Every year, around mid-July, our company goes on a team building weekend, and this year was no different. When the company started three years ago, it was with pride that we decided that each year we will do this little bit of adventure, but with each one we went to a different place in or around the city, experiencing different Cape Town guest house accommodation and different adventures, but the most noted difference was the team size.

 

Simons Town

Our much bigger group were staying in the beautiful little naval village better known as Simon's Town. As one of the oldest in South Africa, Simon's Town is very characteristic, as were our team. From creative writers to your more analytical businessmen, our team was a combination of note.

The atmosphere was filled with happiness as we booked into the Whale View Manor Guesthouse. From our previous trips we learned that team building really does help our work relations. Something that is very important since you spend more of your life at work than at home or with family and friends.

A little bit of adventure...


After everybody unpacked and refreshed, we quickly set off to our first expedition: "Kloofing", or as it is better known as, "canyoning". The best thing really about kloofing is the fact that it challenges not just you, but how much you trust the person standing next to you. I was standing between Sue-Ellen and Margaret, one of which was my art director and the other the company’s number one marketing suit. They assigned the three of us to take charge of the ropes. Being far from any cub-scout, I didn’t know what I was doing, and was rather shocked that this specific task was assigned to me. But after a few minutes I got the hang of it and actually enjoyed the fact that I was entrusted with this little task.

When it was eventually my turn to abseil down, I was so distracted with the technique that I didn't even have the time to focus on my fear of heights. Something that Nicci unfortunately didn't find so easy to do. The poor girl was screaming her head off from top to bottom, but at least she did it, and the whole team cheered her when she was safely on her feet after much guidance and support from the professionals with us. Blushing with relief, she promised herself and us that she will never put herself through that kind of torment gain. I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like to have a phobia so bad that it prohibits you the way Nicci’s did.

There's no I in team...


When everybody got to the bottom, we hiked back into town where we stopped for a quick drink at a local cafe on route of the historical mile, also known as St. George's Street. After our refreshment, we continued on a tour through Simon's Town’s cobble stoned streets until we got to the navy museum. I think most people would’ve preferred to give the museum a skip since most of us aren’t really history buffs, but for the more intellectuals amongst us, we decided to head into the museum for a more informative tour of the South African Navy.

It turns out that the navy's history was more interesting than the less enthusiastic had expected. By the time we walked out of there, almost the whole team were saluting "Aye matey" and wearing a newly bought cap. Funny how people change when they're in a big group, how you tend to just follow the crowd, because I'm pretty sure that if it weren’t for the influence of the atmosphere, I would not have bought a cap, and most definitely not talk that way. But why spoil the fun.

At dinner that night we were all enjoying a meal of delicacies and sharing two or three bottles of wine. Jokes were made at some of the office politics and of course at some of the sillier things that have happened during the year so far. Michael was given much grief still over his major mess-up when he had to present to a client and somehow got one of his personal pictures into the example gallery. He still sticks to his story that somebody else put it there, but luckily for him the picture of him and his girlfriend was very innocent and the client had a sense of humour.

The rest of the weekend was filled with more laughter, an adventure or two, good food and great Cape Town accommodation. Everybody enjoyed this team building break, and this weekend would keep us smiling for at least a few weeks ahead.