The stress, the worry, the feeling of not knowing exactly what you’ll be doing over the summer, all of it can become incredibly overwhelming. My sophomore spring has been jam-packed with midterms, projects, meetings, and filling out applications. All of the hustle and bustle of college life adds up, it’s important to realize when you need a break.
My break couldn’t have come at a better time, a weekend getaway was exactly what I needed to collect myself and come back more ready than ever to finish the rest of the semester strong. My getaway came in the form of a retreat, for an organization called Troy Camp that I joined this year. Troy Camp is a mentorship program which serves students in elementary through high school in the local community. The organization is full of some of the most warmhearted, dynamic people I have ever met, that really exemplify what it means to want to make a difference.
Anyway, I digress. This last weekend, Troy Camp held its annual Spring Retreat. The retreat took place at Idyllwild Pines, just from the name you can tell it is one of the most majestic places in the world. The two-and-a-half-hour drive took us right out of the city, away from the noise and into the mountains. The drive itself was gorgeous, and once we arrived I was immediately enchanted by my surroundings.
Idyllwild Pines is a camp located in the San Bernardino National Forest, amongst beautiful shrubbery, sweet-smelling trees, a rushing creek, and ginormous rocks. The air smelled fresher and cleaner than the LA air. I had heard from many people that Idyllwild was one of their favorite places in the world, and I saw why.
The whole weekend was an exercise in soul-enrichment, with team bonding and meaningful discussion about our challenges and our goals. We were broken up into smaller color teams in order create an environment conducive to sharing and discussing our lives. I had so many awesome conversations about topics that aren’t talked about as often, such as how we got to where we are, where we want to go, and I learned so much our color team. We also created team cheers, hiked together, and sang so many camp songs. The whole weekend, we were removed from stress and work and just got to enjoy good company. Getting away and taking a break is so important, don’t forget to relax once in a while!
