SNOWFLAKES ARE FLOATING ON MY HEAD

Flakes of snow danced playfully as we approached Buyuk Abant Oteli, a resort set around the freshwater lake 1400m above sea level. Abant, in the region of Bolu, Turkey, is a good 270km from Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, the famous blue mosque. We six, from CC2 Forum of Corporate Connections, UAE were on our 2023 Forum Retreat. Last year it was Galle in Sri Lanka, and this year was Turkey.?

A Forum Retreat is a blend of ‘me-time’ and ‘we-time’ where forum buddies get away from work and family to spend time with each other in an idyllic environment. On landing in Istanbul, we were whisked away by our forum buddy Shirish Patwardhan to his swanky office in the industrial zone where we were treated to a 5-course gourmet lunch in the Rchemie Café. Our official forum meeting was conducted in the conference with a full view of the verdant mountains while culinary treats continued throughout our meeting.??

Light snow welcomed us as our van approached our resort where a team of professionals awaited to take us on a two-day journey of self-discovery. Our first challenge was a 4.5 km walk, through snow-laden paths with cold hands, flowing nose, and tingling ears, at the end of which we were rewarded with a log fire and roasted marshmallows. The trainers pointed out the different aspects of our character observed during the trek which is quite enlightening.??

A good night’s sleep is hard to get in an unfamiliar bed but the morning views of snow on roofs brought in the energy to devour a Turkish breakfast of Simit bread, cheese, honey, jam, eggs and oven-fresh pastries. Our workshop continued with an interesting session where we were asked to solve a puzzle that was a test of intelligence, communication, leadership, and teamwork. Our next assignment was a competition to put together a tent in the fastest time possible followed by an assignment to twine and unwind ropes whose ends were held by six of us standing opposite to each other.? The end of each exercise was a time to reflect on the task and analyze individual behaviour. The workshops were a welcome departure from the lectures and paper-pen exercises which happen at workshops.??

Our last supper was around a cosy round-table dinner eating kebabs and drinking Turkish coffee and Caay (pronounced chai). Indeed, we had a super-duper forum retreat. We spent a lot of ‘we-time’ bonding with each other and in small measures ‘me-time’ connecting to our inner selves.? Experiencing a different culture and cuisine broadened our horizons.??

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/wja72gEAgBL9NuxV6 ?