The Connections Retreat is an annual weekend activity for freshmen who want an escape from campus to go hangout and meet new people. Organized by the University Ministry this retreat incorporates aspects of spirituality and religion, but does not require participants to be religious. When I attended this retreat, I met so many new freshmen friends and upperclassmen who are involved in UMinn, who taught us how to become more involved.
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7 A.M in the morning. Alarm went off. Birds chirping like a choir. The morning in La Foret Retreat Center was nothing like the hustle and bustle Monday morning on Regis campus. I walked outside of the cabin, took in a deep breath the fresh air of the mountains, feeling a slight breeze gliding on my skin. This was the first time I got away from campus and actually explored the beauty and amazeness of Colorado’s nature since I came here a month ago.
We started our journey on a Friday afternoon with exhaustion from school but also eagerness for the trip. Everybody seemed to have the same energy and looked forward to finding some peace and reflection. As for me, I ended my last class of the week thirty minutes before the bus departed, so I passed out immediately after the bus set off and only woke up when we arrived at the Retreat Center. Welcoming us was an old wooden house in the middle of the forest that strongly resembled those settings in scary movies (I was not kidding when I meant that, there were absolutely no lights or street lamps at all!). That night, we spent time talking and getting to know each other not just by names and ID numbers in the system, but also by what makes us ourselves today.
The night sky was absolutely gorgeous and glowing since there is no streetlamp or bright light in the Retreat Center at night. Me and a few girls in our cabin decided to take a walk and watch the stars, something that is almost impossible to observe in the city. At that moment, I stopped thinking about all the worries, all the due assignments or anything else in my life and actually immersing myself into the dreamy scenery under the stars.
We spent most of our trip meditating and reflecting ourselves through stories of our upperclassman leaders. Their stories made us realize that they had once been in our spot, they had once been a freshman, and they had once had the same struggles and concerns as we are right now. They know what we’re going through and we’re welcomed to share our stories with them whenever and wherever we want. After the trip, I felt so much more relaxed and relieved that I’m not struggling alone.
So, in conclusion? Go to the Retreats! (This one’s for all my incoming freshmen, if you have a chance to read this). I would totally give this experience a ten out of ten. I’ve opened up to people that I don’t think I would have ever talked to if I haven’t gone to this retreat. I’ve heard so many stories and perspectives from people with different backgrounds which really open up my mind about them and their life. And hopefully, I can go on the trip in the upcoming years as one of the leaders to share my experience and my stories with other people and help them with whatever struggle they’re going through, just like how the leaders have helped me this year.
