It has been a year in the making. Twelve classmates from the Arellano University BSN group section 2 congregated in Melbourne, Florida to enjoy each other in celebration of our 43rd anniversary of finishing a rigorous nursing program in the Philippines in 1980.
The reunion was boisterous and funny. The activities were carefully planned by the master event planner team of Floridians Janet and her hubby Arnold. Shirley, from nearby West Palm Beach, also offered her insights on the must-to-do lists for our grand reunion. The classmates came from New York (Nenita, Jo, and Ces), New Jersey (Ampy), California (Lita and Luz), Canada (Mate), Austria (Amie), Norway (Alma), our native land Philippines (Cely), and Florida (Janet and Shirley).
Forty-three years ago, our conversations were about clinical rotations, tests, reports, and our crushes. As twenty-year-olds, our dreams were of passing the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) exams, our tickets for nursing jobs in America and Europe. We were excited to spread our wings and conquer the world. Those were the days of optimism and excitement for a whole realm of possibilities. Those were the days of laughter and unbridled joy.
Now, the conversations have become more unapologetically down-to-earth and reflective of our aging process: bowel elimination, sex (or lack of it), aches and pains, and surgeries. Some are retired and some are still toiling for the almighty dollar. Some of us have embraced their apostolic duties (a pun on “apo” or grandchildren) and others are just patiently waiting for our kids to settle down. We have overcome our inhibitions and no subject is taboo. Our talks were raw and honest, but there was plenty of silliness and laughter.
May 1, 1023, Day 1 of our much-awaited reunion. Thank you to Arnold and Gerry who were volun-told by their spouses to serve as our drivers for the week. We checked in at our hotel and squealed with excitement when we saw each other in Ampy’s room. Then off to dinner at Janet's home. Twelve women converged and reminisced about our nursing student days. Those who are cooks prepare the food. Ampy’s sinigang was to die for and her tupig was just a hit. Some of us who didn’t have the passion and talent for cooking "supervised" (wink, wink, I see you, Alma). In fairness, we volunteered to wash the dishes.
I brought some copies of my books “Nursing Vignettes: and “ER Nurse: The Warrior Within”. Thank you, Mate, for the reminder to do the book signing (and also for putting up with the snores from your roommates). It was a pleasure to sign those books for my classmates who have given me support and encouragement along the way. These classmates are big-time cheerleaders.
May 2, 2023, Day 2- Picnic at Paradise Beach where the waters were rough, too bad we're not surfers. Impromptu games (Charades, Pinoy Henyo, Musical game) and lots of laughter. Dinner at Janet's and Arnold's beautiful home. Swimming again with Zumba and line dancing lessons with Luz as the effervescent dance instructor. Luz seemed to forget that we had lost our sense of rhythm a long time ago. Our batchmate Dori, who is now a retiree in Florida, joined us in our festivities.
Then the slideshow presentation of our college years, and our reunion pictures. Nostalgic reminders of those easy-going student days, in our stiff blue and white uniforms, our starched caps on our heads, our minds filled with upcoming tests, but also of ways and manners to go on unsanctioned field trips. I proposed that we turn this slideshow into a Photobook, to replace the school yearbook that we never had (our printer ran away with the money.)
I love how each classmate spoke after their featured page to update us about their families. Cely started it off by stating that she made her plans around the reunion dates. It was very heartwarming to hear how she planned her other numerous activities to ensure that she gets to join every single reunion. I think somebody passed onions around because a few classmates were teary-eyed as we talked about the women we have become.
May 3, 2023, Day 3- Escapade to the Florida Keys- Key Largo, Islamorada, and Key West. We were in Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Posed with the giant lobster. We rode the glass-bottom boat that promised underwater vistas of colorful fishes and North America’s only living coral reef. Most of us didn’t have sailor’s legs. Thankfully the Dramamine worked for me. Some of us slept during the boat ride.
We discovered a nice restaurant just a few steps away from our hotel with a great ambiance and beautiful music from one of the aspiring singer-songwriters who were in town to celebrate the songwriters’ festival.
May 4, 2023, Day 4- From Marathon, we drove to Key West. Crossed the 7-mile bridge, where the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico meet. We sang off-key as we paraded around the mile marker area with our lavender anniversary t-shirts (and the tarp) that Cely brought from the Philippines. Like a drill sergeant, Amie directed us on how to pose. Interestingly, the men were more amenable to directions.
A must-stop was a concrete buoy that marked the southernmost point in the continental United States, just a mere 90 miles to Cuba. We rode the Conch Trolley Hop-on Hop-off to tour around the New Town and the Old Town. Our first trolley driver Louie is half-Filipino and very funny. We ended the day at Mallory Square, where we watched the sunset together. This is probably one of my poignant memories of this reunion, our arms on our classmates' shoulders.
May 5, 2023, Day 5- Cinco De Mayo. Miami Beach, Everglades National Park. Here in the swamps of the Everglades, where alligators lurked in the bushes. The Airboat glided across the "River of Grass", and the captain slowed it down as he named the birds along the way and tried to point out the alligators which were somehow hiding away. We learned the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. I thought to myself, I will just run for my life first. We also zipped past the mangroves and sawgrass marshes. The fast ride through the river, the wind blowing our hair, was exhilarating. I think I would enjoy operating a speedboat.
Ces gave us a scare when she tried to retrieve a hat that was blown away. She dipped her toes on the pond near the entrance, only to have a baby alligator skitter away.
Dinner was a comedic finale to the long day. We rushed to Wellington Mall to eat at the food court only to learn that the dining area was closing. The nurses that we are, we quickly decided to order to go. The Lotus Express Chinese food staff were pleasantly surprised to get a last-minute influx of 19 hungry customers. With military precision, we gave our orders. We made it in time before the mall closed.
It was Nenita’s laugh-out-loud moment. We raced to the hotel to take over the dining room to eat our Chinese take-out. Nenita was ready to run, her food clutched in one hand, as she loudly wondered if she needed to retrieve her carry-on bag from the back of the van.
May 6, 2023, Day 6- Checked out of Hampton Inn, then off to Shirley's house for a sumptuous Cuban lunch at their West Palm Beach house. Thank you, Shirley and John. What a beautiful house, filled with plants like Janet's. Both plantitas.
This is also when we pranked our Selfie Queen as we took our selfies when she forgot her phone on the table. We (Alma, Ampy, Nenita, and I) hijacked her phone, clearly, we were still mischievous teenagers at heart. That was fun.
Planning for the next reunion. Hmmm, Norway in 2025, maybe? Stopped by Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, and Mar-a-Lago. Last day that we were together as a group of 12 classmates. Some of us flew back home while others went on a cruise to the Bahamas. Sadly, I could not go on a cruise (insert inside joke)
Thankful for Lita and Janet who kept their hubbies awake with all those driving. Thankful to Ces for being the “treasurer” and keeping our finances together. Thankful to every single one of my classmates who joined. We do miss our other friends who were not able to make it this time, but I'm sure wished they were there.
Shirley stated, “The reunion revived me”. Lita reminded us that we are “her valued family”. It is a feeling shared by all of us.
This reunion has many revelations:
- This group of women in their mid-sixties is still fun to be with. We are vibrant and ready to enjoy life fully. We have come into our own, confident of our place in this world.
- The spouses (Homer, Ed, Arnold, Gerry, Manny, Ofre, and Gary) who joined us on this trip were enjoying this reunion too. They bonded again on their own; in fact, they were more “game” to pose for pictures, followed the selfie queen’s directions very well, and used the reunion tarp more than the classmates themselves.
- That even as we aged, we were still young at heart. We accepted our wrinkles, for they are markers of a life well-lived. I must say that Alma maintained her slim figure and would still probably need to present her ID card at a bar.
- Ces and Primo's love story
- Even after all these years, we can be silly and we can laugh at any little thing.
Picture by Homer
This is what a class reunion looks like. We have traveled all around the world, each one forging a different path, each one successful in our own right. As we watched the gorgeous sunset of Key West, we were grateful for connecting and making more memories. Precious moments.
Nursing had been good to us. With our shared experience in the Philippines, we led parallel lives of surviving against the challenges. I know that each of us made a difference in our patients' lives. This is how we celebrated Nurses Week.
Other reunion posts:
College Reunions: Friends and Princeless Memories
https://jcerrudocreations.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-is-it-about-college-reunions-that.html
Thirty-two Years Later- Thanks to Facebook
https://jcerrudocreations.blogspot.com/2012/08/thirty-two-years-later-thanks-to.html
Thirty-One Years Later
https://jcerrudocreations.blogspot.com/2011/10/thirty-one-years-later.html
