On 8 June 2022, the Asian continental team from TAMK Global arranged a daylong meeting in a Finnish traditional farmhouse. The theme of the day was focusing on the “Well-being of the Team Members”. The meeting was essential for all the members of the Asia Team at the end of the busy spring and very refreshing right before the beginning of the summer holiday.
Feeling the sounds of nature
The farmhouse is owned by a team member, Juha Suonpää. In four hectares, there are horses, chickens, antique tractors, one 100year old log house, a hay shed and apple trees. The farmhouse is very rich with the antique collections, it was very interesting to know the stories behind each item. Moreover, it was amazing to sit on old stools made of whale bones.
This farmhouse is very close to Vuores center, and it is like an oasis in the busy urban life. On that rainy day, we enjoyed good food sitting by the fire with friends from diverse cultures and discussed innovative ideas. Feeling the atmosphere around us and hearing nature’s sounds is very important for our mental health and wellbeing.
Walking with horses
Marja-Leena, Juha’s wife, gave us a short training about interacting with the horses. It was thought-provoking to know how we can feel our bodies and know our boundaries. When the horses were brought out, they were running and playing with each other while we walked and discussed beside them. Each time the horses came closer to us, Marja-Leena gave them carrots as gifts. For many of us, it was a first time experiencing this.
Sustainable and productive hobbies
Our host, Juha, is a teacher of Business and Media at TAMK but he has various hobbies such as making movies and documentaries, and following the rat’s lives through video footage. We were fortunate to have a chance to watch his movie’s trailer and some video clips of a sustainable way of protecting rat.
Juha’s activities inspired us to think about our own hobbies; how to utilize our time to get mental refreshments and maintaining natural sustainability. Undoubtedly, these kinds of hobbies can give inspiration for our work life.
Fruitful discussion to build team spirit
We discussed many issues during the day. Tanyu taught us how to learn the Chinese language, and Katja shared her experiences regarding the value of own self and positive thinking. We created a safe environment for dialogue that can help us share experiences, ideas, and have innovative discussions also in the future. It is expected that the activities from that day will be the foundation of our future work aiming at more international academic and research collaboration in alignment with TAMK’s strategy.
We are looking forward to having another fruitful and memorable team day in autumn 2022.
Text and photographs: Nasrin Jahan Jinia & Irja Nieminen, TAMK Lecturers in Social Services and Health Care
