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No Retreat, No Surrender
By: Johny Carl B. Gevera, 5th Year BS Industrial Engineering Student
Whenever I'm excited, I wake up early.
The retreat's going to happen on weekends, though I still have classes going on. Luckily, I don't have any quiz or exam going on, so I'll not gonna have to worry anything about. But I still made my excuse letters, to be legal.
Did I just say “excited”? Well, first of all I don't know what the word “retreat” means, and even though I'm already four years then as a scholar I still don't know most of my fellow scholars. I just wanted to at least escape the hustle and bustle of the city, take a breather, forget the norms at least for a time, and just to experience a retreat, whatever that means. Great, just in time, when my mind now being entangled and disoriented.
When we were being split into groups I thought this would be a competition all along, sort of amazing race. Well, this is a first step to get acquainted to fellow scholars. But as I'll find later grouping is only made to check that no one will get lost, sort of division if responsibility; besides, it's hard for Kuya Ryan to look for all of us.
The weather reflects my mood: cloudy, windswept yet humid. Some of them were chatting; some were asleep (it's siesta time); and others, including me, were sightseeing. I really like sightseeing because I always wanted to see the road we're taking; besides, the journey is as important as the destination itself, after all.
Contrary to the climate I felt when I came here exactly four years ago, when I was chilling to the bones, it's warm and humid, just like Manila, except that it is windswept. We walked all the way to the retreat house, about 15 minutes away. Some are complaining about the long walk, but I appreciated it, with the stunning view of the Taal Volcano and the whole lakeside scenery. I was so occupied by its beauty that I forgot we really walked a very long way.
The retreat house is run by nuns, there are house rules (by instinct we should abide because we are visitors) but for everything else, we are free to do what we want…without offending them. The place is really relaxing, solemn, tranquil, fit for a retreat. You can really have no problem in meditating, since the place itself provides you with that kind of atmosphere.
As we walked to the Picnic Grove we found ourselves drenched in rain, so we seek refuge in a church. Well, the church's name is very apt, “Ina ng Laging Saklolo”. As we were in the destination, I saw clouds moving right on top of me—seem like heaven just above your head. How pleasant it is to feel, given that moments ago we were grappling with nature. We took the famous Zipline in crossing the cliff, just beside the lake. It looks scary, but it sure is fun.
The lecture that night was headed by Bro. Ernie Burdeos. It's about noise and confusion and fatigue. So nice, so timely, because I feel that my life went out of tune, out of rhythm. To sum it up, it says that we must contemplate and re-orient ourselves with God:
Isaiah 30:15
"In repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength."
It's a simple advice that most of the people, including us, forgot, so much that we didn't tend to look at ourselves, being forgotten, to succumb to the never-satisfying ultra-competitive fast-paced lifestyle of today. For me, it's toxic that needs to be flushed out. That is, start with silence. It may ebb the noise that you have with. It may tame the already uncontrolled self that you are in. It's like having a sleep after a tiring day. It's like a room that became quiet while a moment ago it was so noisy. I then realize how chaotic my house was. So chaotic that I'm already used to it and grew weak. Now I know why were here, why we're having a “vacation” in the middle of the semester: to contemplate on our selves.
We played “bunny-archer-wall” as an exercise game the next morning in two long flanks. Then after the breakfast, we had an activity by Bro. Romance: we simply draw the answers that he gave us, and then discuss it by group. It's like a life journey: where will we go, what blocks our way, how do we pass these block and who guides us in our way. Since the answers were personal, we “open up” to our fellows, I myself became emotional. We share our thoughts, getting out excess baggage, and knowing our co-scholars better, when less than 24 hours ago we were complete strangers to each other. We came back to our meeting place somewhat different, and relieved. Then Ma'm Del told us an inspiring message to us, as scholars, as citizens.
Since this is our last day we make the most out of it. After the serious business of the activity we then head for People's Park in the Sky, a Marcos resthouse-turned-theme park. Forget about the dilapidated look, for its perched location it still has the best view, more than Taal: we can see Laguna de Bay, and as far as I know, even the tall buildings in Metro and the sea off Batangas. It was a spectacular view, though the wind makes a bit of caution. It's steep but it's worth it. Before heading home we ate at the famous Mushroomburger, though we failed to see the cultivated mushrooms.
The winds of Tagaytay might have swept my problems as God whispers me to rest for a while. I know that I will face again the same environment, but with renewed strength and calm. I'm very much glad that I've made the right decision to go here. I felt relieved, refreshed, and ready to go again. God might have planned me to go here to hit the “reset” button and refresh. As setting sun guides us as we were finding our way back to the Metro, the retreat hit two birds in one stone: it's fun, and it's enlightening. How sad we were only starting to get acquainted when most of us are graduating?
Then again…. Have we lost our way back again?
