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… and thankfully, I didn’t have to this time either. I told myself (having my boss’s approval) that I would set all work aside at the New Year’s welcome event. I sat down, settled in, and got carried away by the atmosphere and the emotion of the occasion, controlled solely by my heart and the devilish drinks. We did lose the video in the process; however, I believe experiences should be experienced and enjoyed. Welcoming 2023 is one of the traditional events for our company, so most of our supporters will know what we are going to talk about. Knowing that you know the accompanying facts will save me from retelling them all and allow me to continue writing off the top of my head. The truth remains, though, I still have to give at least some information.

Okay, let’s get started. The New Year’s welcome party took place in early January. By then, the pandemic had already disappeared from the media (and thus from people’s minds), so there was no reason to put off the urgent and organise the welcome of 2023 on the date typical for this event. Vivat Liberty! and Vivat, Crescat, Floreat Telegrafia! (Google will give you a hint). This is to briefly indicate what the speech of our chieftain, Peter Marčák, was about. The thrill of anticipation for the event was terrific. We’d been training our stomachs from the morning for the lack of food, only to have them completely worn out by the early evening. We were only too eager, and it came to my words in the evening. This year the company lent the space in the renovated building in Južná Trieda, which houses Bistro Bakoš and the social-cultural hub presented as Fabrika 48 (the Factory, as it could be dubbed in Andy Warhol’s times). Hats off. This is how old buildings should be reused. After we entered the building, my eyes fell on the displayed supercars lining the path to the prepared tables. But some (all) cars go to the side when one can see tables with welcome drinks and canapés.

After the speech, we learned to count to four: ONE – an appetiser similar to pork-belly pâté and … you’ll see in the photo; TWO – roast beetroot soup; THREE – duck breast poached to perfection; and FOUR – a  warm (read lukewarm) pear with biscuits and something that definitely wasn’t chocolate espuma, a Spanish word for a foam of sour cream. Even though we felt that some of the side dishes had been mixed up, there was hardly anything to fault the menu for. Yum! After the dessert, the maths lesson was immediately forgotten, and the crowd moved to the bistro area, where a performance by the Peter Bič Project awaited us in a cooler, still atmospheric room. What first seemed an artistic accompaniment to our sipping of all kinds of drinks later turned into a huge concert, with people filling the dance floor and letting their hair down. Some were already familiar with the music, and others had just discovered that the tunes they heard daily on the radio had their visual content. The whole show offered a beautiful treat for ears. I would particularly like to accentuate the hectically perfect guitar and violin solos. The band gave a bravura performance. How clever of those musicians in our city!

The mood remained unchanged even after the band finished their performance. Our colleagues’ movements, happiness and fumes heated up the entire industrial building. Not much to babble about here. We all enjoyed ourselves, and only the brave danced. That’s how I feel it. The clock struck midnight, which could be quickly translated to a couple of rounds of dancing and four beers. After that number, the math learned in the first part of the event let me go. Time for the raffle. This year exclusively without gift baskets but still with books. The selection of prizes focused on experiences proved ground-breaking, and some fascinating gifts filled the place in the raffle. So the winners will finally learn how to cook, read, fly, make coffee, or stick to filling their stomachs. All this for all. For me, one of the second-floor reps, there was a consolation prize – homemade pear schnapps from our managers’ mysterious cellars. And another kind of homemade firewater from quince for another second-floor rep Monika, supposedly as a infant milk admixture. Does anyone want to imply anything? We’re mega grateful and still bursting with energy – some more, some less ready to carry on till morning. I happened to be among those less energised, so I’m going to end this post here. The alcohol on offer was running out, and the brain cells in my head were falling asleep. But all with perspective, new experiences and no lasting harm.

Lo and behold – another article about a company event is out in the world. And hopefully, to your and my pleasure, it won’t be the last. Our team likes having fun, and the management likes having us. That means we’ll see each other again in a while, or you’ll just read about it. I don’t know why but I have to write: It is time to crack the whip in the end 😉 – a proverb that possibly makes more sense in Slovak than English, does it?

The article was written by

Róbert Jakab

Robert is like a moving photograph – because he is like a video. He can capture 60 frames per second. Whenever something happens, he records it. Currently, he’s working on smaller videos and hoping to make a feature film one day and then its sequel. Telegrafia 2: Monkey Power