Prelude to a Golden Jubilee By Raul S. Cajulis The High School Golden Reunion is probably the most anticipated and celebrated gathering of friends. A simple walk of the mind into the past about the forthcoming event usually heightens emotions to an anxiety level. It prods the imagination to revisit times and places seen from the other end of half a century. As the day gets nearer, the excitement becomes awe just thinking of the sentimental journey to be with friends and classmates once again. This is especially true for the alumni of Marcelo H. del Pilar High School (MHPHS) Class of 1954 living in the United States and Canada. After all, the diaspora was to North America, a big landmass that separates the two largest oceans. Although they live in the same continent and even in the same city of millions of people, they remain strangers to each other. Their chance meeting is likely to happen only to accidental tourists. Seeing a familiar face from one�s youth after more than forty years is usually followed by a stunned "Ikaw ba iyong kaiskwela ko noong araw?" But right after hearing the sound of the name that reveals a certain smile, a renewed friendship begins. Act I Sometime in the year 1999, MHPHS Class of 1954 began to realize there were not many years left before the 50th anniversary of their graduation. They reckoned it was time to look for classmates known to have moved somewhere in this big country. Months after posting their names and e-mail addresses on the website, alumni from the East Coast began to talk about getting together. This started with a handful of New Yorkers who welcomed and entertained friends visiting the Big Apple. With help from the Alumni Association home office in locating former classmates, the list of contact names exponentially multiplied. From then on, the idea of getting together spread from coast to coast. And like a centrifugal accelerator creating a chain reaction of good fellowship, the number of known graduates and their whereabouts grew. Thereafter, they regularly communicated with each other and occasionally met in small regional groups. Through the wonders of digital cables and cyberspace they decided to have a yearly reunion and started planning for the Big Bang in 2004. Also, they made it a point that these prelude gatherings would be as pleasurable as the Grand Reunion itself. There were several gatherings and whenever there were new familiar faces in the crowd, the first hour was spent matching names with the faces and some reconstruction of the then and now look. Married classmates were more difficult to recognize as they acquired characteristic features of their soul mates. The single gals retained some of their innocent features but somehow exuded a mysterious aura. The receding hairline and bulging waistline diminished the macho appeal of the guys. All agreed about the sad irreversible transformation nature has wrought. But somehow the detective�s scrutiny retraced indelible facial features of the once upon a time high school student Act II and III The MHPHS Class of 1954 annual meetings were held on both coasts of the continent and twice held on board a cruise line. The group�s first cruise was on board the Celebrity Cruise Line at Fort Lauderdale for a week of Western Caribbean Cruise. They were together 24 hours a day for 7 days. It was an endless celebration enjoying international gourmet meals and the amenities and entertainment provided aboard the cruise ship. This was a milestone reunion, not only for the pleasure of each other�s company but for the opportunity to visit great places in the sun: Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Conzumel, Mexico; and Key West, Florida. The second cruise began on Saturday morning of October 5, 2002 at Port San Pedro in Long Beach. The oldies, feeling young again, boarded The Princess Star for the Mexican Riviera. It was both a vacation and businesslike gathering while touring the playground of the western world. There was nothing more relaxing than conducting an official agenda while in a luxurious floating hotel with a four star ambience. On this trip the organizational requirements were finalized and it was agreed upon to obtain a Federal Registry ID for the US / Canada Chapter. While on board they practised songs to be performed before classmates when they reach home. For one week everybody seemed to forget the worries of old age and mundane problems. With their small pocketbooks, they experienced the pleasures and carefree ways of the rich and famous. The ports visited were Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. The Fat Lady Sings The final count down began on September 27, 2003 for a seven-day reunion and late summer vacation held in Virginia Beach�s Sandbridge Resort. They rented a beach house called �The Regency� with nine bedrooms and a loft to comfortably sleep 24 people. As the name implies, it is regal in every way and is located no more than 15 yards from the Atlantic Ocean. It has 2 completely furnished kitchens; a formal dining room and a breakfast nook; a reception and dancing hall; a swimming pool with adjoining Jacuzzi and a Volleyball court with a portable Barbecue grill, and a 6-car garage. Because this was the last get together before the Golden Jubilee there were more attendees. Another Beach House less than 50 yards farther, The �Happy Daze� was rented to accommodate more people. It probably will take more than a Kwento ni Lola Basyang to relate the core of activities. This final prelude gathering is remembered in highlights that served as an introduction to the grandeur of the Golden Reunion. Day 1 � After the long exasperating travel, the youthful smiles of classmates and friends reenergized the tired old bodies. Dinner was fresh Chesapeake Bay blue crabs and other catch from the sea, a treat for the city slickers too busy supporting restaurateurs. Day 2 � A Sun day of rest and re-acquaintance. A 3-table game of friendly Mah Jong. Guess what? Do you believe in beginner�s luck? Day 3 � A Chicken Cacciatore and Lasagna luncheon aboard the Carrie �B� cruising the harbor reviewing the Carrier Battle Group that just returned from the "Operation Liberation of Iraq". Dinner was a especially ordered roasted whole pig from the �House of Lechon� and more. Day 4 � Early morning stroll along the Atlantic Ocean beach. Dance practice to be presented at the Golden Reunion, if the oldies can still remember the step sequences and if their arthritic joints won�t give up before the music ends. Day 5 � A game of golf and a walk at the beach to burn calories gained from the previous days. A show of good hand, making everybody�s favorite �Sushi� and merienda of Halo-Halo. Day 6 � Shopping for the ladies at the Colonial Williamsburg designer outlet stores, a tourist magnet. Day 7 � A revered visit of the McArthur Memorial to relive the history behind the promise "I shall return". More Dance practice. The Curtain Call January 22-25, 2004 is the long awaited magical date, the 50th anniversary gala celebration of their high school graduation in their home country of long ago. With apology to Lao Tzu, I would like to describe MHPHS Class of 1954�s traveled ways to the Golden Reunion as �a journey of a thousand miles (that) began with a single step�. 50 Years, 446 Songs by Raul S. Cajulis There were 446 songs written for the Marcelo H. del Pilar High School Class of 1954. It took 50 years to write the coda. There was a dirge, a slow sad song, for each of the 94 who had crossed the bar. Their names were memorialized in the pages of the Golden Jubilee yearbook. There was also a song, a wish, for the 114 whose names were remembered but who could not join the celebration. There was a paean, a song of trial, tribulation and triumph, for the 238 celebrating life and a once in a lifetime occasion. The 4-day Golden Jubilee Celebration was held in 4 different locations: at the school's old site and in its new location; at the Paradise Resort in Malolos; and the gala night was at the Manila Hotel. Through all these 4 days these paean songs were heard incessantly. The medley of tunes is a collection of mischievous tales from Huckleberry Finn-like adventures to Horatio Alger rags to riches stories. There was also a libretto, a song of devotion, for each of those who gave their precious time putting together the program to make this occasion a treasured event. And a song of ecstasy for each of those giving the best rendition and interpretation of their art. These were their stories: A group of mischievous boys eyeballing the girls during their physical training class as they changed their outfits, only to find out that the bloomers covered them down to the kneecaps. The fun was in the boys' impish behavior. The satisfaction was in the serendipity and laughter after each misadventure. The teen talks among girls about who was dating whom. Finding out their trysts was not a secret in a small town. However, after 50 years the baffling question was 'what happened?' They will never know but that will not change the friendship they knew during their high school's days. The lame excuses for not submitting homework, for being late, and missing a school day. High school students knew that not all the teachers were gullible. Both the student and the teacher believed that accepting the rationalization was part of education. Those who joined the Diaspora and became expatriates have their trials and triumphs. They all learned the difficulty of being an independent individual among strangers. Most of them are professionals and career motivated, but they needed to adjust to the new environment. Those with children found the task of being a mother, a nurse and a teacher to their kids was more than challenging. They had to learn how to cook and to drive in the fast highways or in snail paced school districts. They were called soccer moms or bench warmers in Little League try outs. They became an all ear audience for a hopeful Julliard School potential. But they found out that the hard lifeline to maturity, after all, was rewarding. The boys worked hard to be good providers. Their macho image shrunk behind the vacuum cleaner and in front of the dish washer sink. But they did not forsake their dreams. These dreams revved up to first gear when they started to buy a brand new automobile for the first time, then a tire burner sport's car. Most of them ended with a two-car garage home. Behind each car was a story. It recalled the experience of passing the driver's license test and getting the first traffic violation ticket. This involved a feeling of anxiety when filling out forms and anticipating court appearances. Stories most shared by these expatriates were meeting a classmate for the first time in the least expected places; their desire to find out if there were other classmates around, and the possibility of getting together; then organizing their reunion outside the homeland. Stories from the homeland were mostly on reviewing the Class Prophecy from the Class of 1954 Journal 'The Republic'. And finding out the fulfillment and the surprise and unexpected outcome. They talked about classmates in the "Who is Who' in the world of academia and business. Where are they now? They talked of the Horatio Alger stories of the bright boy from Paombong; of another who was accepted to a prestigious military school; of the doctors, engineers, teachers, nurses and their struggles and status in life. Behind the scene stories grew during the meetings of the past 2 years preparing for the occasion. Ideas, issues and suggestions for the yearbook were filtered through loving screens. The fruit of their labor may not be flawless but in every way accepted with gratitude by all. Songs rendered by the familiar voices of classmates, now familiar to a larger audience in the country and even outside, took them back to the days of their youth. Fifty years may have passed but this Class of 1954 can still pluck the 'anklong' and do honor to the traditional Rigodon. The surprise love song was etched by footprints on the sands of Virginia Beach before the reverse diaspora to the homeland for the big event, and a celebration of classmates and friends at the host's home. The final aria was about the continuing reunions. Back of everyone's mind was the critical time factor for 65 year-olds who have watched the sturdy tree of their togetherness shed some precious golden leaves. They talked of getting together again more frequently, in year 2006 and 2008. I am an outside witness to all these wonderful events, listening to their songs. I'd like to be there too again before my own swan song. &&&&&&& |
| NEWS FROM USA/CANADA INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER |