TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITY LEARNINGS

What is Team Building Activity? – As what I’ve read Team Building Activity is use for improving oneself within the group for aiming some task or goals and also to enhance social relations to others. Team Building also is an activity to clarify some group or team roles. Within the activity there are frequently assign task for a group of people to work and collaborate with. Usually it contains important exercises to motivate every group members. Team building also intended to address interpersonal problems that will affect team performance. This was made to help every individuals particularly in the groups to become more active and productive to the goals that they are aiming for. Improving interpersonal relations and social interactions is the main purpose of the said activity. As this activity longing it developed to address best practices for achieving results, meeting goals and accomplishing tasks. The teams are said to be engage to change the situations and also to gain team competencies to enhance performance. It is somewhat like group or team training, which each of the members will learn functioning and effectiveness. Team training and Team building are not totally the same they still have differences. Like in team building it is not needed to be formal because it didn’t focus on skilled – base competencies. The bottom line of this kind of activity is generally sits within just the theory and practices of the organizational development that can also applied to sports team, school groups and other fields of team activity.

Our team building activity or other known it interpersonal activity was set on July 20, 2015. Before the activity was happened I was expecting that it was like before, that the activity was smoothly going better until it was adjourn. I think of this thoughts because I was once became part of the last interpersonal activity. By then, my job was a photographer and at the same time a somewhat like a secretary because aside from taking pictures I also jotting down all the significant topics of the activity and also tell and keep everyone to log in and out. For me as what I have witness before, the last interpersonal was quit enjoyable because majority of my batch took was there. What I like about then was my task that our facilitator assigned to me and that was being a photographer. Even though I’m not part of their activity I still freshly remembered all the enjoyment that they experienced. That was also my first time that I was chosen to took pictures of them and that was also the happiest moment that I was remembered. I still remembered that during that time some of their activities can make everyone became emotional, others was crying and some are half meant  affected. I think every one of them realized that not all the time they were right sometimes they should learn to listen to each other for the reasons that they could made many solutions to their problems as a team. But anyways these are just a recap about what I had experienced before when the last Team Building activity was held.

So now, this is my time or our time!! Hahaha comparing before I was completely satisfied about our recent team building, why? – Because I was not expecting someone or a new one will conduct it differently unlike before. Before the staff or the one who was facilitating then are just the University’s employee base in the UGTO department but now it wassomeone else. I do not still remember her name but I do still remember her face and her kindness to us. According to her she was an instructor of Saint Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro, which similarly an Ateneo University of us but I heard they are the same with different names to called. As what I’ve remember which made me confuse she was here in Davao because she was taking –up Masterals or PhD? I don’t know coz all I remembered was something like that. In fairness to her she made a good job to us. So back on July 20 I think that was Thursday I woke up early at quarter to 6am, I have many things  to do then like cooking rice and dishes , then afterwards took a bath and ate some of my cooked breakfast.  For me that day I was quit more excited because God let those times came right for me to finalize my decision about taking a field trip seriously and not confusedly should be. After commuting by then I came at the right time and then proceed to the social hall but I was wondering why there’s no people inside the hall because I thought the said activity venues was in the social hall but then I was wrong . Thanks to my classmate who arrived after me because he informed me where the right place is. So we decided to go together and yeah we went safely. Hahaha.I never knew that it was there because the first batch assigned in the Social hall. And that place was called our University Hostel. For me it was a good place to conduct the activity because it is quit and we can focus well to do our task. When I entered the door I searched for log-in papers first before I ‘am going to sit for me to be proven visible on that day of interventions. After that I saw my other classmates coming and doing the same thing. Then, the new staff came together with the old. So by then, I was so excited meeting her all the way long I define her like she was good enough to communicate well to us. She’s always smiling and gave us some laughs when my other classmates became weird sometimes. When the activity was started we first conduct a prayer with matching slideshow and background music. Knowing that we are in a generation of gradual immerging of technology, this kind of conducting prayer is not new to me. After the prayer of course we sang for our national anthem. Then, we are requested to sit and start our main activity which is the Team Building. Followed by the staff gave us the first activity of what are we expecting to the seminar then we should write it in a plain short band paper, what I wrote to the first question was like this “In this seminar, I expect that it would be fun and knowledgeable “, the second question was “ I think on this seminar I can contribute some friendly advice to my fellow classmates when they are going to share about their MMK lives and get so emotional.” The third question is my favorite because the answer are just drawing of how do we feel today, so what I draw was a smiley face with a caption of “at the same time I ‘am very excited”. That’s what I really feel then. After that we were instructed to generalize our idea or answers to a one fourth manila paper and I am gladly say that we wrote it right according to what we’ve decided to put.Starting from then I realized that we are learning to apply the listening tactics to have a better understanding and communication to our members in a group and to build or make a better presentation to everyone. Next activity was called “My Place on the Tree” where in this activity we are given to relate or mirror ourselves to the pictures that will represent on who we are in this world. Actually this is my favorite part of the activity because it is a visual presentation to us to make some explanation why we choose that image. This also the part when I or each of us can share on who and what we really are in a real situation. For me I choose the image of a girl that swings in the branch of the tree then I explain to them why I choose that image because for me it somehow connects me and what does she do to be happy on her own doings. For me the image of that girl made me realized that my life was also like that, that even thou I am alone I can make myself happy on my own but like the swing and its rope I still need someone or a family in my life to hold on like the tree in order to come up with those happiness and like the swing my life was something go with the flow on what God’s will provide me. Too many explanations I made by then but my team members still listening to me. On that second activity I saw that we learned to be a good listener to each other and made some opinions to make someone comfortable after sharing their selves. The third activity was reading a poem or an article about A CONSIDERATION OF PERSONHOOD. As I read those lines I felt so amaze of knowing that every person that sitting next to us are unique and we all have different experience in life. I have two favorite lines on the article and these are;

“The person sitting next to you is a unique world of experience. Within him is constantly going on a world premiere of experiences that no person has ever had or will ever have. Thus the person sitting next to you is a cluster of memories of the past and the expectations of the future.

He can live not only for himself, but also for you. He can confront, encourage, and understand you … If that is what you want. In turn, he is to be understood. And unless other people take time to understand him, he is thwarted from being personal.”        

About these lines above, I learned that every one of us is different from each other, and no one can replace us. Maybe we will meet each other earlier and somehow we will also going to meet each other in the future. And the experienced we’ve encountered are different from each other that no one could experience it like we do. I agree also that we lived not only by ourselves but also we lived and uniquely meant for each other to share different understanding about what we were going through. So much for that. The fourth activity was also my favorite the “I am Me” poem. This poem was really an eye opener or a reminder for me about myself. I once became lost without anyone knowing it, even myself. During those moment when I read the poem I realized that despite of everything that I’ve experienced I should or must take care of myself because one selves are unique. That there is no one exactly like me. That I own everything about me. My body , including all its thoughts and ideas. My eyes , including all the messages they behold. I own my thoughts , my dreams, my hopes, and my fears. Those are just some of the lines that really captured my ears to be heard again to remind me that I am only one in this world having those physical, manners, attitude, thoughts, ideas, smiles, and a lot more that no can have. So by then I realized that   I should change for the better version of me. I need to survive in this world with the help of those people who loves me, because I know if the time will come I will no longer lived, some will find my own self of having different personality of others that’s why we should take care of ourselves.

In General, I learned to be more aware on every challenge that will come and make sure to solve it with the help of every member in the group. I learned also to listen first before to react then followed to understand the situations. I learned also to be open minded to everyone’s decisions and opinions. Learned also to be more confident of all the things that you do to achieve your goals. Gaining patience also important to a group and many more. The most important of all is having a strong faith to God to make everything easily handle and solved. Do not lose hopes of every challenges, instead think positive to have a better you.

MY EXPECTATION ON MY FIRST PLANE RIDE

During my childhood days I always wish to fly like a bird and at night like a Star so that I can see the whole combinations of all beautiful places in the world whether it is in day or night.  I knew already then that in a real world airplane is the material for us human to experience to ride on the air like we closely imagine how to fly or get on above. Those things that I imagine then for me was very impossible to happen because I know riding on the airplane is too expensive and only rich people can afford. Knowing that we are poor then I no longer imagine that thing, until these following years came when I started choosing Bachelor of Science in Information Technology I was told that there will be a fieldtrip happen and possibly held in Manila so by then I was very glad that I can say “ wow!, I can’t imagine that my dream before will possibly happened  in my college life”. By then on until now I am still hoping that when that time comes there will be no hindrance that I can’t ride on the plane. I know everyone of us wants to experience riding on the plane and go to many beautiful places as they can. In my situation as a student we are all required to take the FTS subject which stands for Fieldtrip and Seminars in a chosen model. Since majority of us choose the Model A which will be held in Manila at that time I am so happy and excited that finally I can go there by riding in an airplane which I never experience in my whole life before. And yes! Your right it is really my first time to ride in an airplane if it happens.  Speaking of first time I really don’t know what I should prepare first.  I am thinking lots of possibilities of what might be happen during those times and I heard from others that when it will be your first time riding on the plane you will might suffer pain inside your ears due to air pressure. Hearing those never worry me because I know I can easily overcome those instances. What really worries me are those accident will happened, I know I am so weird but we can never tell what will happen next in every seconds or minutes in our lives. Aside from the accident I also worry about vomiting inside the airplane because I am that kind of person who easily felt sick when traveling especially when the transportation has air conditioner that smells very unusual it makes me feel so easily to vomit. I don’t want it to happen and if it will, promise I will totally hate myself after all.

As we notice first time on anything will occupy the biggest part of our memory because of that I will make sure that everything will be good and very happy. I have so much expectation on my first ride in the airplane. First , I expect that I will be nervous because of so much excitement and thoughts that might be happened, like how can I handle myself whenever there might be problems to occur. Second, I will make sure to take a sit next to the airplanes window to make sure I can see clearly the sky and beautiful places below which I really wish before that I will experience because of very beautiful scenery whenever I will be on board. Third, finally I will see those flight attendants inside the airplane on what will be there job inside, on how they’re physical appearance will be looked like as what I’ve heard before.  I want also see what really inside the airplane looked like. I am curious also about the services that they will offer during the travel and a lot so much more.

I expect it to be safe and sound for us, I want it to be fun, I want it to be an awesome experience for me, and first times need to be the best of all. Safe would be my first expectation for my first plane ride, of course people seek for safety in every journey they have, journey will be useless if safety is not there. You will never taste the enjoyment of your travel if you are dead right? Besides it is my first time, I do not want this to happen to me and my friends and classmates, and I do not want these to be my first and last strategy. Fun of course, it will be my first plane ride and I expect it to be fun together with my friends and classmates. I want this to be my unforgettable plane ride of my life, and also I want this to be my unforgettable travel in my college life. And of course lastly, an awesome experience for me, I want these to remember in my entire life, I want to write this for me to not forget it, just what I said I want this to be my unforgettable travel in my college life together with my friends and classmates, I do not care if people say I am exaggerating, it is just a plane ride, yes it will be just a plane ride for them but for me it will be my first plane ride, and I do not care for them as long as I will enjoy it and that I will be safe and it will be a good experience . I am excited to ride a plane to learn from people in Manila, to gain new ideas and knowledge. . It will be a good trip I know that for sure, it will be fun, informative and inspiring as well, especially in the Y4IT seminars which will be joined by a thousands of Information Technology students from different schools in the country. It will be a once in a lifetime experience for me as a student, joining such big events and visiting big companies and schools in the country, that would be lot of experience for me. The result of this trip will be positive and it will be fun out there, I will enjoy myself out there with my friends and we will be learning together.   Every one of us wanted to have a wonderful and safe trip. To travel far away with my classmates and friends it’s an opportunity to discover new things. So many expectations for the travel but sometimes expectations lead us to disappointments. So let’s try to expect less then let us see what we will receive even much more. I mean life is an adventure. Take risks. Even though I’m gonna spend a lot of money but the knowledge or the experience that I will encounter will never gonna buy it or replace it. And I will always embrace it and the memory that I will carry wherever I go. We just wanna go on more adventure. Be around and have good energy. Connect with people. Learn new things. Grow. In learning, we learn to know the bad and the good things. Everything is an opportunity; it depends on the person on how he/she look on a certain thing. But for me, this travel will give me another experience and to witness the wonderful land and sky that I could touch and embrace it that our creator made.  All of us want to be our first times to be as good or as best as we could. First time to do anything is the most memorable experience to us. First time’s give as the most mix feeling we will get and it will never be the same as we take as the second time around. Even you’re happy with the second time, third time and so on, it’s still different from the first time you did it. To be a successful with your goal – get the best experience, we must do our roles and give the best shot we have. Regrets will be the product of being too serious and being a negative person. So, instead of being worrying and thinking horrible things, let your positive aura comes in and exhales the negative aura. Instead of being a paranoid, be a happy crazy human being and let the good vibes rocks your world to enjoy the moment. First time experiences on everything as what do they say is always the best. Because of the reason that it is a first time and this experience may be the last or will be repeated for a long time. As to what excites me more are the things which will result to a new learning and to be expose to the real happening to the real world. The primary purpose of going there is to have a new and better idea of what might be a new innovation which may come to our mind to make life better and can be live easier. As far as I know, we will be landed at NAIA Airport and based in the news report, it is the worst airport compared to any airport in the country or internationally. I want to see in my two eyes and experience the things they say why it is known as the worst airport. Maybe when I get there and experienced it, I can formulate an innovative idea. When we experience something that is not good or that needs improvement, we can’t help ourselves but to think for possible solutions. Through the help of our technopreneurship subject, if I always encounter and see a situation that totally needs to be developed and improved, I always bear it in my mind for its innovation. Because through our imagination and creative minds, we can help our community to give a solution that surely everyone can benefit. I know that I am discussing now what I have learned in my technopreneurship subject, but it will not matter at all. But what matter most is that it is not about field trip and seminars why we are going in Manila; our main purpose and reason why we will be there is to observe the things in their environment that calls for improvement, the technology they used and the knowledge we will get that we could apply in our own city.I am hoping that since it is my first flight, there is no mechanical defect that will going to happen. I hope that we will be enjoying our trip to Manila. I hope that those experiences and learning we get will become our motivation to do things better. I am praying that God will be guiding us, bless us and will protect us in any circumstances that we will meet.  And if you be asking me if that would be the only thing that I could be afraid of? I think I would answer that yes. I don’t fear a height that’s one advantage. I don’t even afraid to die we all be going on the same destination either. What else UHMM? I think that’s all. Know I’m thinking on my friend she does afraid of heights even a five story building made her afraid to death how much more when we are level on the sky I wish she will not be sitting the window sit. Talking about the window sit how I wish that I could be the one sitting on that side. Please. And if that would not be the sit they give to me how I wish one of my closes friends will have the sit so that we can switch. I’m praying that all of us that wanted to have the field trip this semester can come even me; I wish my parents can afford the ticket and the package our group will be choosing .I do expect that our adviser will be checking on us one by one to prevent some problem like if someone left behind. I also expecting that the ride will be smooth, so that I don’t feel sick and wishing that it is better to ride a plane than the water transportation and land transportation. I want this trip to be fun I’m expecting to sit beside my friends or even on people I know so I have someone to talk to. I don’t expecting more about the luxury of the plane. I just want to have a free food to be served on us. On what I know we are not allowed to bring a foods or drinks I think. But I’m an eater person even people couldn’t see it on because of my size but yes unfortunately I am. Maybe I could sneak some foods on my pocket or even candies. Only the metals are detected during boarding right. Even if the plane has a food in it, I think I cannot afford to buy they said the price is double or maybe triple that will be charge. This is adding on my problem list I wish I don’t have something to add to. I’m expecting myself to take a lot of picture on that time because it will be going my first plane ride. I wish my family can experience that too soon.  I do have a lot of expectation during my plane ride I just can’t find a word to explain.  For now I just want to imagine the enjoyment and fun on board the talking and our advance view on what are we going to do first when we land.

MY FTS PREFERRED MODEL

Back then, before the end of 2^ndsemester as a 2^nd year student we already aware about the FTS (Field Trip and Seminars) subject that it has 3 Models option to choose, which are the MODEL A , B, and C.

Model A - Major Field Trip (Outside Mindanao) + 1 Minor Field Trip (Mindanao) + 1 Seminar (National) + 2hrs Interpersonal Skills.

Model B - 1 Major Field Trip (Outside Mindanao) + 2 Minor Field Trip (Mindanao) + 2 Seminar (8hrs) + 2hrs Interpersonal Skills.

Model C - 3 Minor Field Trip (Mindanao) + 4 Seminars (16 hrs) (Mindanao) + 2hrs Interpersonal Skills.

As what I have heard from the previews batch of the students who already took up the FTS subject majority of them choose the Model A, which is the Major Field Trip outside Mindanao and the chosen Place since from the beginning was in Metro Manila. As a raise child from the mountain of a not known province I will admit that before when I was a kid one of my dream is to land in Metro Manila. Hearing it from FTS subject that it is very possible to go there as long as you will choose the model A then you can go there for study purposes. At that time, I think that this is the time that I will experience the dream that I dreamt before when I was a child, but this is not the main reason why I prefer to choose the Model A, I still have many important reasons that you may read below.

I gladly prefer to choose FTS Model A aside from the other two options. Why? First, because knowing that Model A seminars will be held in Manila then for me, why not choose the best? - For you to learn and discover more with the place having big and much known information technology companies. Manila is known as a modern city in the Philippines (aside for being the Capital) for having high buildings, many establishments, known companies and people. Yeah! I am right. Manila is the best place, where I prefer to spend my money, where I can learn many things about technologies than spending it to the place that has limited information which at the end you will just realized that you are still spending the same big money whether you like it or not. Second, I love to choose the place where I know it can help me to be knowledgeable about modernization, technologies, events and other things related to studies that I am surely cannot experience here in my own beloved city. So far, I think as I know in the Philippines Manila is the only place where many big and known companies are only found such as IBM, Toshiba, and etc. Many big and advance schools also found there that I am very excited to enter to observe and experience there environment.

Second, I prefer to choose Model A because I know from the beginning that majority of the class will choose Model A and even though I will choose the other one because it’s cheaper still the majority wins. As simple as that.

Third, I know going and visiting Manila is rare to happen in my whole boring life for staying in the same place.

Fourth, it’s my dream to go to big and popular schools like ATENEO DE MANILA and UP DELIMAN. We all know that these schools have better facilities compare to ours, better learning systems, and other things that the students and our schools didn’t have.

Fifth, we all know that the main braches of a selected big technology companies will only found in Manila like IBM, IDEA SPACE, TOSHIBA, and others. These companies will surely contribute you such knowledge that will make you more inspire and widen your dreams in the future. To know more, Manila is advanced in terms of technology and most of the best ICT companies here in the Philippines are found in Manila. One of the reasons why I chose the model A is because of its advancement. I want to see whats the difference, in terms of technology, between Davao and Manila.

Sixth, even though we will go in Manila for study and business purposes not for pleasure still I know it will give me the experience that I cannot replay in my life. The people, the events, the knowledge and even the time of traveling together with your classmate and schoolmates within that area will never be experience again. I know that this field trip is too expensive that our parents will always contradict about but still for me it’s the best thing to choose for us to experience different.

Lastly, I know not just from to myself but also from the others that this Model to choose with can give us more inspirations to our studies and career in the near future by meeting those businesses minded people. That after the trip our point of view or insights about INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY will changed in a wider perspective. That the money of our beloved parents will never be wasted like nothing was happened and poof!! We don’t have that kind of money anymore! In short regret. But at least when we go home our parents will see the different smiles in our faces. That after the trip the sacrifice and the helps of our facilitators will be paid because they are the one who bring us there with security and safety , and we experience that once in a lifetime experience feed with new knowledge , wisdom, and hopes for us to be more competitive to other schools. That this chosen trip will give us more dreams to come true and to believe that time will come then everything will happen to our chosen path. That this trip is everyone’s pleasure in visiting another place with important purpose. That after this trip we will share the big difference about Manila compare in our place, on how modernization of the place keeps us behind. That this chosen trip will give as the experience that worth the cost!