PREP and Grade 1

Shortly after my cousin Gia was born in April 1971, on my lola's desk, I found an Assumption enrollment form for Prep 1976. I asked my lola why, and she said, "I also enrolled you for Prep right after you were born." She did that for all four grandaughters who were born in her lifetime. Thus, it was sometime in 1964, and not 1969, that my career at Assumption actually began.

My Prep Memories 1969-1970: Popsie Gamboa was my first friend ever. On the first day of school, our moms who were friends in college, introduced us. The rest is history. In 1999, Popsie came to visit me and gave me a pearl necklace. Why? Cause we had been friends for 30 years, so pearls. Wow! I treasure that necklace and not just cause I love pearls. My other friend from Prep, and still to this day, is Vivian Honorio. Vivian and I ended up living in Chicago in the mid 80's and have kept in touch ever since. Now there's your "to the grave" secret stories, right Vivs?

Back to Prep, our teacher's name was Miss Connie Gomez. Our classroom was the last one in the floor, and right outside was the Assumption zoo, with the monkey named Valentino. We were just around the corner from Mother Martha's office and the school clinic. Our music teacher was Miss Dulcecilia de Vera and our P.E. teacher was Miss Rizal (actually related to Jose) who later became Mrs. Casacop. My lunchbox was Dawn. I used to treat my lunchboxes badly, to my regret. I looked it up on Ebay recently. Wow. You try it, look up your old lunchboxes.

My Grade 1 Memories: Our teacher's name was Miss Alegre. I liked her so much I invited her to my 7th birthday party at the end of the school year and she came! Our mistress of class was Mother Rose Peter and for some reason, for part of the year it was also Mother Vicenta. My lunchbox was Super Laugh-In. I remember that Peachie Gonzalez was also my friend. One day at recess, Peachie and I were running after each other. This scene in my mind is precious, because years later, Peachie got poise, and a lot of it, so now it's hard to picture her running around. Plus, in Grade 1, Peachie's hairdo was...a fountain! Don't kill me now PGU. You were cute. Okay, so back to recess. Running around, I ran smack into a 3rd Grader and she dropped her merengue on the ground. It was Elvira Mesina, older sister of our classmate Felicia. I was terrified! She looked at us with her big round eyes and she was so mad, so we just ran away. Then recess was over and we had to line up and wait our turn to climb the stairs back to class. They had monitors every few steps and if you were not walking up properly, you would be turned back to go down the stairs and start all over again. Nakakahiya, diba? Everyone behind you would see that you got turned back. Well of course, on that day, one of the monitors was ELVIRA. I was trembling that she would see me and make me turn back. She did not but I was afraid of her since then. Of course, in the 1980s, I met her in New York. No longer terrified, I told her the story. We laughed so much about it, especially since she did not even remember the incident AT ALL! I haven't run into her in a while, but everytime I see a piece of merengue, I have to laugh!

My awful Grade 1 memory: I was a day-boarder, meaning the school prepared lunch for me. I was inggit of the picnic lunchers so one day, I asked my mom to make me a baon. She did, it was fried chicken and rice. Well guess what, she forgot to put in utensils, so I think I cried. Peachie tried to save the day, and wanted to lend me hers, but I don't think I agreed cause then she took me to look for my lola in the high school lunch area. I don't remember what happened anymore other than I never wanted to picnic lunch again and today, I am very careful when I make my daughters' baon so they never have traumatic fried chicken lunches.

There are so many faces in our Grade 1 picture, classmates who left Assumption and did not come back. I still wonder where and how they are: Marissa Laurel (now known as Iwi), Mia Roces, Mirza Alfelor, among others. There was also an American girl named Tamara who was with us for a few months while her dad worked at Shell Oil (how do I remember that?)

Seated, left to right:

Bottom row: Teresa Hernandez, Corinna Abarri, Katrina Aquino, Mirza Alfelor

2nd Row: Jojo Reyes, Peachie Gonzalez, Belen Alon, Eileen Alikpala

3rd Row: China Reyes; Milen Batungbacal, Mary Ann Ignacio, Diane Pardo

4th Row: Tamara ?, Leah Montinola, Jackie Bustamante, Popsie Gamboa

Standing in front of the planter: Maridol Dilag, Chinggay Evangelista, Marga Rellosa

Standing against wall on the left, moving up and to the right: Christine Carlos, Cristina Ramos, Mafe Quimson, Pureza Marifosque, Marianna Unson, Teresa Borja, Monica Francisco, Mia Roces, Angela Quirino, Vivian Honorio, Marilyn Santiago, Marisa Laurel, Felicia Mesina

One of my funniest Grade 1 memories is of...the cabinet falling on Vivian! I know she won't kill me for telling this because we still laugh about it when we get the chance to chat. I think it involved girls just running around and running around like Diane Pardo, Felicia Mesina, Peachie, Vivian, and myself until that cabinet falls, and Vivian is on the ground lying still. Well, we all know she turned out okay after that mishap (or so we think!) Speaking of Diane, I remember distinctly that I learned the term "Indian giver" from her in Grade 1. Don't remember why, just that she explained it to us. In this age of political correctness, when we can't really use that term anymore, I sometimes use it in my head, and think of Diane.

One of my best Grade 1 memories is my 7th birthday party cause so many of you were there: Vivian, Maridol Dilag (hitting the pot on the left), Teresa Hernandez, Teresa Borja, Chinggay Evangelista (our husbands are now good friends in NY), Marilyn Santiago (distant cousin of my husband), Marga Relloza (we became classmates again in UP), Corinna Abarri, Popsie and sister Gina Gamboa.

Another birthday party I remember is Popsie's and I think it was in Grade 1. Her birthday fell on a weekday so after school, her mom sent a coaster to pick up the entire class and we all went to their house in San Miguel. I remember that we had so much fun going up and down all the floors plus, our loot bag that day was a chain of candy (cellophane with candy tied inside like sausage links.) For many birthdays after that, Popsie's mom would send boxes of chocolate bars to school. Each girl would get an entire Cadbury bar or something like that. Yum. I should blame my loving chocolates on Tita Julie.

Typing this now, I realize that a lot of my Grade 1 memories involve Peachie. And it gets worse, because after Grade 1, she left and moved to San Lorenzo. That was awful, I remember. I can still see Tita Aguing telling my mom that San Lo was just so much nearer their house than Herran was. Peachie invited me to her birthday party in 2nd Grade and I was happy, even if all the other kids were from San Lo. One kid I remember in particular was Elsa Almeda. At first she was wearing a peasant dress like the rest of us. Then later it was hotpants and boots, and she was doing cartwheels all over the place. So Mariels, that was my first memory of you. Haven't bumped into you in years but I think you are still in NY/NJ somewhere. Send me a note when you get the chance.