I SOMEHOW FOUND MYSELF: A Travelogue

A travelogue that illustrated my journey, not only into a particular place, but also in knowing myself.

The best way to listen to yourself is through isolation.

St. John Mary Vianney Retreat House, Norzagaray, Bulacan is a place above the mountains wherein you’ll be surrounded by trees, cleansed by fresh air, and covered by silence. It is a good place for isolation and a good place for reflection. Maybe that is the very reason why our last retreat was held in that place, because its silence boosted our sense of hearing, especially to ourselves. Also in that place, I somehow got to know myself in a more positive perspective through the help of isolation and silence that the said place offered.

“A beautiful place always offers an ugly road.”

In my own perception, that line is really true because of what I experienced in the long and dizzy travel that we had taken before reaching our destination. But for me, the highlight of my travel is my experience as a “babysitter” of one of our classmates due to her dizziness in the whole trip. She depended on me on the whole trip as if her life really depends on it. In that time, the feeling was overwhelming because at that travel, I experienced being someone that other people depends on and that feeling may be one of the best feelings that a person can experience. Because when someone depends on you and you didn’t fail to provide their needs, you’ll feel purposeful and you’ll feel that you are worthy of living. How did I realized all of that? I realized all of that on the whole time that I spent in the retreat house. “Peaceful,” that is the perfect word that can describe the place because it was so silent and the views were so overwhelming to the point you can’t even talk due to the mesmerizing feeling. The realizations enter on that part because on the time I stop talking, my experiences somehow flashbacked in my mind as if it really talks to me. The peacefulness, the silence, and the isolation feeling really helped me to reflect in my own life, especially on how I live my life. However, the help of that place to me doesn’t end there because on the time that we were doing a game wherein we open ourselves out, the place helped me again, on the second time. The silence made me sincere on everything that I say during the game and that silence also made me reflect on the wonderful words that I received during the game. What did I realized? I am a person worthy of living because as I analyze all what they have said to me, through the help of the place’s isolation feeling, it gives me the message that I did well in interacting with the people around me since I received words of appreciation from the persons that I didn’t expect to say those words to me.

Isolation is a powerful tool to this world full of noises.

St. John Mary Vianney Retreat House, Norzagaray, Bulacan is one of the places that offers the isolation that this noisy world needs. I am glad I had the chance to visit such a place since I, as a person who is easily swayed by the noises of this world, had the chance to know myself better through the help of that place and I know that place’s help will extend up to my life’s future. Because the reflections, lessons and feelings that I experienced on that place will be treasured well and will be remembered well.