common.

I believe this is their way of reconnecting. Of proving they are family by more than just blood. Of reminding themselves that they like each other and of starting to recall all the great memories they have shared from past visits.

My hope is that by even me attempting to speak really poor French and being genuinely curious about my new soon to be client in Rabat, that I will pave the way to great memories for us both.

S’il vous plaît et merci! 😊

Where To Go?

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And for how long?

This is the debate I have right now. I know that my assignment will be from October 11th to November 11th. And I know that I’d be stupid to not take advantage of already being in the continent of Africa and to not visit more than just one city. You only live once right?

It’s taken me a few days but I’ve gotten past the mental hurdles of taking a vacation that does not include my family. And extending the time in Morocco to beyond just the 4 week work assignment.

While there are many other tempting places to go to in Africa I feel a bit like if I don’t stay and really check out the rest of Morocco what message am I sending to them? “Hey it’s been great but I really want to go dance with this other hot guy just a little east and south of you?”

So I’ve settled on staying in Morocco. Now it’s down to where in Morocco to go visit and for how long?

I will be working in the city of Rabat. Which is the capital of Morocco and is right on the coast (which I love). From what I can tell there is much to appreciate about being in this city so I expect to get a real feel of the country in the 4 weeks I’ll be on assignment.

“Here’s looking at you kid”. Gotta go to Casablanca. I mean really. How can you not if you’ve ever watched that movie and been a hopeless romantic for two star crossed lovers. Fortunately it’s a little over an hour away so this should be an easy weekend trip.

Next I’m drawn to two destinations. The town of Chefchaoue and then a night in the Sahara Desert. The first simply sounds so quaint and beautiful. Just a little bit touristy but less intense than some of the other larger cities. And then to ride a camel into the desert to sleep under the stars. I mean really. How many people can say they’ve ever done that before? Ok probably a few million that live in Africa but not many who live in Canada!

After reading the Fodor book I”m ready to give up Chefchaoue but not the Sahara Desert. What’s great about this entire process is exploring. Discovering. Listening from others. Noticing when something intrigues me vs. causes me to go the other direction. While it can sometimes feel challenging in this this stage of the process I find relief in each new piece of information that gives me more clarity about the experience I want to have. Yes I want to to get to a final decision. Where to go and for how long. And at the same time I want to bask in the excitement of all possibilities.

And I want to avoid googling “Are there snakes in the Sahara Desert?”.

Getting ready to be ready.

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This may surprise a few people but I practice Law of Attraction. I listen to Abraham Hicks. Who to the best of my knowledge is an entity that exists from another dimension or universe and speaks through a woman, named Esther, and shares with us his wisdom from his world.

Weird I know.

But weird or not I keep finding that the teachings work. But this blog isn’t really about convincing you to believe in Law of Attraction or even to not judge me because I listen to some weird audio. It’s about one of the specific practices or teachings from Abraham. The practice of getting ready to be ready and how important that state is to enjoying the final manisfestation.

We often spend so much of our life waiting for that specific moment. That first kiss. That desperately needed vacation. That promotion. Whatever. And we can spend allot of effort leading up to these milestone moments only to have those milestone moments happen in an instant. And often we are left with remorse or disappointment that it’s over.

Getting ready to be ready, to me, is about really sinking into the journey of that future milestone moment. Enjoying the journey. Contemplating how you want to feel when that milestone arrives. When it is over. Dreaming about it. Dreaming with as much detail that you are able that allows you to enjoy the journey of getting to that milestone as much as the milestone itself.

This is where I am at right now. I just returned from my summer family holiday. Which was magnificent. And while I knew Morocco was on the horizon I also knew that I needed to enjoy the moment with my family and the experience that I had worked almost a year in creating. Then of course it was coming home and recovering from being away from work for 2 weeks plus jet lag.

Now I’m recovered and I’m sinking into the mindset of dreaming about Morocco. What experiences do I want to have there? Who do I want to be? What might I do beyond the IBM work that I will be there for? Who will the team be that I work with? How will I organize all of my work and family responsibilities back here at home?

This place of imagining can be overwhelming if you let it. You can so easily get lost in the endless decisions and tasks that need to be done to make such a thing happen that you forget to enjoy the journey of getting there. To enjoy the learning. The growth. The expansion of self.

Remember. It’s not the destination. It’s the journey.

I just googled famous quotes with destination and journey in them. There were hundreds ranging from Drake to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Maybe everyone listens to Abraham Hicks?

WOW! I’m going to Morocco!!!

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Where is that again?

It was just a little over a month ago that I received the email telling me of my CSC assignment. I honestly wasn’t expecting it. When I completed my application I had emphasized that I would be completely unable to go on an assignment in the summer of 2018 due to a previously planned family holiday. And as I started the year I looked at the key milestones for the year and sort of said to myself “CSC will be better to happen in 2019. They will contact me then.”

And then the email came. And it was Morocco. I knew that was an appealing place to go. It sounded mysterious. Far away. Romantic. Adventuresome. But if I am being truthful I had to go look on a map to confirm for certain where it was.

And it was Africa. My first choice in all of the assignments. I couldn’t turn this down. Even if my year was full to the brim with many other exciting opportunities I knew that if I turned this down the chances of getting Africa in the next assignment would be slim to none.

So of course I said YES!

Morocco…My journey there and back

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This series of blog posts are all surrounding the personal thoughts and experiences I had for an amazing opportunity I earned to visit the country of Morocco.

Within IBM there is a program called the Corporate Service Core (CSC). It’s like the Peace Core but for corporations. There is an amazing organization which I’m just learning exists called PYXERA Global which helps match and coordinate logistics for corporations like IBM to organizations that need generosity of services.

In this case IBM has been providing genorisity since 2008. Sending over 500 employee every year to locations around the world to provide service. For free! To learn more about this corporate citizenship program please visit the CSC Website.

The process to be selected for this opportunity is meant to be for a select few. Those who I have talked with that have gone before me continually say that this experience is “life changing”. For these reasons I feel very fortunate to have been selected and entering into this new journey.