TONIBUNG retreats

I'd never been on a 'retreat' before last week and the word conjured images of spiritual development, group rest and relaxation in an isolated location... A bit like this...

My theory was that retreats are designed to make you rested, relaxed and harmonious with your community and the world... Every theory needs testing and last week was my opportunity...

Last week TONIBUNG (and family) went on a team training and retreat at a beach resort, close to Kota Kinabalu. It was definitely luxury to go and spend a night away from CREATE, with pool-side rooms, air-conditioning and hot showers!

There was a Superheroes theme for the training - for breakaway activities, we had the "Justice League" Team (composed of Deadpool, Hello Kitty, Thor, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and Thor) and the "Avengers" Team (composed of Spiderman, Mr Fanstatic, Superman, Captain America and Wonder Woman). Of course!

After a very early start from Kampung Nampasan, we got to the beach resort and started on the ice-breaker and introduction sessions. Playing to the Malaysian enthusiasm for Karaoke, the opening activity was a bit of singing! First up we all sang Gemuruh (Nervous) by Faizal Tahir, a Malaysian singer-songwriter:

Over our breakfast of fried noodles and glutinous, layered rice cakes, each team was tasked with picking a song to perform next. There was an extra requirement though - we had to be able to justify why the song was chosen. Justice League chose Sayung Kinabalu (a Sabahan folk song which literally translates as 'Darling Kinabalu').  Sayang Kinabalu is a song which resonated with the Justice League because it illustrated their pride and love for Sabah and their communities. The Avengers chose Dari Kita Saya Bah Itu.  The title means something like "it's up to us" and the lyrics are in a Sabahan dialect of Malay.

I didn't take a picture of the kueh lapis (glutinous rice cakes) we actually ate so this picture (from http://resepkuekering.info/kue-lapis-tepung-beras/) will have to do

There is a video of our enthusiastic singing and dancing (pretty much as good as the YouTube versions) but I'm not going to post it!

The training continued through the day with a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) assessment of TONIBUNG, developing an understanding of the team's motivations and creating roadmaps for the future. There was some leisure time too to enjoy the beach and resort facilities.

Getting art-y on the beach

So was my theory about retreats correct?

The location was quite peaceful, especially along the beach, and the training was a good opportunity for development and reflection.  There was definitely some team bonding with all that singing and dancing too!

So far so good... The next question is where the theory falls down - do I feel rested and relaxed after our retreat?

Answer: Not really - I feel sore all over! I've managed to catch the cold that seems to be going around (yes, you can get colds away from a wet British winter), I'm covered in mosquito bites from my beach walks, and hobbling with a sprained ankle from over-enthusiastic basketball! In spite of this, I'm still feeling positive about retreats - the TONIBUNG retreat was a valuable and enjoyable event!

The basketball 'court' at the resort had a curb at the edge which, it turns out, doesn't do ankles much good!