Mission accomplished

As anticipated, following the first two days the remainder of the week was just as memorable, both on and off site. On site, my team continued its reign of supremacy at trench-digging until, on the third day, the others threw down the gauntlet and we moved on to constructing walls.

Off site, any inhibitions were lost as the week went on and we grew closer together. On the fourth evening we ate at a restaurant in the mountains and were entertained by some native Romanian dancers. The group, who evidently held an unwavering belief that they were blessed with sufficient rhythm to compete, gave their own 'special' rendition along with the Romanians who had performed earlier.

The next day, my group began working on the first floor of the house. This was just as satisfying as the other work we had done and had the added benefit of allowing us to provide some constructive advice on the trench-diggers' technique and progress, which was well received (as I recall it) by those below, who were clearly in need of guidance from us old hands.
The week ended with dinner at a beautiful mountain retreat - the Habitat for Humanity reps led an award ceremony for us later that evening, where we were praised for our work during the week, and we thanked them for looking after us so well.

In the run-up to the project, I'd mentioned the Romania trip to my family and friends. They were intrigued about what Addleshaw Goddard was doing; not least many of my peers from my degree and law school days none of whom had been invited on anything like this with their firms, which I think made this opportunity all the more interesting because it was such a novel idea. Having completed the week abroad, the resounding opinion was that the project had not only been a success but had far exceeded any of our expectations.

The work we were doing was very interesting, challenging and rewarding, and we all enjoyed it immensely. However, the opportunity to meet each other for an extended period of time away from the office has helped us to get to know each other on a personal level which I believe will be invaluable once we start working together.