Grade 7

Ah, Grade 7. Our final year in the idyll that was Antipolo. I think I was in Section 4. In my class were Toni Feliciano, Estrella Fule, Nina Torres, Trixie Garcia, Chinkie Gabriel, China Reyes, Becky Sanares, Rory Ocampo, who was newly returned to Assumption, and Mariel Recto, newly arrived. Also in it were Donna Licaros, Elena Palarca, maybe Elena Viray. We also had an “import”, a Fil-Am girl in Manila just for the year. I think her name was Annette Vela and she was Frannie Figueroa’s cousin. We also had Angelica Calalang, when she was still that little girl at the front of the line, with the Dorothy Hamill haircut. Bonca Bengzon was a little late starting the school year. She spent summer vacation in China, and broke her leg (ankle?) in a biking accident. I remember wanting to see China then, and still haven't. The bikes might even be gone now, just traffic and cars with their newfound affluence.

Cricket Concepcion, Maripi Jalandoni and Mailou San Gabriel were also in that class. Sometime during the school year, they had this intellectual debate (a loud one!) among the three of them: Jimmy Carter vs. Gerald Ford, of all things. I used to scoff at them, like how silly they were, WHO cared about the U.S. elections? I eat my words now. For much of the last 16 years, I’ve dealt with Washington politics, day in and day out. Plus, years ago, I actually spoke to President Carter, an old friend of my boss! He introduced himself on the phone simply as “Jimmy Cahruh”, just like that, with his Georgia accent. I was so thrilled! And I actually did some work for the 1992 and 1996 U.S. elections. Funny how the world turns.

I hung out with Toni, Nina and Trixie. Nina spoke Spanish at home with her lola. Between her and Estrella Fule, they taught us Spanish, the bad words! I learned to say mierda, long before I learned to say “La cuenta, por favor.” I can still hear Nina giggle, making her eyes disappear. Don’t know who was more outrageous, her, or her stories about her family, or... Trixie Garcia!

We had Miss Marquez for social studies, and I think Miss Silao for Math. Mrs. Dizon, an old friend of my lola, was our Pilipino teacher. Miss Moran was our science teacher. For work education, we had Miss Custodio, who will be proud to learn that I still know how to crochet. And now, I can even knit! We learned how to diagram sentences. Strange how I can't recall the names of any of our language and reading teachers, and Cricket remembers that we had really good ones and I agree.

Finina Reyes was in the class next to mine, but in the middle of the year, her family moved to the States. I don’t think I ever saw her again, but I did call her a few times when visiting San Francisco. Her younger sister Candy, who was so cute, passed away a few years after they moved.

The mom of Becky Sanares passed away in Grade 7. China and Becky were good friends. I remember that a bunch of us including China and Cricket, together with a nun, maybe Sister Mary Grace, our Mistress of Class, rode the school’s Ford Fiera (?) and went from Antipolo to Cavite to attend the funeral. Already there was Mafe Quimson, who is Becky’s cousin. Becky was so sad, and so was China, and so were we all. I believe that was the first and only time I ever went to a classmate’s parent’s funeral.

At graduation that year, Cricket Concepcion got the Mother Marie Eugenie award. We shouldn’t, but we do: we laugh about it now. I quote her exactly: I can't recall ever doing ANYTHING Marie Eugenie-ish! And look at me now, struggling to get my daughter into Catholic school!

And my big award at graduation? A certificate for “sportsmanship”, whatever that meant. Did I truly become a jock by then? I still think to this day I fooled Mrs. Casacop somehow. My only interest in sports is that I can spell it.

Patricia Carino remembers our Grade 7 Graduation song, but not the title:

All my life I’ve been hoping to be
Strong as the wind as it blows from the sea
Gentle as the sunset, quiet as the evening shadows
Soft as the green of spring, young full of hope
And now I must live to be, all that I’ve hoped to be
From this moment, I must go
I must be where dreams come true

Did we?