Ecuadorian Way With an SAP Touch
Social Sabbatical Experience in Quito, Ecuador
Flight of Excitement
SAP has this amazing program called “social sabbatical”. It’s truly a social sabbatical in every sense and I feel it now as I finish my 6 weeks of preparation work and two calls with the client organization. Today as I depart to Quito, Ecuador, the second highest capital city in the world, I look forward to my four-week journey ahead with much anticipation and enthusiasm. Thanks to SAP Jam and WhatsApp, I already have a bond with my 12 teammates from SAP offices around the world and I can’t wait to meet them!
It’s undoubtedly one of the lifetime opportunities that I am going to experience professionally, and personally. Of course, learnings come with some amount of cost and compromise which, in my case, is being away from my family for these 4 weeks. However, the encouragement and motivation that I got from my family is something beyond what I can express through words.
When a dozen people from different backgrounds and capabilities come together to solve issues, beautiful possibilities arise. When we are ready to step out of our comfort zones and put aside our differences in service of something bigger than ourselves, there is no greater fulfillment.
More from Quito…..
When your expectations are exceeded, and you feel overwhelmed
When you land in a new country welcomed by smiling, cheerful immigration officers it makes you feel that you have landed in a truly friendly place. On top of this, when you are greeted by another smiling cab driver it raises the bar even further. In a nutshell, landing in Quito and the process of entering the city is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Quito, usted es maravilloso (You are awesome)
Milto, my cab driver, took me through scenic routes and explained everything to me. Of course it was all in Spanish but I was able to follow most of it with the help of a translation app I have in my iPhone 😊 Technology is advanced! Sometimes I think that made me lazy not to learn Spanish before I landed here. Anyway, I am going to make serious efforts to learn something before I depart this country. I was not sure if I can tip the driver as I heard from my local support that usually we don’t tip cab drivers in Quito but I could not resist picking up my wallet to respect Milto’s time for waiting for me at the airport, picking me and dropping me safely at the hotel.
As I arrived at the hotel, I already knew that some of my team mates had already arrived and were out for lunch. I was really excited to meet them in person for the first time. My over-enthusiasm pushed me out to take a walk and spot them. We really had a great lunch together in typical Ecuadorian flavor with an amazing spread. Even though most of the menu items contained meat, I was able to sample some authentic Ecuadorian salads, rice and beans.
The best part of my first day in Quito was the dinner with the team where we had all the team members from different parts of the world including Till’s grand entry from Galapagos Island. Till came one week early to Quito and he took a one-week vacation to visit Galapagos Island before we started our project. Till’s experience with the Galapagos was mind-blowing and breathtaking. The most touching factor of the dinner was when Estaf, our local coordinator instructed the restaurant people to serve a vegetarian dish for me. Thanks Estaf for the extra mile care from you. I was so amazed with the way they brought the veggies to my table. I never had such delicious dishes made up of sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and green peppers. It was so hard to remember the names of these dishes but that’s something I will achieve in a few days as I memorize them!
Thank to team Condors for your amazing energy, enthusiasm and openness 😊
