I had been at Progress for about three months when I organised a rafting trip with colleagues. I enjoy sport and team outings, so after only a few weeks I had started asking who wanted to join me at Dutch Water Dreams in Zoetermeer.
Perhaps I was still too new, or perhaps rafting sounded rather daunting, but five colleagues eventually agreed to come along. This is the story of our 2014 outing.
Wetsuits, helmets and a nervous start
After some anxious reading and questions about swimming ability, we travelled to Zoetermeer together. We climbed into our wetsuits, laughed when one of us put hers on backwards, and followed another group towards the course in our helmets and buoyancy aids.
The first surprise was that we had to enter the water before getting into the raft. The instructors wanted us to experience what falling overboard would feel like. The current and waves made that introduction more intense than I had expected. Several of us, including me, were helped back to the side.
It was quite a beginning to a team day.
Learning to listen in the raft
Once we were in the boat, a second instructor, Wibo, joined us. He was an enthusiastic sport rafter, and we were happy to have the extra guidance.
We learned the calls the instructors would use on that particular course. “Rock ‘n’ roll” became especially memorable: it meant getting down into the raft. Other instructions involved moving together to keep the boat balanced.
During the first run, everything seemed to happen at once. The raft bounced around, the instructor was difficult to hear and I sometimes looked in entirely the wrong direction. Sitting low in the boat as we travelled backwards suddenly felt quite comfortable.
From individual reactions to teamwork
The second run was better. We listened more carefully, tried to match our paddle strokes and began working as a team. We still bumped into things, but our coordination was improving.
On the third run, Evelien went overboard and made her way to the side. She returned for the fourth and fifth runs, which went much more smoothly.
By then, we knew the obstacles and had a better sense of one another. The earlier excitement had focused everyone’s attention. We wanted to make the next run a good one, and we understood that it depended on working together.
Chips, drinks and a shared story
Once everyone was back on dry land, we sat down for chips and soft drinks. The adrenaline gave way to the satisfaction of having done it together.
The most memorable runs were the ones where we coordinated well. The experience gave us something to laugh about afterwards, but it also made a familiar point tangible: listening and timing matter when people depend on one another.
For more stories about the people behind our work, meet the Progress team or read about building relationships with colleagues.
Marlous
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