So I did something I had never done before. K and I left the girls and went away!
Now for the details...K and I work for the same company. Every year we have an away weekend, where the employees are taken to a fancy spa resort or a retreat to have the Friday afternoon and Saturday to chill with fellow colleagues. And also there are the usual company updates. But there is also unlimited bar, a total of six free meals, and the scintillating opportunity to wine and dine with fellow comrades of the workforce.None of this is my jam AT ALL. I hate company updates when I am listening to them remotely; imagine listening to them in a big hall, live! I would not hang out with my colleagues if my life depended on it. They are colleagues, they are to troubleshoot bugs, to approve my code, and to say good morning and bye in meetings. I have zero interest in wining and dining with them. Speaking of wining and dining, I don't drink alcohol. And there are only so many cups of coke and coffee one can consume! In fact, food is not my motivator ever. I can happily live on tea and toast with butter till the end of days.But…all of this is K’s jam, totally. He is not a social butterfly, but he likes the company of others. He likes hanging out with people and finding out what's up! He has been in the company for five years and has met a fair share of folks. He likes the general catch-ups. He likes food. He likes drinks! Beer in particular. There are a few boxes ticked there, but then despite it, there are moments when he's left alone. When the catch-up dries out, when the beer has been drunk. And to fill this emptiness, this time he had me! He did cajole me to come last year as well. But I set a firm no since I was relatively new to the company. This time around, love won. Yeah, the man wanted my company for the away weekend, and I was being pushed to say yes. My sister came in as the biggest enabler. She was like, “Go once, you may like it and would regret missing it. You may not like it and would be happy to have tried. Either way, the win is yours!” OK, that is very sound logic. On the emotional side, I know my kids love her and gel really well with her. She adores them, and I was certain she would ensure they would be spoilt sick. So I acquiesced.The Friday for the travel came up. We had opted for a car ride since we did not want to be tied in with company transport. The car would give us the flexibility to drive back under some unforeseen condition. My sis came in in the morning of Friday. She had the meals planned. There was salmon and pasta for Friday dinner followed by boba tea. Saturday, they had plans to go over to the city centre, have some yummy burgers at a new chicken place, shop for some craft materials, have some Japanese pancakes, and make their way home. It sounded such a swell plan that I was jealous.While they had this weekend lined up, K and I made our way to the venue. It was not far from our place, but the road works and speed restrictions made the journey longer than it needed to be. We reached just in time for the all-hands meet. Since it is a low-hierarchy company, we were sitting with our co-owner. He was a real chill guy with whom we had some lovely conversations. He was the one who had interviewed me eight years ago when I had first tried for this company. I had not cleared it then, but the company and his ethos had left a mark on me. I would have loved to state this to him, but then shyness and the inclination to remain quiet took over.Once the all-hands meet was over, we went to our room. Boy, it was fancy! We had some time to chill before the evening event of some award ceremony and dinner. I caught up with the girls who were enjoying their boba! Once ready for the evening, we made our way to the hall again. The food was horrible to say the least. But I bounced with some people whom I had worked with when I started. We had some quick catch-ups. After that, I was ready to call it quits. I made my way to our room while K socialised for a bit longer.The next day we had the sauna booked. People could opt for various activities and we were lucky enough to get the sauna. It was a bit daunting to strut around in swimwear in front of coworkers but after a point the body shame went away. And K and I concentrated on having a relaxing session. After that we worked up the appetite for lunch. K was keen for a walk after lunch but all I could think of was a nap. It was super refreshing to take a nap after the sauna and the food. I slept guilt-free for God knows how long.Once I woke, I was quite refreshed. K and I decided to take a walk through the sprawling grounds. We ended up taking a longer than intended walk since we got lost! Seven kilometres under our belt, we made our way home 😂 We came across some cute cats and had a hell of a time petting them. Detox done, it was time for the last supper with colleagues, with some karaoke and other entertainment I was least interested in!Wrapping up dinner, I was looking forward to heading back home. My girls had had an amazing weekend, pampered by their aunty and having all the freedom (within reason). I had a different experience. It was an all-expe
nses-paid luxury stay, which was one of a kind. But it was not entirely my cup of tea and perhaps not something I would do again. But I was happy to have done it once!
