Team Building: Drive to Strive

Feb. 10, 2012

We arrived at PUP exactly 5:30 in the morning. I was still sleepy at that time but I sense that the people around me were very excited for that day. I asked myself, “What did these people expecting on this team building?” I just find out that I already answering my own question. “I guess…” I continued, “the place was really good. It’s just happen that we are on the resort so most of the activities are related to waters.” My classmate also gave me some of her perceptions too. “maybe… but im hoping that they (facilitators) give us more time in swimming than their activities… I want to enjoy my day!!!” she exclaimed. Watching her… I also tend to laugh. I also want to enjoy my day. Next week, Monday, is my defense…I don’t want to put myself in the deepest part of depression because of that defense. Though, I admit that I was so pre-occupied that time, still I condition myself that I have to enjoy myself, alone or not.

We are already on the bus. I was separated to my best friend because we are divided into our certain groups. Honestly, I didn’t feel my group. We are only 2 in our group because most of our team mates were from other course like BS math and BS-ed Social from different year level. We also have the same course there but they are from lower year.  As I see my group mates, I notice that my classmate and I were the older people there. The moment that they need to choose who will be the leader, they (my group mates) push us to be the leaders. I ask my classmate to volunteer herself to be the leader, I promised her that I will support her in everything she do. She agreed so we let her lead us.

The orientation was already started. They gave us the plan of activities that we need to accomplish by the settled time limit. We plan the things that we have to do and we told each other that we didn’t need to be super competitive, that it will come to a point that they have to fight on us. The main goal that we have was enjoy ourselves, just do everything with unity, cooperation and know each other very well. We were not going there to fight for our own name but rather, we have to think that whoever will be the winner, we have to be happy with them because we were only carrying one name, “Mentor Society”.

Before the game started, Maam Celeste gave us some of her thought in life that really helps us as a future educator. We really enjoyed her teaching because she knew how to cope with the young people. The words her using caught our attention. I notice that even though she had a low voice, most of us were interested to hear what are the things that she is going to say. She also didn’t want to be a teacher before, it was just an accident that no one was on the line to education department so she just try it. As her years in the PUP past, she learned to embrace that course and right now, she was already a successful professor. She is the president of the Alumni. Honestly, I thought myself that she was an extraordinary person and I guess it would be hard for me to have that kind of journey. But she told us that “as a man thinketh, so is he” meaning it depends on us how we think ourselves. I realized that nothing in life can keep us down except our own thinking. If we want a high quality of life, we must have a high quality of thought. I just see myself smiling. I hope that no one was watching at me that time. =)

As the game started, we first take the activity wherein we have to be blindfold then, we were holding one cup. We need to pass the water until the 1.5lit. of coke be filled. Honestly, it was hard to do that because compare with the other group which only have 13-15 members, we were 18 in the group so the tendency is that, it will take too long before and many water be wasted before we reach the bottle.  Before the time was over, we only filled half of it. The next game we had was we have a styrocup then there was a tissue inside of it. We need to pass it over to the next side of the pool. The problem that we had here was, the wave made it moved side by side. There is a possibility that anytime, it may touch the water so the tissue inside of it may be wet. We must not touch it so only by blowing; we made it pass to the next pool. The next is the station wherein the other member must stay in the station of the tree then they have to be on the starting point by carrying. Those people were called patience, and then the people who will carry those people called ambulance. We planned that only girls must be on the station and act as the patience then the boys will be the ambulance. It was good to see that most of my group mates were really cooperative. Some of our girls helped the boys to carry the girls who have a high body weight. We finish that game easily. The next is the rope tying were we have to tie the plastic rope on our knees in a group that no one must be get out of it. The hard part here was the tie did not reach our knees that we need to really hold it. The facilitator did not notice it so as the game was on going, he thought that we were not following the rules so he said that we were disqualified. Some of my mates were really mad, but on my part, it was okay. It didn’t make any sense anymore if we got mad or what because we were already disqualified. I just told my other mates that we need to move forward for the other games. Then, the next that we have was the mat wherein we need to get inside of it then we have to fold it into three. The facilitator told us that the other group did make it but what about us? We are 18 in the group and it was really impossible to fold that small mat into three. We didn’t have any choice but to try until we succeed. If course, the best strategy that we could have was let the boys be on the mat and all of the girls must be on the shoulder of these boys. We only made small point but they still gave us satisfying points. The next that we had is the story making. They gave us different images then we have to find out what is the real scenario of that story. Though we got demerit on that game, we still finish it. By the help of my mate we got the story. Then, the next is the game with ate Jen that we have to carry a 1.5 lit. bottle with water inside then carry it to other side of the court by using plastic rope again. The hard part here was that the bottle was so smooth that the plastic rope that we had make it fall. It only consumed our time then we made it. We went to the next game; the passing of marshmallow. We need to pass the marshmallow until the last group mate that we had. Again, the problem that we had here was we were really many, so before we made it pass to the middle, it was already fallen. We didn’t make it so we lose in this game. Then, the next was there is a maze that we need to pass until the end of it. Our eyes were blindfolded at that time and we just need to listen on the instruction of our leader. We easily made it because before we started, we already studied the maze itself so we knew were will be the possible blocks that we may pass along the way. We didn’t start the time that we got there because the facilitator got problem with the other group. We only started the time that they settled everything. Then, we made it. The last game that we had is we need to look for the coins in the pool. The problem here was only some on our group knew how to swim and dive in the water and at that time, it was already 2:00 in the afternoon so most of our group mate were really tired and hungry, so the facilitator did not push us to do that.

After all those activities, we first took our lunch then we got swim. I really tried to enjoy my swimming moment at that time but I got my personal problem. But still, I did not allow it to crash my day so my friends and I swam until we got tired. Exactly 4:00pm, we arouse and have our bath. We ate again and my best friend and I ride in a horse. I did not enjoy it because she was really afraid so we hold back and have our walk instead. Anyways, it was a funny thing that for the first time, I rode in a horse; additional unforgettable experience. Then, the announcement of winners and overall evaluation about the team building that was led by Prof. Osona. We didn’t win but the thing that we won was, “Strengthening the camaraderie”. We really got new friends and of course, we got known these people that we just pass everytime we were inside the school premises. We didn’t know that they are also part of Mentor Society. By now, when we see them, we try to recognize them and greet them. Some of us where still getting in touch. The teambuilding was over but the relationship we build are only getting started that for the next Q4B, we may really called as “Mentor Society”  because of the intact relationship that we build for that simple but unforgettable day.^^

The best game that we had that I can relate to some of the literary theory was:

1.       The game that we need to come up to a story based on the images. It’s aestheticism because it  emphasized aesthetic values (nature of beauty and art) more than socio-political themes for literature, fine art, the decorative arts, and interior design. As what we have done here, the images presented by the facilitator serves as the symbols to bring out the beauty of our imagination and creativity to tell what the narration of the story was.

2.         The next activity that we can relate in some literary theory was the game was the ambulance was the men and the girls were only being the patience. I choose this literary theory because as I observe the whole activity, they keep on telling the females to stay where we must and that is only in the situation. The female keep on helping the males because we only had more or less 5 males out of 17. At that moment I thought that what they are trying to tell us was in favor with us but the near fact here is that they telling us that we don’t have the guts to do what they can do. Discrimination for women arouses and yet, we didn’t listen to these men. As the game was over, we thought that only women make it accomplish.

3.       The next game that we had is the game with ate Jen wherein we are going to carry the 1.5lit. bottle that was filled with water then, we have to carry it to other side of the court. I categorize it in a reader response theory because that game was I already had experienced before. The moment I see the materials of that game, I already give my strategy on how to do it. As part of the group, I wanted to accomplish it as soon as possible and so they all agree with what I suggest and we made it.