This was my first year attending Team Week. At first when I heard that I would be traveling to the East Coast for a week by myself, I have to admit I was extremely nervous. As we all know this last year has been unpredictable and most of us have been living in a box. That was me. I was uncomfortable with the fact of leaving my house even if it was to visit family and friends. For the past year I had been living in fear.
After speaking with leadership, I knew it was time for me to face my fears and get my mind ready to take this trip. Deep down inside I knew Team Week was going to help me grow. After taking the advice of Angela, our CEO, I took baby steps to help me get on that plane and be around new people.
Challenge one was getting on the plane, with the support of family and many prayers I was able to put the fear behind me and enjoy the flight. I actually missed traveling and it brought back good memories of when I used to do so. Finally I arrived in Baltimore, Maryland and I was taken aback at how beautiful and green everything was. I finally got to meet our AIS leaders in person, and later that night, two of my co-workers. The feeling of meeting people in person that I talk to daily was very joyful; it felt like I was catching up with long lost friends.
The next day was our travel to Corolla, North Carolina. I was excited and anxious to arrive. I knew that we would be staying at a beach house, let me say we were literally on the beach driving through the sand.The house was amazing! I was happy to have my own room with a pool view and the beach was walking distance.
I was happy to meet all of my co-workers in person, we had lots of smiles, laughs and hugs.
Over the next five days we began our training, taught by Rod. Everyday we were given an agenda and began our sessions. Before we got started each employee wrote down what we wanted from the week.Every day for me I learned something new. At our sessions I learned a lot about myself, like what holds me back from being the best me I can be, I learned how other co workers view me. I really had the time to focus on what my motivation is for my personal and professional life. I was able to get a better understanding of the vision that Angela has for AIS. I was able to create a bucket list and see how much I have in common with my co-workers.
The sessions opened up emotions for me that I never realized were still there holding me back. This part of the session I held close to my heart, I felt I was in a safe place where I could really open up and let go of all insecurities. The sessions really helped me figure out who I am, what made me who I am and where I want the future to take me. I learned so much about my co-workers, we did several team building activities that helped us problem-solve to reach our goal. My top two favorite team activities was the cooking competition which my team came second in.This activity helped me to recognize my confidence and willingness to get the job done. The second activity my team also came in second and during this activity we were given many challenges, some that were timed. I learned during this challenge the importance of communication.
Overall I had an incredible experience. I faced many fears, such as traveling, being around new people and leaving my son and husband for a week. This was a huge learning experience for me and time that I needed for myself. I was able to develop strong relationships with my co-workers all while team building and getting a better understanding of the vision of AIS. I’m proud of myself and can’t wait for next team week.