When  Bobong Lacanilao-Cutiongco  asked  me  to  write a short  piece
for the souvenir programme of our 20-years-after the reunion, I was really at a 
loss  as  to what  to write.  I did  not  even  remember  immediately  that  I  had
done a  write-up  for  our 10th year reunion,  nor  that  I had attended it. It was 
only  after   she  had  shown me the souvenir  programme for the "Kamust-ten 
Na?" reunion,  with  my  photo  in  it,  that  I  finally recalled that indeed, I was 
there!

           Alzheimer's  maybe?  Not  quite  yet.  Rather,  the  experience of moving
about  in  Africa,  Europe,  Central  Asia  and  the  Middle  East  for almost ten
 years  have  relegated memories of that high school, where we had to dig out
 fishponds and plant string beans and feed a sow and some goats, to the back
of my mind.  While    I may no longer recall at the flick of the thumb the names
of   all   our   classmates  and  all  our   teachers,  nor   recite  the  names  of  all
the   sections   in   Grade 8   and   Grade 10,   there   is   something   that I have
retained  and  cherished  after  all  these  years:  the  enveloping warmth of the
friendships that we formed during those years in UPIS.

          Twenty  years  is  a  long  time. Funny though, how after all these years,
we  still  gather  round  with  the same friends, talk about the same old stories,
laugh at the same old jokes.

          For  those  of  us  who  have chosen to live outside of our country, who
have  chosen  life  partners  who do not  hail  from  our  native land, who have 
adapted  languages  and  habits  far  different   from  those  we  grew  up  with,
these  same  old friends,  these same old stories, these same old jokes provide
the  anchors  that  reinforce  our  sense  of  self.  They  make being away from
our country bearable, and coming home an immense pleasure.

                                  MARIA AURORA MENDOZA-GOUDSTIKKER
                                                             11 December 2001