Chaos. Unpredictability. FUN! These are the words I would choose to describe the events that happened at Perficient India as we were boarded by a merry troop of mischievous scallywags.
But before that- let’s wind back the time a little:
Right after I submitted my timesheet on Friday, work done and weekend plans ready, I was leaning back at my desk as I watched the sun set over the gorgeous skyline from our Perficient India Towers.
-Cue the all too familiar teams’ ping.
It was a note from my director, the ever-patient Gayathri Hariharan.
“Vishnu, we have a Kid’s winter camp scheduled on Monday. Do you know where we can get cupcakes?”
Wait, what?
Back to school:
As I figured out the when, where, and why, our instructor from soft skills called me, a brilliant trainer by the name Ranjani. “Not you again”, she quipped, as I greeted her over the phone. “I thought I’d seen the last of you at business etiquette. Have you finally figured out which is the bread knife?”
I hurriedly deflected the conversation before she could probe deeper, as we went over what would be required.
Movie? Check.
Cookies? Check.
Pizza? Check.
Cupcakes? I was still figuring out that part.
Mysteriously, she asked for two large cardboard boxes- easily doable, but still puzzling. I went along with it, as I’d had the cupcakes still on the back of my mind.
Meet the newest Interns of Perficient India:
The day shone warm and bright as the reception at Perficient India was the loudest it had ever been since its opening.
At 10:00 AM, a gang of energetic kids bounced in with several questions as they took in the sights of where their parents claimed to work.After managing to get them to sit still for a photograph (Hint: Candy is an easy bribe), we ushered them to be greeted by Ranjani and her fellow trainers. The camp started with a bang, with a fun story session and a sing along.
This was followed by a classic movie, and a personal favourite- Peter Pan, on the big screen! The kids laughed in delight at the sight of the adventures of the Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, and of course, Captain Hook!
The kids soon got a chance to taste the pirate life for themselves, as the two large cardboard boxes made their appearance. Quickly set upon by the tiny sailors. they drew and decorated their ship and hosted the Jolly Roger proudly. T’was a fearsome sight, matey, Arrrrrr!
Of course, the pirate’s life was quickly abandoned at the sight of warm cheesy pizzas being brought in! (The cupcakes were replaced were lava cakes- an excellent substitute)
Old friends & New:
While we faced our challenges, professional and personal, it was quite easy to forget a whole generation unable to meet their friends.
For that single day, the dining room was filled with the sounds of kids laughing, running all over the place as they played and crawled under the tables as they made pretend forts and swaggered around as pirates.
Fun activities were held as old friendships were rekindled and new ones made amidst the excitement of new games as the session continued well into the evening.
Finally, Ranjani & team brought out their gifts: an excellent set of colouring sets and workbooks to let the creative juices really flow, and Prakash gifted mementos of Perficient bottles with the children’s pictures beautifully etched on them.
All in all, it was a frantic, hectic, and a quite exhausting day.
And we loved every second of it!
Great pics and story! thanks for sharing!
It was sure a memorable day and you have vividly etched it in this blog Vishnu!
Thanks Donna- appreciate it!
Thanks for the kind words, Gayathri!