Thursday & Friday: Team Days
On Thursday & Friday, I got to meet the majority of my teammates in person for the first time since forever, and it was a fantastic experience. We collaborate wonderfully while working from home and different locations, but there is something special about being in the same place as everyone else, talking face to face without forgotten mute buttons or clunky video streams. I am a big proponent of remote teams, but I am an even bigger supporter of having physical meetings, occasionally.
Thursday: Dinner With The Team
After we finished our team discussions and activities, we spent some time chilling at the office before heading to a nice restaurant in the Old Town for a team dinner. Much like the team day, the dinner was great on all accounts. I enjoyed chatting with my colleagues about a wide array of topics and getting to know them a bit better. The food was delicious and the restaurant old vibe was perfect.
Friday: Bowling
It's been a while since I went bowling and so for the first round, I was a bit rusty, but I quickly remembered how things work and eventually managed to score a strike and a couple of spares. I had no idea Bowling was such an intense physical activity (at least according to my Apple Watch). It was a fun activity and a good end to the second team day of the week.
Friday: Dinner With Friends
This was a much anticipated dinner that we booked and planned many weeks in advance and saw some of our friends who live in other parts of the country joining us for an evening of delicious food – tasting menu – and joyful conversations that flew smoothly all night long. After dinner, we moved to the cozy home of one of our friends, where we continued the conversations and laughter well into the night (ca 1:30am). Nothing like spending good time with good friends.
A successful dinner is one that lasts a while and one where everyone leaves happy. It's a meal where we didn't just wolf food down, rather something else happened at the table. That is the goal. – Laurie David
Saturday: Stand-Up Comedy
Last month, my friend invited me to go and attend a stand-up comedy show about "Surviving Sweden As An African", and being a fan of stand-up and also curious about the topic, I said yes. We went to the show on Saturday and while it was funny, it didn't really meet my expectations and I felt the title was a bit misleading compared to the actual content presented during the show. Nevertheless, I met my friend, and we had some good laughs, so I am charting this one as a win.
This week was eventful and undoubtedly, one of the busiest weeks this year with loads of socializing, activities, and fun times. I would like to have more weeks like this one in 2022, fingers crossed I manage to do that.