How to Retreat with Joy

by

Katarzyna Weiss

The second retreat in Szczyrk was my first time to meet most of the SIG members ‘live’ – not just the bare names I saw on the computer screen ( I was particularly pleased to meet Zosia G. who was friendly enough to exchange a few e-mails with me, the novice member, right after I joined the SIG).

I only arrived on Saturday evening, right towards the end of the group meeting. I don’t remember much from the meeting, as I was rather tired after the trip, but I liked the manner the people were involved in discussion, their willingness not only to talk, but also to listen to others (and possibly, to interject). I remember though the magic term “awareness raising” that immediately caught my attention as it sounded so “autonomous” to my ignorant ears.

After the meeting we went to have dinner outside and did some chatting as well. This is when I had a chance to talk to more SIG people, like Grażyna, Marta and John, just to mention a few, and of course David (who surprisingly turned out to be an expert on local Silesian dialects!). On the way there and back we could also admire Ula’s driving abilities – the mountain road covered with ice was a real challenge, but a piece of cake for her.

The next day I was given a chance to try skiing after almost 20 years’ break and thanks to joint efforts of Ula and Zosia to provide me with skiing equipment. It did feel great to ski again after such a break plus I got a few lessons on autonomy from Zosia while going on the ski-lift together. This also confirms that once you truly have learned something, it will stay in you somewhere, even if a little rusty from long disuse, only to reveal itself when you need it. Which perhaps is a link to autonomy – don’t we want to have our students use the skills they learn in their future lives whenever such a need may arise? And it is not only the language, but also the awareness of how they learn and the ability to notice (and be proud of) their own achievements.

Sunday meeting was rather unhurried and it was interesting to listen to Hanka talking about her school experience in England and to the rest of the group exchanging views on the video project. Plus Ula’s pancakes – yummy!

The retreat and the people gave me lots of stimulation for my further work! To sum up –

I think it was great and also thanks for giving me the chance to try some glass painting, a very relaxing activity. I enjoyed Szczyrk 2003 immensely and I just want more!

KWeiss