I Call this "Somewhere In Time" with My Beautiful Friends At Work

With Albert, Emmylou "Micmic, Evelyn and Allan

 
The year was 1997.  I was a fresh graduate then in college and barely learning proper methods of teaching. I was not trained to teach.  My course was BS Psychology and i felt at the first sight of my first job that it may lead me to where i should be ( I was hoping it would despite of ).  I was told by my employer to do counseling for students yet, the same "put" me in teaching six sections of  fourth year students. 

I was groping in the dark.  I needed so much of help related to the job assigned to me  but had not much of it except the consoling and beautiful individuals that became my solace in my desolate and frustrating situation. This was rather heavy or shall i say "harsh" description of that situation.  But i was like a crawling turtle everyday, dragging myself every morning to perform the tasks of  a teacher. 

So how was it with friendship?  I met few individuals who were being hired the same year that i got in as a teacher.  Emmylou, Rizza, Albert, Maurice and Hazel...  That's their names.  We lived in the same boarding house except Albert who was / is a resident of Cagayan de Oro.  

In school, we had our separate departments (Emmylou and Hazel with Science, Albert with Social studies, Rizza with English and Maurice and myself with Values Education department) but at home we were bunch of inseparable people filled with colorful life stories.  We shed off  lots of ourselves from beautiful to worst.  We spent some late nights out of the house, cried over desires and painful love stories of each other, traveled to Camiguin to just be "lost" for a while, got drunk with myself being helplessly assisted by one of us (plus i rolled on the floor laughing). 

Added to that, i think it would add up more meat if i would describe the "jewels" of each one:

1.  Emmylou was the petite "chinita" pretty face, intelligent (magna cum laude in Education) with a wonderful singing voice, straight white legs  and a handsome boyfriend.   She was a great Science teacher too..this one i won't miss to include (this one cannot be refuted being awarded in her current job in Texas as an Outstanding teacher and competed in her district too in the same state...so proud of her with tears and tears heheeh):-)

2.  Rizza was the disk jockey of the group. She was my roommate and i discovered how in old cassette recorder, she just mumbled words like that of a DJ which made me realize how smart she was at being fast at capturing right English words to say.  Well i won't forget that she graduated Magna Cum laude too..:-) and she had that golden heart.  I felt how her beliefs and faith has formed her conscience so well that she feared committing sin or mistakes.  I was an eyewitness to how she knelt down on the floor in remorse for something she did and i learned a lot seeing her that way ...such faithfulness to God.

3.  Hazel was the "motherly" figure of the group.  She can wake up very early to prepare for everyone's food which made me ashamed at how she was able to manage being a great eldest sister in her own family and acted the same to all of us.  I was just so heart broken when i had to witness her shedding buckets of tears over a beautiful love "wasted".  But she rose up strong with the decision to move on with life.

4.  Albert may have not lived with us in the house but he had that soft heart too when i shared my painful and lost stories with my "love affair".  What was most unforgettable was when he wrote in several pages of yellow paper his own desires and dreams for my and Mike (my husband) who he knew way back in college.  My strong attachment with him is beyond compare too, owing to the fact that everything that he desired for me and Mike came true (i could cry and cry for this).

5.  Maurice ohh...this one may be a shock.  When he expressed his "like" ...hmmm i mean...admiration with me, it did not change a bit at how i looked at him and our friendship and my high regard and respect with him.  In fact Maurice with his emotional overture and support with me as his friend really led to a beautiful friendship that made me support his courtship with another woman who became his better half.  I hope i did my "job" well at pointing him to his "true north" (char lang...).

I could call that,  a one package of a school year and the last grip that i had with our friendship was the memory of a meeting with two of them ...Emmylou whom i (and all of us friends) now call "micmic" cute heheh and Albert last April 29, 2012.  Micmic came back for her mom that passed away due to cancer (so sorry for that friendship) and Albert joined us with two of their friends and colleagues in the same school Allan and Evelyn.  It was such a wonderful brief looking back and "how's life" with each one.  Wow.  I felt that was so short a time to spend together but better than not seeing her and Albert for years.

At present:

With Pretty and Cute Emmylou "Micmic"

1.  Emmylou "micmic" is married and so stable with her job being a Science department teacher and head in one of Texas' high school. Still cute and pretty, sings and now desiring to have kids with her husband Bembot ( You have my love and support friendship...way to go with our herbal therapy and prayers).  I couldn't desire anything less than the desire of micmic to have their "little ones" someday which i deeply believe in my heart God sees that too. 

More than anything with micmic, there is just one thing that so much admire with her.  She has gone high and far with her achievements as a person but has never put so much of that "ego" with herself.  She emulates humility and simplicity through the years.   When I met her last April 29, 2012, she was still the person that i knew - giggles, laughs loud with me ( i guess gakatakdan lang siya sa ako ahahha), and no air of anything from where she came from.  

She connects with us friends from friendster to facebook and even long night talks when i was in US.  She was the same from the tone of her voice to meeting her personally.  It was always from her initiative to gather us friends which started during her wedding and up to the succeeding years when she comes back here in the Philippines.  She never forgets her friends.  That's one of the bests she has (thanks so much mic:-)).

2.  Hazel is now a Principal in a charter school in California.  I couldn't really write much in here as we have no any direct communication except that of Micmic's update that she is so into her career and has set aside getting too personal with her life including getting married (i hope one day she will find her man:-)..miss her so much too). 

3.  Albert finished his law school and as far as i know works as history department chairperson of the school where we worked together years back.  I guess he is still figuring out if he stays in the country or seriously consider going out.  That one i learned during our last date with Mic2.   He stressed that a lot of people pushed him to do that already. I believe he will have his place wherever he is meant to go.

4.  I have no any update with Maurice except that one day in the past, he gave me that treat for dinner with the announcement that he was getting married and he was doing well with his work in the pharmaceutical company as medical representative (No news at present with his whereabouts...asa na man ka ga tago tago mau mau?).

5.  And of Rizza...este Zardings...she got married of course with her beautiful hubby and baby.  Really when i saw how beautiful her family was / is, I had that growing desire to build mine in partnership with my husband.  She inspires me so much.  And i guess she has finished her doctorate too (rights bako zards? heheh).  

And so at my end, I may not be able to totally fathom God's mystery of crafting and shaping certain experiences of bringing people together  leaving a beautiful, memorable imprint.  Such one school year bathed with the grace and wonderful friendship will forever be in my heart.  To Emmylou "micmic", Rizza "Zardings", Albert, Hazel "Asyang", Maurice "Maumau" ... Thank you for the beautiful friendship we had... You just don't know how much I miss US together...:-) My prayers and love go with all of you wherever you are:-) 

with Evelyn, Albert and Allan at Starbucks, CDO

With Albert, Emmylou "Micmic", Evelyn, Meeh Baby (check my pointer finger hahahah)