Merhaba!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am by far not a linguistic person, which is why 3 hours of Turkish language classes and the only word I remember is "Merhaba".

So why learn Turkish all of a sudden? Because very soon I head out to spend a month in the western coastal city of Izmir to work on a rather unusual assignment. And learning Turkish is part of the cultural adaptability piece on this assignment.

I would call it unusual not because its something I've never done before, but because not everyone gets the opportunity to get involved.

A year ago I applied for the IBM Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program. The Corporate Service Corps is a program launched by IBM to help deliver solutions for communities and organizations in emerging markets. 

The program sends groups of 10 - 15 IBMers from different countries to a growth market, in my case Turkey for a four week community-based assignment.

During the assignment, we get to perform community-driven economic development projects working at the intersection of business, technology, and society. Or, as the website says, a win-win for everyone.

- Communities have their problems solved.
- IBMers receive leadership training and development.
- IBM develops new markets and global leaders.

So, why go? Because I believe I can make a difference.

And why learn Turkish? Because its always good to try and adapt.