When going outdoors, preparation is key.

In this case that meant for me: Stay on the safe side and rather have to many than not enough things with me.

After a walk through the snow we reached our camping location and our first task was to set up the camp. Some of the group wanted to play the teambuilding games first but they agreed to do otherwise after a short referendum.

Setting up the tents in groups of 4 worked out surprisingly good. Everyone one knew how to help and if there was nothing to do, you could still collect some firewood for later. With some shovels that we were given before, we had to flatten the snow and make it a bit more solid. Since we all took some time to set everything up, we were given a time limit which definitely put some pressure on everyone, but at the end of the time we all were finished and most of the sleeping mats were laying in the tents.

In preparation of the day, we had to think about classic teambuilding games from our countries of origin that had to be physical and fun. Most of the games were amazing and really helped to warm up and strengthen the group. Even though we had some really competitive games, the group showed fair play and helped each other to achieve the goals they were aiming for.

During the following cooking competition, we realized once again what delicious food could be made out of only 3 ingredients and some herbs. With a preparation like this, we were ready to cook our own dinner and once again, the group was helping each other with their ingredients. While some were cooking, the others collected wood and started up a campfire for the evening. When it came to cleaning up, he group wasn’t as motivated as they were before and we could witness some social loafing, as first described by Max Ringelmann.

Before we went to bed, we took a little walk to warm us up. This idea was definitely worth it and i will do this on the next overnight stays as well. In the tent I got a spot on the side which was not the best. During the night I only slept on half of my sleeping mat, which led to a cold night but also to some more information about my gear and how to handle a cold night. I simply started layering up in my sleeping bag and with a hoodie on the cold on my back got much better. To be perfectly honest I struggled really hard that night and even thought about just packing my stuff and going home. In revision I am glad, I did not do it. I would have missed out on an experience and if there are more nights like this to come I believe I can handle them a bit better.

In the morning, the groups work was very efficient and we took down the tent really fast before we made our way home. We split up the tent between the four of us, so no one had to carry all of it.

I am looking forward to my next adventures and the experiences I am going to make!