A time for change….NOW OR NEVER!
Yesterday, I came home from our retreat which lasted for 2 days and 1 night. It started December 13, 2006 (Wednesday). We left the school at about 9:00-9:30 am. We rode a jeepney which can load 20 persons. Almost all of the Einstein girls were there and two from the Maxwell section Mavick and my element Dominique. The trip was so good since all of us were so energetic. The whole trip was full of chatting with each others love-life, about what course will we take on college, what school and other stuffs.
Our destination was to San Sebastian Retreat House. I think like any other retreat houses, it is near the mountain and it is so quiet. It is. Our jeepney stopped on the way since the tires got flat and we stooped over. Thank God there was a store where we bought ice creams. Yum!
Our jeep came last. When we arrived on the site, all of the other students had registered to the log book and got their rooms. Thankfully the others didn’t get the second floor because we would like to occupy it. Richelle was my room mate and Leizl’s was Yoshyen, THE FIRST EXTENDED MUMEI because the pioneers were Me, Richelle and Leizl. Richelle and I got room no. 203. Good thing we didn’t get the room 209 since they say that there’s a ghost haunting that room. But it’s still near us and how about when we meet our future during midnight, what will happen to us?
I really felt the essence of the retreat unlike others who just like took a vacation. They were bluffing the speaker by saying “Harhar” whenever the speaker tells us something about our mission on earth, love, serve and give life. They were so stupid. They’ve wasted the money they have paid for it. Speaking of money, aside from feeling the essence of retreat session, the lodging is also good and the food…. We were so pampered. The foods were great!XD
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I really like the preaching of Brother Domeng, although he made me cry. It was really enlightening. He made me realize my shortcomings in my family especially to my parents. Before, I really can’t understand why they were like that to me. But now I understand it clearly. It is just in the human nature to be like that. I must understand them since they were just exhausted from attending to all of our needs. During the night when we’re having the session, he asked us to hug ourselves and to close our eyes. He told us to imagine our parents. Then the lights were turned off and he played a song, the song of Carol Banawa about mothers. It goes like this “….Aking ina ikaw ang nagbigay ng buhay ko. Buhay na kay ganda….” I was shocked. I intended not to cry even before we came there but my tears just rolled down and even I tried to make it stop it continues to roll down. I was trying to stop because the people behind me might laugh at me, not because I’m into thinking about what will others will think about me but it’s just like that. I don’t know. Others also cried. I realized what I’ve done wrong. After that we were asked to write a letter to our parents. The content would be at first, thanking them then asking forgiveness then we will state our problems with them. I sincerely wrote a letter of what I’ve really felt that time. Although the time was not that enough, I was able to finish it, I really felt like a new person now. But still, I have to change other things about me. It was really worthwhile.
I even managed to tell my problems to my schoolmates about my problems on my family during the sharing of problems. We were grouped then. I also heard the problems of my group mates then. My element, who I really hate, was my group mate then. He is Ivan Caliolio. I really hated him because he’s so lousy and “mahangin”. But after I heard his problem, I started feeling compassion on him because he’s being on that really difficult stage of his life. During the latter part of the session, we had this activity of giving lighted candles to the person or persons whom we want to ask for forgiveness. I gave him one. I guess he didn’t expect and it was shown in his face that he really didn’t expect for it. Maybe he was really thinking then that I am really just snobbish and always angry during CAT time but actually I’m intentionally getting mad on him during inspection. I also asked forgiveness to others like Leizl, Yosh, Hani, My platoon sergeant (Zarrin), Master B (Clariz), Ivan, Jared, Matu, Marshi. Others also gave one to me like Sir Earl. I really remembered him because he often teases me and also Za because she also teased me before.
I really enjoyed our retreat!!!!!