One NJ weekend
The last time we saw each other was three decades ago. Our last photo together was taken during our grade 6 graduation picture.
After grade school, we went to different schools. Some went to an exclusive girls' or boys' high school institution while others went to a public high school system. Only a few maintained friendships until college while most of us lost track of each other.
Recently, however, someone’s endless searching effort brought some of us back together again through an e-group.
The wonder of online technology made it easier for us to communicate and see how we now look these days from the last time we saw each other. But still, meeting them in person, after all these years, is incomparable; it's more personal and spontaneous.
A friend in New Jersey opened their house to host the weekend gathering with friends coming from another town in New Jersey; from different states like New York, Maryland, Virginia and all the way from Nevada. Meeting my East Coast US-based elementary schoolmates in New Jersey finally became a reality.
There was also the impromptu field trip to Princeton aboard another friend’s van to pick-up somebody’s hubby as well as for us to see the place by night. Riding inside the van reminded us of the days when we were still riding the school bus owned by another schoolmate’s family. Along the way, there were a lot of humps so we went bounce, bounce, bounce, jump! Nevertheless, it was a joy ride.
After the Princeton tour, everyone was so hungry. There was silence for awhile as we busily munch the hearty meals prepared before us. Like in any Filipino gatherings, we had a feast! We had Roast Pork, Holland sausages with peppers, Putanesca pasta, and Paella, to name a few.
Prior to the main course were endless servings of Boy Bawang, Orange scones, Cuchinta and cheesy steamed rice cakes, cocktail biscuits and table wine servings. However, I couldn’t drink wine. For some reason, I’m allergic to it – it’s like having winter itch all over my body even just a few drops of any alcoholic drinks…
Our hostess, a culinary expert herself, finalized our dinner with her well-decorated creamy chocolate cake dedicated to our batch and to the three recent birthday celebrants.
Aside from the food, there were lots of story exchanges and photo album viewings as we reminisced the good old years. Looking back, we've eventually matured as the years went by. Thank God. There's a couple from our class who shared to us how they met again in college and in the end married each other.
Someone in the group even brought along with him a copy of our student diary which brought back fond and some embarrassing grade six years. There were receipts; letters for parents, teachers and even love notes either inserted or attached on the pages aside from the weekly class assignment schedules. I guess I was the one who was really amused of the diary because according to them, I did “a few squeals on each turn of a page ...” as we all shared our laughter together.
There was karaoke and dancing to the sound of swing years, well we tried, before we wrapped it up at around 2am while showers of snow greeted us on our way home.
Of course, a gathering isn’t complete without a lot of picture-taking and video recordings to capture the moment.
After grade school, we went to different schools. Some went to an exclusive girls' or boys' high school institution while others went to a public high school system. Only a few maintained friendships until college while most of us lost track of each other.
Recently, however, someone’s endless searching effort brought some of us back together again through an e-group.
The wonder of online technology made it easier for us to communicate and see how we now look these days from the last time we saw each other. But still, meeting them in person, after all these years, is incomparable; it's more personal and spontaneous.
A friend in New Jersey opened their house to host the weekend gathering with friends coming from another town in New Jersey; from different states like New York, Maryland, Virginia and all the way from Nevada. Meeting my East Coast US-based elementary schoolmates in New Jersey finally became a reality.
There was also the impromptu field trip to Princeton aboard another friend’s van to pick-up somebody’s hubby as well as for us to see the place by night. Riding inside the van reminded us of the days when we were still riding the school bus owned by another schoolmate’s family. Along the way, there were a lot of humps so we went bounce, bounce, bounce, jump! Nevertheless, it was a joy ride.
After the Princeton tour, everyone was so hungry. There was silence for awhile as we busily munch the hearty meals prepared before us. Like in any Filipino gatherings, we had a feast! We had Roast Pork, Holland sausages with peppers, Putanesca pasta, and Paella, to name a few.
Prior to the main course were endless servings of Boy Bawang, Orange scones, Cuchinta and cheesy steamed rice cakes, cocktail biscuits and table wine servings. However, I couldn’t drink wine. For some reason, I’m allergic to it – it’s like having winter itch all over my body even just a few drops of any alcoholic drinks…
Our hostess, a culinary expert herself, finalized our dinner with her well-decorated creamy chocolate cake dedicated to our batch and to the three recent birthday celebrants.
Aside from the food, there were lots of story exchanges and photo album viewings as we reminisced the good old years. Looking back, we've eventually matured as the years went by. Thank God. There's a couple from our class who shared to us how they met again in college and in the end married each other.
Someone in the group even brought along with him a copy of our student diary which brought back fond and some embarrassing grade six years. There were receipts; letters for parents, teachers and even love notes either inserted or attached on the pages aside from the weekly class assignment schedules. I guess I was the one who was really amused of the diary because according to them, I did “a few squeals on each turn of a page ...” as we all shared our laughter together.
There was karaoke and dancing to the sound of swing years, well we tried, before we wrapped it up at around 2am while showers of snow greeted us on our way home.
Of course, a gathering isn’t complete without a lot of picture-taking and video recordings to capture the moment.
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