Our first full day in Jakarta ....

after a much needed nights sleep, today was our first full day in Jakarta.


Finally it was great that we all got to meet each other having spent the last 3 months preparing together. We enjoyed breakfast, an all you can eat buffet in the Four Seasons. Not a bad start. We were told not to get used to it :-)

We had a few hours free time, before our first Team meeting in IBM the office.  So out we go into the heat and humidity of Jakarta. At least for some of us that's a big change compared to home.

This is the National Monument in Jakarta.

After the sightseeing had a small lunch in the Food Court of Plaza Indonesia. There we met a group ladies on their High School Reunion. One of them was very excited when she heard we worked for IBM. She was very proud to tell us that her son worked also for IBM in Sydney and showed us a photo on her iPhone of his 1st Patent award.

In afternoon we visited the IBM office for a Welcome Briefing meeting with the Indonesia Country Manager, Suryo Suwignjo, and also Santi Diansari  Sarino (Senior CC&CA Specialist), Hartini Haris  (Country Marketing Mgr and CC&CA leader), Tan Wijaya  (Geo eXpansion Leader) and Kiki Achmad Rizki (Security Manager)

Suryo talked to us about IBM in Indonesia, IBM awareness and thanked us all for coming from all over the world to participate in the CSC program. He was impressed by the wide variety of nationalities on the team. 

We found out that on Monday aftermoon we will be participating in a social activity in Bandung with 50 primary school children which will involve various games and drawing  competitions. That should be a lot of fun. something everyone is looking forward.

We were shown around the very impressive IBM offices, that they only moved into recently. Here's a view from the office, the round-about is right in the centre of Jakarta. Very prestigious and central location......

In the evening we were entertained at a local Indonesian Restaurant in Plaza Indonesia ( the same building as the IBM office ).  I've no idea what the names of all the foods we ate, there was so many different dishes ordered, all very nice and some very very spicy and hot :-)

 A great end to a very enjoyable afternoon and evening. The staff at IBM Indonesia  were very  friendly and hospitable. couldn't have done more to make us feel very welcome here.

Tomorrow we leave the luxury of the Four Seasons Hotel and Jakarta and head for Bandung where we are based for the next 4 weeks.

Flavia will update on how our journey goes.

Dave
#ibmcsc indonesia