I'd like to get some discussion rolling about Buddhist retreats. Up to this point I have not been able to attend a meditation retreat. Fortunately, my work schedule now allows me a bit more freedom for this sort of thing.

I'm looking at starting off with a couple of weekend retreats in June. Hopefully, I'll be practicing at Blue Cliff Monastery in upstate NY (Thich Nhat Hahn's newest Dharma Center). I'm also looking at a weekend program at Zen Mountain Monastery.

What should I be expecting? How should I be preparing for this? I must admit that I am a little nervous about it due to my inexperience.

Please share your thoughts.