Teachers Team building weekend

While the rains came down in Tokyo, and many other parts of Japan, on Saturday afternoon Ohana International School's 10 staff members, set off by train (since the buses were cancelled) for Fuji-Kawaguchiko. Our adventure began at the underground Koban in Nishi-Shinjuku station, laden with our day packs and luggage and smiles of anticipation, nervousness, the unknown and most importantly, camaraderie. What were we going to be doing? What happens if it is raining tomorrow? So many more questions and so few answers. While waiting we treated ourselves to Starbucks, snacks and of course a rest stop; and then we boarded the train to Otsuki where we were to change and take one to Fuji-Kawaguchiko station. Our train ride was filled with much chatter, laughter, snacking and before we knew it, we were at Otsuki, ready for the last lap to our destination.

It was not long before we arrived at Fuji-Kawaguchiko and the Park Hotel Bus arrived to pick us up. They had no idea what would happen in the reception area of their hotel after dinner. Nine women, a few beers, one man and games time! But before that, some of us walked towards the lake, in the rain; stopped at the Herb Store which in any other country, would mean something else and then we headed back for our bathe in the "rotemburo" and then a well awaited "kaiseki" dinner.

The "rotemburo" was so hot at 43.9 degrees, some of us could only sit in it for a short while and after much conversation and more laughter, we headed to the restaurant for our dinner.; some in our 'yukata'.

We had as usual a feast of beauty for our eyes and foods that caressed our pallets and delighted our senses. With all the usual small dishes and bowls; the hot and the cold; the soft and tender; the chewy and spicy......an endless array of colours and some unknown foods were savoured and enjoyed. While sitting and trying to allow ourselves some time to relax, we started playing a game. We had to say two things about ourselves that were true and one thing that was not, and then everyone had to guess which one  was untrue. We will not share our untruths or our truths in detail but suffice to say, that we learnt some interesting titbits about one another. After probably overstaying our welcome in the dining room just a wee bit, we headed off to the reception area where the "games continued" with a lot more laughter and the volume, somewhat increased as the evening went along. The games, which we managed to find on the internet, ranged from, sitting in a circle, cross legged with arms around each others shoulders and all standing up at the same time to, thinking of words relating to a subject that all started with the same letter, to categorising using sequential letters of the alphabet.....some of the games we reserved for another time, since there were a few of us in 'yukata' and they involved more physical movements, which would not have been appropriate.

Our fun and laughter ended around 10pm and we headed off to sleep in anticipation of WHAT!

The chirping of the birds awoke some of us really early and this was a good sign, since it probably meant that the weather had cleared. When we drew back the curtains, this is what we saw.........................

The sight of Mount Fuji took our breath away and we looked ahead to a great day, weatherwise. Another onsen for some of us and  another eating marathon for breakfast, we packed our bags and headed to reception where Gazzi and Yoshi were waiting for us. We climbed into the vans and drove off to the Outward Bound site about 20 minutes away. We were eager to begin but of course needed to be briefed about the programme, safety and some of the activities that we were going to be doing.

The hoop

This was our first activity and it was so challenging. We all had to stand in a small circle, make a gun shape with our pointer finger and thumb; rest a hoola hoop on the tip of our pointer finger and then all together, lower it to the ground until our fists were touching the ground. We had to have all of our pointer fingers touching the hoop at all times and we had 5 minutes in which to do this.............oh oh...............boo boo.........so much technical know how, analysis, maybe not everyone understood what we had to do and ......we were completely stumped by the hoop.....

And so we moved on to the next activity.

The island

We had to pretend that the bricks were the top of Mount Fuji. There was a big tsunami and the only safe spot was the top of Mount Fuji. We had to balance on the bricks for 10 seconds without falling off. Eventually we realised that if we held the person diagonally opposite us by their arms, we would be able to do it and YAY.......we did!

The Jump Rope

All of us had to jump in the jump rope at the same time for 40 jumps. Two people turned the rope and the rest of us jumped. We managed 14 jumps within the allotted time which for us seemed fine.

Then we went back and did some debriefing as well as preparation for the next challenge which was a 45 minute hike through the forest up to the rock climbing wall. We carried our day packs, harnesses and helmets with us and stopped at a beautiful scenic spot just before we got to our destination; high up with a sheer drop down, which was not within the comfort zone of some of us. But, this adventure was all about pushing through our comfort zones to our stretch zone and possibly our panic zone.........with the goal to have ultimately created a larger comfort zone.....that could be stretched further at another time.

Rock Climbing

We all checked our gear and sat and listened intently to what awaited us. A 10m wall to climb with Gazzi, Yoshi and Nobu providing the belay for all of us. There were three sections to climb with varying degrees of difficulty. Hisami, Christine and Shelley headed off first and it was tough. The team below were a great source of support and comfort, encouraging us all the way. Shelley was the first to come down, finding it restrictive with her knee support and a few extra kilos taking their toll. Hisami and Christine laboured on, constantly talking themselves through the process......"I can't find a hand hold"; "There's no where for me to put my feet"; "Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh"; "I can't".......................and they did. The goal was to reach the carabina that was attached to the rope coming from the top.......YOOHOOOOOOO! Nanako reached the top in no time and then it was Darren......more success.....and then Goh san......more success and then Ayaka and Sharee. Ayaka had her own way of saying "I am not sure if I can go further" and this was with a constant shouting of "Gomenesai"; and then another "Gomenesai" ...........and she too did it..................... And Sharee's voice was heard saying "I can't find the place for my foot"; "I just can't"; ......and she dangled there and found the place for her foot and her hand and ................she too did it. Maryna had already been up and down by this time and she was ready to face her second climb with Nanako too, pushing  beyond her comfort zone.............while Liezel, with all the encouragement in the world, just felt unsafe and wanted to come down. In the end the wall was climbed 10 times.......which meant that Nanako and Maryna's two times, made up for Liezel and Shelley's zero. Thanks guys for this incredible achievement......the success of the team was ensured by the group.

We made our way down the steep slope and arrived back at the first location to once again debrief and prepare for the next challenge. Some hot coffee, matcha tea with milk, kit kats and restroom breaks were well needed and soon we were ready.

The Spiders Web

This was made up of irregular shapes in a Spiders Web design. The design was created using elastic and we all had to go through theses shapes without touching them. Once we had used one of the shapes, we could not use that one again. Some were smaller than others so we seriously had to decide who was going through which shapes and when.

This photo is an example of a Spiders Web

This activity involved plenty of deliberation and planning and with Christine being so tall, she was constantly used as a step ladder up to one of the shapes. It was for this reason, that by the time, we got to our last challenge which was the Wooden Wall, she was unable to participate.

Yoshi and Gazzi questioned our success at this activity however we felt really good about getting everyone through a shape, with little touching.

Our final challenge was the Wooden Wall

4 metres of wood, vertical with now holes, grips etc. Our leverage up was ourselves, with our strength, height and weight. We had our harnesses and helmets on so that our heads were protected, should we fall down, and the harnesses were extra grips for those up top, so that they could haul us over the edge. Hisami was number one to climb to the top, then went Nanako, and Ayaka, Goh and Liezel. When we were given our instructions, we were told to grip one another above the wrist with our hands (just like in the Cirque du Soleil). Those who were already on top, were constantly placed under stress as they reached out for the next person coming up......fingers desperately trying to reach one another; grabbing onto their hands; stretching to reach the loops on the harness and then pulling with all their might until the person was over the top. Shelley was the last person to get up, with Sharee's help as well as that of Gazzi, Yoshi and Nobu. Darren and Christine were out of action, resting, since their backs had taken a pounding earlier. Sharee made a step up with her legs, and then after climbing onto her shoulders.....Shelley reached for the outstretched hands reaching towards her and they pulled and they pulled and they pulled...........just like the great big enormous turnip! Phew! Tears of joy and relief filled many of our eyes as we hugged one another and waited for Sharee, Darren and Christine to climb up the side and have a victory photo. Well done guys!

It was a truly wonderful weekend away, building up our original, solid amazing team into something that we are all so proud to be a part of. We are extremely grateful to Yoshi, Nobu and Gazzi for always keeping us safe and most importantly, we are grateful to one another for the camaraderie, support, encouragement, friendship, caring and love that are what make us who we are!

OHANA - OPEN, HONEST, AMAZING, NATURAL, AWESOME!