NOEMI'S NOTES:
On the August 30, 2003 reunion in Manila, at the home of Mimie
De Ocampo Huang
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My reaction when told that our batch would be celebrating our 25th
anniversary in 2 years was the typical "Grabe!" Over 20 years had gone
by since our grad! Aside from feeling downright old (only titas and grandmas
celebrate silver anniversaries), I felt excited too. After 22 years and myriad
pathways, it was time I meet up with my beloved Section 7 mates.
Our mini-reunion was held at Mimie's house on a lazy Saturday afternoon
on 30 August 2003. The early bird prize goes to Chiqui who was already chatting
with our gracious hostess when we arrived. We consisted of Jing, Lucille & me (our barkada has been meeting sporadically all these years and yes, I know
I changed a lot, hopefully, for the better.)
Nana, our industrious leader, was next.
Followed by the succession of sexy ladies Didi, Carmela, Janine, Leng, and Mabeth.
Karina greeted everyone by name, amazing us with her memory (although she later confessed to refreshing her mind with
our yearbook.) With the comic entrance of Connie, the mini-reunion began.
Everyone retained some aspect of teen-age features as well as some of
the more hopelessly child-like habits. We had all aged, of course, but the gathering
was like countless others we had during our teen years. It was really a trip
down memory lane. There were moments of delayed reaction, as reported, when Leng
finally recognized Didi and Connie called out Dario in the midst of conversation.
Of course, our chit-chat was peppered with high-school memories of Section
7, people like our fav professor Estrada (remember cogito ergo sum, the only thing
I remember from philo) and the much laughed about name of our sewing teacher Balbina Cunamay Tapay. The shenanigans of certain people were gossiped about (whose identities shall remain nameless unless I
receive a bribe). And the "what ever happened to that person?" phrase was constantly
heard (any of you guys know what happened to Hedwig?)
Past memories aside, we learned that Didi is a principal, Lucille a
dentist and Leng a vet. Our group that afternoon was an eclectic mix of career
women, businesspersons, jet setters and housewives as well as an exercise guru (who
taught us certain moves that she assured us would make us lose pounds, can you guess who that person is?)
When we finally got down to the purpose of our meeting, the Dish affair,
it was dealt capably by Nana, Janine & Carmela who have been tirelessly working for the cause. Heartfelt thanks to Karina & the "OCWs" who came up with the quota and forever removed the kulelat
status of section 7. We here in mainland Manila promise to do our share for the
AC mission schools, too.
Business done, it was time for chow.
And what a spread our group came up with: pancit, siomai, lumpia, fruits, cakes, pastries, etc. (Are your mouths watering?) With wine & various drinks flowing, courtesy of our generous hostess, it
made our conversation very pleasant, indeed.
As I looked at the animated faces around me, as I listened to the chatter interspersed
with laughter, it was easy to close my eyes and believe that I was in the middle of one of our class nights or retreats. So, after 22 years of not seeing most of the people there, I was left with a
resolve not to let another twenty-odd years pass before reaching out to my friends. And although I can't
physically see most of you, the Section 7 website is perfect for reaching you guys.
Kudos to Monica for creating our watering hole!
I'll be seeing you, either in person or in cyberspace!
Noemi