It was a long time coming. But I was pretty glad we all pulled it off.
You see, last November 7-8, I finally got to meet in person the familiar faces of my classmates in 1R/S/S1/S2, my first year college class. There was Irish, Ate Mahani, Novie, Chona, Joycee, "Brother" Jose, Mark, Joel, and Jade, our honorary member. The gathering was in Dumoy Garden Resort and was supposed to have been a send-off party for Ate Mahani (who was bound for the US to become Mrs. Lindquist, the Malaysian/Filipino/American wife of Kuya Bruce).
Looking back, I guess the ball started rolling when I posted and tagged everyone on a Facebook note, raising the idea for a class reunion later this year. Imagine my relief when I found out that everyone was okay with that proposal (I was actually bracing myself for a thousand excuses from my former classmates. E.G. "busy", "kapuy", "no wawartz", "out-of-town" etc.).
Then, someone (I think it was Novie or Chona? Can't remember.) suggested we do it on the November 7th before Ate Mahani left for the country. So that's what we did.
What happened next was a showcase of brilliant planning. Okay, not quite, but I was still amazed at how everything went well despite some lapses in coordination. A lot of us promised to go but (as is often the case) only a handful came up. Some, like Emir, Nat-nat, Cleo, and Chuckie, had familial obligations to attend to and so weren't available. Others like Go and Donna were not in Davao City to begin with. Still others like Karlo and Jarrold were busy with work. But that was all right; the rule was to simply enjoy the presence of those who were actually around (and if we had been a bigger group, accommodating everyone in the small, reserved room would have been a more complicated problem).
In addition, the event was also not safe from late changes in plans. Ate Mah and the girls had to hop from one resort to another, looking for vacant accommodations. As for the food, with regard to Pinoy standards during outings, we were all going on a diet; there were no pots or any extravagant catering, just last-minute purchases from the local karinderya, some junk foods bought from the grocery, and relief goods brought by those who came later in the evening.
As to what happened during the entire overnight stay in Dumoy, we were basically just trying to catch up with each other's lives and reminiscing the good ol' days. Beforehand, Chona had suggested that I do a program to keep things in order but it was unnecessary in the end (Yes, Chona, I'll still do a program for the actual reunion. No problem on that but I do need help from someone with HR experience. Hehe.).
That night, one of the things I realized was how special these people were to me. These were the people who had been with me during that special first year in college and, though we had been apart for quite some time now, those bonds formed then can never go away.
I also realized how blessed I was to meet such a diverse cast of people, each from a different background. All night, I was regaled with a lot of stories: "Bro" and his exorcisms, his formation in the rural countryside, and the religious life. Joel and his trips to Cotabato, Red Cross kidnappings, and motherhood counseling with Ate Mahani. Mark and his exploits in DTI. Irish and her NGO experience with the natives of Malita. Novie and her stories about her mother, Malita, and the bananas of Santo Tomas. Chona and the HR work life of PWC. Joycee and her insistent interrogations with some key males in the group. Ate Mahani and her plans for the US. Jade and her beauty secrets and her prized glittering headband.
All in all, it was a good night, a night I thoroughly enjoyed. Before we all bade goodbye to each other one more time, we agreed that the actual reunion was to push through this December. Let's see what happens then (I hope more of us can come).
Even now, I'm already excited. Cheers to 1R/S/S1/S2!
You see, last November 7-8, I finally got to meet in person the familiar faces of my classmates in 1R/S/S1/S2, my first year college class. There was Irish, Ate Mahani, Novie, Chona, Joycee, "Brother" Jose, Mark, Joel, and Jade, our honorary member. The gathering was in Dumoy Garden Resort and was supposed to have been a send-off party for Ate Mahani (who was bound for the US to become Mrs. Lindquist, the Malaysian/Filipino/American wife of Kuya Bruce).
Looking back, I guess the ball started rolling when I posted and tagged everyone on a Facebook note, raising the idea for a class reunion later this year. Imagine my relief when I found out that everyone was okay with that proposal (I was actually bracing myself for a thousand excuses from my former classmates. E.G. "busy", "kapuy", "no wawartz", "out-of-town" etc.).
Then, someone (I think it was Novie or Chona? Can't remember.) suggested we do it on the November 7th before Ate Mahani left for the country. So that's what we did.
What happened next was a showcase of brilliant planning. Okay, not quite, but I was still amazed at how everything went well despite some lapses in coordination. A lot of us promised to go but (as is often the case) only a handful came up. Some, like Emir, Nat-nat, Cleo, and Chuckie, had familial obligations to attend to and so weren't available. Others like Go and Donna were not in Davao City to begin with. Still others like Karlo and Jarrold were busy with work. But that was all right; the rule was to simply enjoy the presence of those who were actually around (and if we had been a bigger group, accommodating everyone in the small, reserved room would have been a more complicated problem).
In addition, the event was also not safe from late changes in plans. Ate Mah and the girls had to hop from one resort to another, looking for vacant accommodations. As for the food, with regard to Pinoy standards during outings, we were all going on a diet; there were no pots or any extravagant catering, just last-minute purchases from the local karinderya, some junk foods bought from the grocery, and relief goods brought by those who came later in the evening.
As to what happened during the entire overnight stay in Dumoy, we were basically just trying to catch up with each other's lives and reminiscing the good ol' days. Beforehand, Chona had suggested that I do a program to keep things in order but it was unnecessary in the end (Yes, Chona, I'll still do a program for the actual reunion. No problem on that but I do need help from someone with HR experience. Hehe.).
That night, one of the things I realized was how special these people were to me. These were the people who had been with me during that special first year in college and, though we had been apart for quite some time now, those bonds formed then can never go away.
I also realized how blessed I was to meet such a diverse cast of people, each from a different background. All night, I was regaled with a lot of stories: "Bro" and his exorcisms, his formation in the rural countryside, and the religious life. Joel and his trips to Cotabato, Red Cross kidnappings, and motherhood counseling with Ate Mahani. Mark and his exploits in DTI. Irish and her NGO experience with the natives of Malita. Novie and her stories about her mother, Malita, and the bananas of Santo Tomas. Chona and the HR work life of PWC. Joycee and her insistent interrogations with some key males in the group. Ate Mahani and her plans for the US. Jade and her beauty secrets and her prized glittering headband.
All in all, it was a good night, a night I thoroughly enjoyed. Before we all bade goodbye to each other one more time, we agreed that the actual reunion was to push through this December. Let's see what happens then (I hope more of us can come).
Even now, I'm already excited. Cheers to 1R/S/S1/S2!
