Quarantine as Retreat

After returning from the two-week project in Rwanda, we were sent to our quarantine hotels for 7 days. I had been through that before, when my wife and I returned from Canada at the end of May, so I had an idea what that is like.   But that last time my wife and I had each other as company.  This time I am alone.  

I decided I would put the time to good use.  First of all, I have to sort out the experience I had in the two weeks in Rwanda, and write them down in a series of blog posts, reports and prayer letter.  At the final reflection session with the students, we asked them how the experience had changed them.  I have to ask myself the same question. The short answer is that this trip reminds me again why I am in service-learning, how it allows me to live out my faith, and how I would love to continue for as long as I can.  

Then I decided to take care of my body, to use the time for exercise. I could not run outside.  But I can run back and forth, or even run in place, for the equivalent of 10 kilometres each day.  When my thighs and lower legs hurt too much, I would walk.  And I do not need any equipment to do pushups, stretch, …  The solitude helps me to listen to my body, and I discover how my body reacts to my running 10 kilometres each day, every day.  It is good to know that I am able to do that, if I do it slowly.  Well, perhaps every other day.  

Part of the time is used to catch up with my reading.  Recently I have been reading about  the brain, consciousness and emotions.  I realise more and more that they are all highly related, and that they have great impact on how we think and feel.  That our emotions drive our thinking, our mind, our decision making, our sense of self, what we believe, and how we live our lives.  This has been helping me understand better how we teach and learn, and how people behave in general.  Also, what, then, does that have to do with our soul, and our faith?  This is so important that I cannot wait to learn more about it.  

Of course I am not in complete solitude. I can still connect with people through social media, telephone and even video calls.  But I am alone most of the time.  And there is no physical contact.  I listened to about 6 sermons online, supplemented by Bible readings.  When there is nobody around, I am compelled to be honest to myself, and God.  What do I truly think of myself? What do I really want to do with my life?  And God?  I may not have a lot of time left.  On the other hand, it is also possible that I still have a lot of time.  It is impossible to know.  In any case I have to make good use of my time.  

On TV, I have an opportunity to watch some channels that I don’t usually watch.  I enjoy particularly one from Japan and another from Singapore.  They seem to cover a broader range of topics to greater depth and sound more objective than many of the channels normally available at home. Once in a while, I can enjoy a movie, such as “Coco” that other evening.  All of these almost make me want to stay longer.  Almost, but not quite.  I cam ready to go home to my wife, and my “normal” life.