...retreat memories, day 3

Sunday, October 19, 2008

We woke up the usual time, dressed up the usual clothes, and had the usual day, only there's something different that's happening today - we're already leaving a few hours from now.

Right after breakfast, we started saying goodbye to the place. We took some pictures. After some time, there was a batch prayer thing. And I really really like Mymy and Josh Dizon's performance. It was so beautiful and heart-touching. Then we burned all our bad habits and attitudes and bade them goodbye before attending the Holy Mass. Then the batch pic under the sun. Then it was packing up time. After lunch, we started boarding the bus.

And that's when I felt like crying once again, this time because of the feeling of leaving the place where you spent some happy times with your friends. Despite being there for just about three days and two nights, I feel so attached to the place where I find myself sharing laughter and tears with some of the closest people in my life. Despite the many rules our batch broke, despite the not-so-cozy management, despite being sleepless and having a room where our heater isn't working and doorknobs eternally locked, it feels just so great. When we signed the tarpaulin, it feels like I am part of an event that changed my life forever.

I never had regrets for attending this retreat. I felt closer to God, I understand myself better, and know my friends more. Now I know why they say high school life is the best. It's the time when we start to experience a lot of failures, heartbreaks, losses. But it's also in this time when we start to gain true friends who would never leave you crying in the dark.

As the bus started to move, I was staring at the window wishing that one day, we'd all return to that same place where our realizations in life took place, and where friendships grew stronger than ever.

"...We were strangers starting out on a journey... Now here I stand, unafraid of the future at the beginning with you..."

PS. We found our phone on top of the cabinet. We were thinking of making a last prank call but thanks to our newly repaired conscience, we didn't do it. lol