At first we were all pretty pissed since we were the only CA section that wasn't included in the CA Seniors retreat - but, looking back, it was prolly for the best that we were the last ones to go. As one of the priests mentioned in one of our sessions, a retreat is supposed to be taken when everything is over. And knowing 4CA5, the retreat probably wouldn't have been as effective as it was if we still had deadlines and papers to think of while we were exiled in Caleruega.
To anyone who believes that the hours before one goes on a retreat should be spent in silence, then you probably have never experienced a road trip with us. When most sections spend their trip asleep, or watching a movie, 4CA5 - the awesome section that we are - spent almost 4 hours working the karaoke machine till it broke because of our beautiful voices.
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| Perky 4CA5 despite the early (for us) call time |
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| JM (above picture) and Rio (below) working the karaoke machine |
So, if our singing ever caused torrential rains in Metro Manila then...We do not apologize! :))) You should be honored you were able to reap the "rewards" of our angelic voices! :))
Anyway, after the long bus trip, we finally arrived in Caleruega, where we were not only shocked by the bright sunlight that seemed to have followed us from Manila - but also the unbearable heat that made me wish I had worn shorts instead of pants.
Thankfully (or maybe unfortunately for some) the temperature began to drop a little before sunset, leaving us to relish the cool air that Tagaytay (or Batangas. I'm still pretty confused as to where we actually were) is known for.
If one would ask me what we I saw most in Caleruega, I would definitely answer: FOOD. The minute we alighted from the bus, till the very last minute that we spent there, was spent eating, eating and of course, it eating. When we aren't falling asleep on our seats during sessions, or taking pictures around the place, then we were definitely eating.
Thankfully (or maybe unfortunately for some) the temperature began to drop a little before sunset, leaving us to relish the cool air that Tagaytay (or Batangas. I'm still pretty confused as to where we actually were) is known for.
If one would ask me what we I saw most in Caleruega, I would definitely answer: FOOD. The minute we alighted from the bus, till the very last minute that we spent there, was spent eating, eating and of course, it eating. When we aren't falling asleep on our seats during sessions, or taking pictures around the place, then we were definitely eating.
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| Just one of our many meal times |
Joking aside, I really did learn a lot during our retreat, things that at the time seemed pretty pointless to me, but would suddenly pop up now and would make me think"Oh hey! I learned this during retreat! I know this shit!" sort of like that.
Seriously though, the retreat was an unexpected experience. Unexpected both in both the sense of good and bad.
Good because I never really expected to bond with my blockmates during this trip. Sure, I looked forward to the bus ride - after all, any trip with 4CA5 is bound to be fun. But, that was about the extent of it. I never expected that the next (or past) three days would have been the days that I would be able to talk to the blockmates that I haven't had the chance to bond with. It was our chance to really get to know one another, know one another's secret demons and back stories, it became the chance for us to tell one another what we thought of the other, how we admired their strength and regretted the times that they failed to form friendships, it was the chance to rebuild the friendships that were lost over the years.
Bad because I was hoping to use the time to reflect. I had a lot of life altering decisions to make, and really, I was hoping that by taking time off in Caleruega, I would be able to come up with a decision as to what path I should take in the future. Alas, that didn't happen.
However, no matter how "useless" was retreat to my future plans, I'm sure I would never forget the days where we had to endure a filthy showers, got to eat (slightly) tasteless food, take pictures of stunning sunsets, got to draw crappy pictures (except Eboy, Eboy has nice pictures -_-), and of course, got to spend the best three days of my life with my awesome blockmates.
Seriously though, the retreat was an unexpected experience. Unexpected both in both the sense of good and bad.
Good because I never really expected to bond with my blockmates during this trip. Sure, I looked forward to the bus ride - after all, any trip with 4CA5 is bound to be fun. But, that was about the extent of it. I never expected that the next (or past) three days would have been the days that I would be able to talk to the blockmates that I haven't had the chance to bond with. It was our chance to really get to know one another, know one another's secret demons and back stories, it became the chance for us to tell one another what we thought of the other, how we admired their strength and regretted the times that they failed to form friendships, it was the chance to rebuild the friendships that were lost over the years.
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| Sharing stories by candle light |
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| Rebuilding old friendships |
Bad because I was hoping to use the time to reflect. I had a lot of life altering decisions to make, and really, I was hoping that by taking time off in Caleruega, I would be able to come up with a decision as to what path I should take in the future. Alas, that didn't happen.
However, no matter how "useless" was retreat to my future plans, I'm sure I would never forget the days where we had to endure a filthy showers, got to eat (slightly) tasteless food, take pictures of stunning sunsets, got to draw crappy pictures (except Eboy, Eboy has nice pictures -_-), and of course, got to spend the best three days of my life with my awesome blockmates.
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