After only two months as an intern at EPIC, I had the opportunity to take part in one of the agency’s internally acclaimed team-building events. Having already heard the stories from previous editions, I could only hope it was going to be something as fun as what I had heard. 

Spoiler alert: it was fun…but it was also quite sporty!

The day started at the agency where we each had to choose a team-buddy for the day. Right after that, we all took a quiz testing our general knowledge of EPIC: good answers gave the participants a bonus/advantage for the day, and bad answers gave a penalty for the day.

Being new to the team, I didn’t feel like I was in a leading position, and our team was already at a disadvantage even before the questions started. Thankfully, the knowledge of my teammate Maurine (or perhaps a stroke of luck) saved us from ending up in last place. Not too shabby, team!

After a 15 minute drive, we arrived in Esneux, ready (kind of) to venture into the woods. Our colleague Thierry, the master of orienteering, had hidden markers all over the forest. In pairs, with our respective teammates, we embarked on a giant orienteering run in the woods. 

Some started off at full speed, others preferred to take their time, while my teammate and I were somewhere in between (I was more relaxed while Maurine was fueled by a very competitive spirit). 

All of us, running to try and find the different markers…and then there was Anne-France, trying to walk straight while sporting a giant tree disguise. Remember the penalties from the quiz ?…well let’s just say she didn’t do very well.

The goal of an orienteering run is to find all markers as fast as possible. Out of the 20 markers hidden by Thierry, some were easy to spot, while others, had been mischievously placed in nearly-impossible-to-locate areas (we will all remember marker 7). Our scratched legs were a testament to our determined efforts! 

Shout out to Céline and Gregory, who seemed to have an internal GPS plugged in and found almost all markers. And to Benoît, Thomas and Théo, the “Usain Bolt” team that recovered all markers at light-speed.

After an optional dive in the river, the whole group got back together for the award ceremony. Food, drinks, friendly chats, ice-cream and tick-removal (Cyrielle is the official Tick-hunter of the agency).

It was interesting to see everyone’s personalities outside of our usual working environment. 

I found a general mood among the whole team to be genuine and heartwarming. I was delighted to be part of this team-building experience and to learn more about each and every one of my colleagues.

Until the next adventure!