Thursday, February 24, 2011
I HAVE noticed and realized for the past several years that there is an increase in the number of gatherings and coming together with old friends and classmates, both here and abroad.
Although I know for a fact that this has been going on for so long but it is just recently that everybody's making a big deal out of these activities and I really find it very interesting and fun, connecting and being with old (no pun intended) acquaintances in special events and activities.
After graduating my basic education at the Fatima College of Camiguin, high school from Philippine Chin Hwa School (Academy) and college from Liceo de Cagayan and Xavier University, I find myself longing and looking for former classmates to "bond" with again from time to time. And I am quite sure most of us do.
Since Mambajao, Camiguin is a small town, practically everybody knows everyone. So, it was quite easy to reconnect with my elementary classmates unless they have migrated somewhere else without leaving a trace. A lot of my classmates and friends have left this lovely laid-back town and transferred somewhere else, like the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and many parts of Europe, seeking greener pastures. Most of them had married people from those places and settled down there with their families.
High school was different. I was enrolled in a school where we had a mixture of students from all over the Philippines and a handful of people from Hong Kong. And there were few pictures to look at. And I cannot even say I was close to all my classmates then. Good thing I have a crude "autograph" where most of my classmates were able to sign it, except for a few. Addresses are no longer accurate because of some changes while phone numbers are now totally different.
College was not as bad because again, Cagayan de Oro City used to be a "small" city and everybody seems to know everyone, except for those who are not from here. But chances are, a friend would know someone you know. So there is this connection in some way, although it might take some time.
With all these social networking, it is easier to re-establish communications with friends unless again, their names had been changed due to marriages. It is therefore, easy to find a guy's name than a lady's name unless they had their maiden names listed, too.
Speaking through experience, I am overwhelmed with the fact that I get to find friends through this and at the same time, they also got to find me. Isn't that amazing?
However, coming together as one, as in, reunions or homecomings, has to be planned ahead (usually, a year or more!) because of tight schedules and work. Not to forget also the financial capabilities of those concerned. Yes, we do get to meet our friends from time to time, but it is always just a handful. Even our families, we don't even get to see them every day because most of us have families of their own.
But thanks to Christmas, New Years, weddings and birthdays, we would always have to chance to spend time together on these special occasions, aside from other holidays and special occasions that comes once a year or once a lifetime.
Recently I got connected to a few former high school classmates through the net. And I should say it was really unbelievable. After more than 35 years without communications! I just hope that one day, we will get to see each other and have fun reminiscing the past. That's what we all got right now, don't we?
Then just recently, I also had the opportunity of meeting my high school "barkada" when he came over. The chance of seeing him was almost impossible, if not for his son who works in a restaurant in Manila. I was having dinner with another friend when this "waiter" spoke in the Visayan dialect. Curious enough, I asked several questions and found out he was the son of my classmate. The rest, as they say, is history.
Elementary, high school, Nursing and Biology classmates, (even my former medical school classmates) and former students of mine (a lot of them very successful in their fields now, in almost all parts of the world) had reconnected and we are still trying to reconnect with those who are not yet in our circle of friends. It is also very interesting to note that I was also able to get in touch with former teachers and instructors, even former owners/administrators of the schools I went to.
Calling those who are not and have not connected, please do so. Wouldn't it be nice to see each other again after all these years?
Try to attend class reunions and school homecomings. It will be worth all your time. It is a small world, after all! (Website: www.potsnpans1976.weebly.com; email: potsnpans1976@yahoo.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on February 25, 2011.
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