Building Relationships Without Icebreakers?!?
My Quest launch trip experience in Bali
We gathered around in a circle, note cards in hand, as the first round of questions start spilling out. The first prompt I got asked was, “What is your favorite thing that rolls?”. My response was quite intriguing, to say the least: “what… rolls? I have no idea… maybe a rolly polly?”. And this is how I would summarize our first day of Quest bonding. An icebreaker. Awkwardly breaking the ice. The following day we would be flying to Bali to begin our launch trip. I could confidently say I wasn’t looking forward to more icebreakers. The two things I was excited about was snorkeling with manta ray and snorkeling with sea turtles. As I later found out there was so much more I should have been looking forward to.
The launch trip truly was a “expect the unexpected” type of trip. It turned out to be so much more than just an Ecofieldtrips adventure, but a whole community was built in just 7 days. Our first few days consisted of primarily snorkeling, we got the opportunity to see all the unique marine life, learn about the ecosystems (challenges it’s facing), and even took identification photos/videos with the Go Pros. Conversations flowed as we talked about things unrelated to school, we weren’t prompted and asked “what’s your favorite thing that rolls?”. This freedom and time let us learn about each other and grow closer as a quest community.
One night we all made s’mores on the beach sitting around the bonfire. We were all exhausted from a busy day and I just remember s’mores being shoved in our faces, as the stars glittered above us and the waves splashed calmly along the shore. This moment allowed for a significant realization that our quest group was getting closer. We just lounged in our VERY sturdy, collapsible camp chairs. Most of us toppled over, multiple times, and we struggled to get up as we quite literally looked like turtles on their back unable to flip themselves. We ate. We sang. That was it. There was no large group discussion taking place, but simply getting to share an experience in itself bonded all of us.
On the last night, the Ecofieldtrips team organized a large BBQ with traditional Balinese dancers and gamelan performers. We all had the opportunity to learn the dance. This opportunity was great because we were all (at least a little) breaking out of our comfort zones. Seeing each other struggle to dance, while it was funny, actually showcased our vulnerability and solidified our strong relationships with each other. All 30 of us were up on the stage dancing, and let’s just say the experience evolved into so much more. The guys were pulling out some unexpected dance moves, and somehow we all shifted to learning Irish dance. Some would say it was chaotic, which it was, but it was probably one of my favorite moments of the whole launch trip. Stretching a comfort zone together was one of the biggest confirmations that the launch trip did its job. A genuine 30-person connection was created.
The major takeaway from this whole launch trip is that solid bonds can only be formed through natural experiences. Forced icebreakers are the last thing that will truly help people connect, it is all about living the moments together. Whether that be through, singing, laughing, snorkeling, or problem-solving. These are the moments that brought us together. These are the moments that allowed us to form genuine relationships. Bali launch trip 2022 is what officially turned Quest into Quest.
