Vacation Part 1: Goa

There are a few things that I've slowly come to accept in my term with MCC in Bangladesh. One of those things is that I can only handle being in Bangladesh for roughly 5 months at a time before I get burned out. For various people that I talk to, the time frame is different but the feeling is the same. After a pretty predictable amount of time you start noticing that you no longer have the energy you once had and that you need to step away to be renewed. If you don't allow yourself to do this, you can become incredibly burned out and miserable (I once lasted 9 months). Our retreat to Goa was rather well timed for me since I was right on 6 months or so since I had come back from the states. Before the retreat I had felt all the telltale signs of burnout that I am accustomed to seeing at this point. The biggest sign being that of a lack of patience in life. I was worn out and needed this.

For our retreat this year we joined our colleagues from MCC Nepal and India for a trip to Goa. Normally Goa would be way out of our price range as MCC Service Workers but someone was friends with some Jesuit priests who have a retreat center there who gave us a really good deal. Our accommodations were simple but the location was absolutely stunning.

We stayed up in the building you see on that wooded ridge

A view from the retreat center itself.

A typical day involved worship in the morning followed by some sessions on various issues related to the work we do and taking care of ourselves as we go about doing that work. This usually lasted until mid-afternoon at which time we were free to go enjoy the beach or other various activities. I particularly loved jumping around on the rocks. Through this time we were also able to spend time getting to know our colleagues in a natural setting which is also quite useful since in our regular everyday lives, it seems that getting together is something you have to force yourself to do sometimes. Overall, this time in Goa was a week that I will treasure. I gained so much energy from it and found a lot of renewal in so many ways.