Companions

There is just something engaging about a traditional dinner setting, a combination of the company around you and the promise of a delightful meal allows for the conversation to flow. The dinner table is comforting; it’s a reminder of our blessings as well as an opportunity to slow down in our lives. Some of the moments where I have found joy have taken place in this particular setting. The traditional gathering for a meal is not only an intimate setting but also a safe space, it’s a time and place that allows oneself to be vulnerable and willing to engage in those conversations that in passing we miss out on.

Between hurrying from one class to the next, attending meetings for x activity, and studying for y exam, inside me was a growing thirst to pause, to walk at a slower pace, to reflect. But as much as I need and want time to reflect, my weekends are booked with commitments, weekend retreats would become a worry rather than a relief. Excuses, yes I am making excuses for not going but isn’t that why the majority of Georgetown students don’t take advantage of the retreats offered? As students we move forward at the speed of a cheetah and neglect the necessary time for reflection. There is a growing need and space for Georgetown to fill that void, to engage in deeper conversations on campus.

All of the feelings that flourished inside me after the first Companions’ team reflection were unexplainable and foreign; I had never felt like this before. Jen Reis described my feelings as those typical of going on a first date.  And yes, I was generally nervous of this new experiment but Companions is an enlightening experience. My companions are nine other Georgetown students, with whom I have come to share some of my most memorable moments of my Georgetown experience and with each meal I have shared with them has left me a craving for more; for deeper conversations, friendships and to actively live my faith.

Ghipsel Cibrian (new window), COL ’16

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The Companions’ Retreat is built to bring reflection and prayer to student life on campus. It is designed around the students’ interest for reflection and schedules. For more information, click here.