It was a 3 day retreat aimed at team building, getting to know each other, and a big emphasis seemed to be on getting all the teams to explain to everyone what they're all about and what they do. For me, it was perfect as it provided a fantastic introduction to everyone in the office, all the different teams, what we're all about, where we're heading, and what people actually do. Interestingly, even those who had been in the office for a while said it was very useful. About half of the retreat was dedicated to work stuff, and the other half to team building exercises and having fun. This included things such as a pumpkin carving competition (we one, though naturally I had very little input into that!), the African Choir that I've already written about, as well as learning to sing and drum along with another African band.
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| Makes it a bit hard to pee with a Lego parrot watching you... |
We were of course let loose in Legoland for an afternoon, and although rather corny, we managed to have a bit of fun. This is definitely one of the greatest theme parks to visit when you're a Lego loving kid. There are miniature cities made of Lego bricks, all the rides have one connection or another to Lego, even the hotel, was Lego crazy.
The rooms in the hotels were definitely made for kids - Lego everywhere. From pirates on the walls, to parrots in the bathrooms, Lego print sheets and pillow slips, a Lego 'treasure chest' full of more Lego bricks to play with. It just never ended!
Most of the rides were a bit lame (as they are obviously aimed at kids), but they did have a nifty ride there which you get to 'program' yourself! It's a robotic arm with 6 degrees of freedom and 2 seats stuck at the end. You program the arm from a computer screen by putting together various 'bricks' which make the arm move in different ways. Then you sit on it and let it throw you around. Lots of fun :-) |  |
| Mona Lisa made from Lego | Lego Kennedy Space Centre |
Of course another part of the retreat was eating. I managed to have 2 out of 2 lunches, and 2 out of 2 dinners considering primarily of fish - mostly herring I think. And it was pretty darn good! Of course there was way more food on the buffet than I could manage, but I decided to ensure I got my dose of Danish herring!
A Team Building Exercise
One of the exercises involved finding a partner and doing some face painting. This turned out to be a good time to show my team why I should not be utilised in coming up with the design (I'm talking artistic design, not architectural/software design) for our system.
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| My attempt at face painting | Someone else's attempt at painting my face |
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| A good example of what the rest of the team looked like - something creative! |
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