Freshman Year

We graduated from Antipolo already a large class of five sections. When we moved back to San Lorenzo for high school, several things were going on at once. STC Manila was closing its doors forever, and the previous year’s 7^th Grade class needed to find a new high school. At the same time, since San Lorenzo was infinitely more accessible than Antipolo, all those girls who left after Grade 4, were now coming back in droves: balik-Assumption!

First day of school was a riot. Old, long-gone friends were seeking familiar faces, everyone trying to recognize each other through adolescent acne, braces, newly bought contacts, and growd-up-we’re-not-little-anymore bodies. We don’t know what she did that summer, but… Angelica Calalang was now Ina Calalang: tall, and at the end of the line! Shrieks of delight to find old pals like Mimie de Ocampo and Betta Gallego. From STC came Karina Galang, Tina Fineza, Yellie and Cri-cri Alcaraz, Alma Consing, and the balik Assumption girls Tessa P and Marichu Alcasid. Plus more girls from all over: Janine Cuenca, Bea Montilla, Didi Manahan, Mabeth Webb, Marites Capili, Maxie Maceda, Joy Pena, Melissa Maio, Maby Sandoval, Maricor Sambrano, Carmela Puyat and Georgie Sibal among others. We were now SEVEN sections strong!

Because I was not so tall, I ended up in section 7. With lola long gone, advanced Prep registration be damned, high school was now a different ballgame, a different school. THEY DID NOT HAVE ME ON ANY OF THE ROSTERS AT ALL! For the first time in my Assumption career, I was a non-entity! I was starting to have a hissy fit, but then I realized I was not alone, there were at least 7 of us who were “stateless.” Miss Ramos, one of our Mistresses of Class, gathered us in a circle and started pointing and assigning sections just like that. I knew I wanted to be in Section 7 with Toni, so I hid behind the tallest girl I could find (I think it was Mafe Quimson) who then got assigned Section 1. Miss Ramos went down the line then I popped my head out just in time for her to point at me and say “Seven.” Bingo! Talk about taking destiny into your own hands.

I believe Miss Bernas was our homeroom teacher and Algebra teacher. Mrs. Mapa was Religion, Miss Marie Lim was English. Mrs. Magtaas was our IPS or Integrated Physical Science teacher. Miss Salvatierra was the Work Ed teacher and our project for the year was weaving beads, or abaloryo, in the vernacular. Wasn’t it so annoying, that for the minor subjects, we now had to speak in Pilipino? That was very hard for us who were steeped in learning in English from Day 1. Although I suppose we should be grateful that we did not need to use Pilipino for Science and Math or we would have gone nuts (How would you say “Find the square root of the numeral resulting from the nth factorial of the value of the x-coordinate …” in Tagalog????) And I must say, using Tagalog in work education, for instance, resulted in so many moments of hilarity for us (wait for the 2^nd year memory post).

Our classroom, oddly enough, was diagonally across the hall from the one we occupied for a few months in fifth grade. Marissa Picornell was our class vice-president. I believe that many of my sectionmates from 7^th Grade were in Section 7. Add to the mix: Melissa Maio, Bea Montilla, Connie Quirino, Kandy Fernandez, Rina Macasaet, Janine Cuenca, Tina Fineza, Karina Galang, Anggot Veloso. Can you feel the walls of that old classroom starting to explode? Oh, we had a blast!

I did not know San Lorenzo that much. I thought her grounds were the shabbier stepsisters to the beautiful Herran. To me it was new, characterless, and without history, much like I now distinguish between pre-war and modern New York apartment buildings. We had to figure out where the clinic was and check out the nurse (boohoo, no more Mrs. Ibuna and Dra. Hortaleza.) We scoped out the cafeteria and its offerings (no more Antipolo turon and fried chicken and Manang Rita.) Instead of wide open spaces and rolling hills, we had walls plus Sgt. Pepper Anderson, a.k.a. Mrs. Dominguez, our female sikyo. No more yayas and drivers hanging around. The familiar, smiling nuns were nowhere to be found. In fact, there were hardly any nuns at all. For the first time in my life, Religion was taught by a lay person, (not that Mrs. Mapa was not good, she was brilliant.) Goodbye Sumulong Highway, hello Ponce and Pasay Road. Actually, hellooooo Makati Commercial Center! Back from the wilderness, our urban escape was just a few blocks away.

We lay claim to specific areas where we would “hang out.” Ours was the stairs from the volleyball/basketball court that led up to the dorm rooms.

We made new friends, rekindled old friendships, formed new alliances, joined a “group,” left the group, joined a new group. Our lives were changing. We were growing up. No more little girl games, climbing trees or ball playing. We were working on our poise, coiffing our hair, primping and priming as much as one could in a plaid uniform, and getting ready for….boys.