A memorable High School life

If you asked me what years in school I had fun with, I have to say it would have to be my high school days. I think the reason for me enjoying the high school life would have to be that I was beginning to be mature in mind. I started to be deciding for myself (not really) a little. Here in the Philippines Mama & Papa decide everything for the kids.

It was really a challenge for me to be in the private school (Notre Dame of Lagao for Girls Dept.) during high school days. To be honest, I would rather study in the nearby town of  our farm to start my freshman year. My parents wanted me to study in the private school since my older siblings studied in the private school already. It was hard at first because all my best friends from grade school studied at the nearby town in the farm. I am the only one in the group to be studying away from our town. I was so devastated and lonely. They envy me, and I envy them. I used to come home every weekend to the farm to see my parents and best friends.

At the school it was hard at first for me to adjust. I felt so alone. A lot of my new classmates already knew each other, some were classmates or school mates from the nearby grade school. Most were graduate students from NDLFG grade school department. There were just a few of us that were students from other towns or provinces. Gosh, introducing ourselves for the first time in class was really nerve wracking. I remember, me and my new found friends were really shaking. Got so scared, but after the first introduction for our first teacher and our adviser we were at ease then.

After that I made some friends slowly. I was in the second section when I first entered my freshman year. The first sections really were almost all the students from Notre Dame. Its okay though for us. Throughout the end of my freshmen I already made a lot of friends and had some best friends. During our Sophomore year I remained in the second section and most of my classmates from the previous year were still my classmates in the 2nd year. I meet some classmates that were transferred from other schools. One of them become my really close friend until now. I think that at that time we created our own group of friends. During recess time we hung out in the Grotto of the Virgin Mary in our school. In our group we belonged to were the kids that didn’t have money. So, during recess time instead of going to the cafeteria, me and our group would be at the grotto just talking until the bell rang for our next class. The rich kids would be at the cafeteria to hanging out. No hard feelings. That was just our life back then.

That was the cycle until the end of our Sophomore year. Comes Junior year. Our first day the group got the bad news.  Some of us in the group were being transferred to the first section. We didn’t like what we heard. So what we did, we knew the adviser of the second section and we really liked her, she’s our favorite teacher. We really asked her for help to let us stay in the second section. We were practically crying for mercy to be with her. We don’t want to be in the first section. We just didn’t want to separate the group. Yeah we would always see those other schoolmates but not like we bonded them. So we asked the Principal. Luckily she let us stay in the second section. We were really happy to be there. I think the teachers just want the group to be separated. We never created any problems. I think they just wanted us to be with the other schoolmates too. At that time we really hate it.

During Senior year the group were really forced to stay in the first section. We tried talking to the teachers and Principal but no luck they didn’t let us transfer. So we stayed in the first section. The group was so unhappy at first and later we did accept it and just stayed until graduation time. Earlier in the article, I showed our last Christmas together in Senior year (1984). Some of us in the group went abroad, some stayed and some had successful business, some full time Moms, some still single and available, 2 that I know of were dead already. Our adviser, she’s our English teacher too. She’s happily married to an American. She’s my English teacher from freshmen until Senior year.  Thank you so much Ma’am Mae.

I enjoyed my high school life even though we didn’t have much party going on. Me and my barkadas just hung out a lot, sometimes in our house,  sometimes on one of my friends house. Our parents knew who each of us. 3 of my best friends went to our farm one time for the fiesta and they really had a blast.

My classmates will kill me for posting our Christmas Party picture. Don’t worry classmates still looking good anyway. 😉

To all graduates of Notre Dame of Lagao for Girls Dept. Grand Reunion next year. Still deciding the date. If you email me I will forward your email to Shiohara Reyes or Leila Cosio. Hope to see you guys there.