Aripo Retreat

Breakfast was served on our arrival, nice and hot - sweetbread,  hotdogs, coffee and tea provided by the amiable staff. We were given the opportunity to soak up our sublime surroundings; the lush greenery, picturesque views and natural ambiance away from the bustle of society. Then we got down to work.


*First activity -

• We separated into groups (I's E's & IN's) according to our preferences in the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment which were previously determined
• we listened to jazz music
• chose an instrument which we thought best described our personality
• shared the reason for our choice of instrument
• created an analogy of a musical orchestra/band in which all the musicians have different personalities and different instruments but whose common goal was to create quality music
• concluded that if we all have a common goal we can put aside our differences in order to achieve a shared, desired outcome

*Second activity (after a hearty lunch to celebrate the Eid-ul-fitr holiday)

• Same groups walked around the premises with the aim of fully observing their environment
• noted that different people observed different things
• concluded that the sharing of observations, ideas and perspectives was important in painting a more holistic picture of what was seen than the sole perception of any one individual

*Third activity

• Switched groups (P's, TJ's and ?)
• we were given the interesting task of creating a story using unrelated words which described a character that the group developed
• concluded that given the same resources to work with, when people are allowed to be imaginatively unrestrained, they can interpret and use their resources differently to produce an inherently unique output

A day well spent.


By: DR