Many things have changed in 40 years. Change so dramatic, that they become almost unrecognizable.
Consider, for example, Germany and Japan — the infamous losing duo in that horrific world war that killed over three percent of the world's population at the time. In 40 years, both countries rose from the ashes of conflict to become two of the mightiest economies the world has ever seen, eclipsing even those of the winners like Great Britain and France.
And yet, as inevitable as change may be over such a long period of time, some things seem to remain just as they were. Or at least, they are still as you remember them to be.
Friendships for one, especially those built during a time in your life when you are collectively growing up, experiencing the angst of adolescence together, and exploring the world with the wild abandon of youth —available only to those who have yet to think about what they wished to be for the rest of their lives.
That proved to be the case when members of the University of the Philippines College Cebu High School Class of 1982 came together, albeit one year later, for their 40th Ruby Homecoming Reunion just a few days ago. Fifty-three of the 77 students who were part of the class gathered over four days at the Alta Vista Golf and Country Club, and the El Mar Resort in Cebu, to rekindle old friendships, reminisce the good times, and within the space of a few days, just be high school friends all over again.
UP being UP, most classes will have members who may rightfully be characterized as "successful," having reached the pinnacle of their chosen careers. UPCC HS Class of 1982 is no exception. In truth, every member of our class is successful in their own right. Aside from having the incumbent Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines among our classmates, we have a retired Army general, a number of lawyers, numerous doctors, executives, entrepreneurs, a member of the clergy as well as the religious among our ranks. And yet, for the duration of the reunion, we were all just classmates — no airs, no put-ons, no pretenses. Just old friends being old friends all over again.
If you ask anyone who has ever attended reunions which one they like the best, many will say that the high school ones are their favorite. I think it has to do with the memories you bring back with you to the gathering. Elementary school ones are too nascent to be memorable. College and even graduate school gatherings tend to be more formal, as classmates would have interacted with each other already as guarded adults.
The high school years, on the other hand, are the perfect incubator for unforgettable memories. It's that time in your life when you are no longer naive and innocent children but are not quite at the stage yet where you have created your own individual facades and personas as full-fledged adults. And it is a perfect state to regress back to when you are together. No one is above any other, and neither is anyone beneath anybody else. There are no sirs, ma'ams, generals, attorneys, doctors or anything else before anyone's name. It's simply like when we were in our teens, with everyone being their silly old selves.
For a few days, the accumulated physical toll of the last 40 years seemed to have been miraculously cast aside. Indeed, if someone could find the formula for everyone's youthfulness during the reunion and market it as a pill, it would be the blockbuster drug of all time. Everyone danced, sang, joked around, and of course — ate and drank like they were only in their teens. No combination of metformin, insulin, ARB and statins could match the magic elixir of those moments, as everyone's aches and pains mysteriously disappeared amid the cacophony of raucous banter and the nonstop twirl of dancing feet.
Had it not been for that global showstopper of a pandemic known as Covid-19, we would have come together a year earlier, exactly 40 years from when we last said our goodbyes as high school batchmates. But as fate would have it, some random mutating bat virus had other plans that were to upstage our own grand ones.
But thanks to the tireless efforts of our indefatigable organizing committee, the extended wait for The Big 40, albeit chronologically delayed, was well worth the anticipation. Everything from the carefully selected venues, the meticulously curated food selection, and the non-stop activities that were planned and executed with almost military-like precision just all seemed to meld together to magically transform those four days into a wonderful magic carpet ride, back to those days when those memories we so gleefully relived were first forged.
All good things though, even the very best ones, must come to an end. Not long after the first hellos, it was time to say our last goodbyes. Well, not really last because, like the quadrennial Olympics, just as this reunion ended, the anticipation for the next one has already begun. No sooner had we taken our final golden hour class picture at the El Mar beach, everyone was already looking past the backdrop of the Ruby-red sunset, and focusing on the blue Sapphire sky ahead.
As the refrain from our old high school graduation song went..."and now we must part, to live our lives, and go our own separate ways..." And yet, I must quickly hasten to add, separate ways for now, until we all — in the spirit of genuine friendship — meet again.