Reunited...and it felt so good.

So it's 6.30am on Sunday and after a hellish week, why am I awake so early? No, it's not because I was eager to tell you about the reunion last night, but since I am awake I can tell you about the reunion last night.

Our teachers (and Ariane) - we were so happy to have them
join us

I thought it was a great evening with great people. Of course I was helter skelter at home because I did all my errands in the morning, and came home tired and mash up, and then took a power nap and overslept. lol. But I got there in good time - in time enough to meet up with Kim and her husband, who were exploring the school grounds. Kim is a trip, yes. A lot has changed about the school and not much has changed. The gym still evokes great ill feeling as it did back in the day when we had to wear those awful blue leotards for P.E. Class, and walking through the school you still get the feeling that this is a school you would want your daughters to attend. Thw tamarind tree has been trimmed but it's still there in its menacing glory and the staff lounge is pretty bangin'. The sixth form block is not the way we left it, but really reflects the great strides the school has made in everything that it does.

Well, Kim and I saw that the swings were still intact and we decided to take our chances in our old age on the swings that our Form 1 hips wriggled into during break time. Magically my busy career and over 20 hips got into the swing and off we went - making a bag o' noise as we went higher and higher, regaling in our girlhood memories while the men probably wondered what on earth had gotten into these 2 women. And as we mention the men...

Kudos to the men who came to support their wives. It could not have been easy to leave one's Laz-Boy or PS2 or football reruns, and put on a nice shirt and toe pinching shoes to come to an event filled with cackling women, talking about stuff they did when they were 12. But they seemed to bond nicely, formed a nice man clique/bromance in a corner and I think managed to survive what otherwise could have been a very painful evening for them. lol. I think the non-Trini men enjoyed the entertainment as well. Our dancer was really good and in case you wanted to know, she is a Form 1 ARCHIBALD student. As a proud Cavelle past student and House Captain, I was crushed.

But for the women it was great. I think I can say that for everyone. Some people had not seen each other since the final exam, or since graduation, so coming back and rekindling those bonds was awesome. What made it even better was that the teachers who gave us so much during our time at the school, continued to show they care by showing up at the event, to see their girls, how beautifully we all turned out. So big shouts to Mrs Chan Sing, Mrs Dinnoo, Mrs Ramgoolam, Mrs Ishmael, Mrs West and Ms Ramadhar for everything - both now and then.

The amazing thing about our school is that we are winners and that may sound like a grand accolade but it's true. Every woman in that room, and even the ones who did not turn up, has done so well in life. Happy, settled, successful - and that's no easy feat. I am really proud of the way we all turned out and really happy we were FINALLY able to make this reunion happen. And the thing is, even though you may not necessarily have been BFFs with every single woman in the room, you were still happy to see them, happy to hear they were doing well, and that they were blessed with success in whatever shape or form. I know there were some people who thought they would be judged but seriously, it was not about that. Not having a husband, or having put on weight are not valid excuses especially when you think about the real issues other women here and around the world have to face on a daily basis. Man, I put my fat tail in a dress and I went solo and had a fab time. A couple people, the mummies, were so happy they had a really good excuse to leave the popos with grannies for a few hours so they could enjoy a real night out - something they had not had in eons as anyone with kiddies can attest. (not me, but just saying...)

Thanks to the ladies who made generous contributions to the Students Services Fund, which we presented to Mrs Ramgoolam as our contribution to the school that served us so well for 7, 5 or 2 years. I would like to challenge our girls though to show that the girls schools can do as well, or even better than the boys' schools when it comes to mobilising the troops and resources to help the school out. Too many of us out there with skills and powerful networks, man. Even if it is by helping to promote an event or selling tickets or negotiating some corporate sponsorship but the school continues to do great things.

I managed to get 2 photos the entire night, though I know I am in dozens of others. It truly was a great evening and sorry to the ones who did not come - you missed out. But maybe we can do it again soon. Thanks to the US-based and the Aussie-based girls who made what I consider an amazing effort to be here. Shame on you local girls! lol. Thanks again to Denyse for making the event such a success - dinner was great, dessert was sinfully fattening (my diet took a major hit last night eh) and the vibe from our small group was awesome.

Looking forward to storming the UK version of this event next month, and I know the NY girls will get their reunion all planned for Aug 22 as well. I am sure FB will be replete with photos so those of you who have the means and permissions to do so, can check out the action there. For my non-FB readers, take it from me - it was nice. An evening of gorgeous, intelligent, driven women, getting together over old times and some scary photos (Andrea...please NEVER post that photo online. Wow, I was a damn hot mess at 14. Age brings fashion sense).


And I also realised that more people than I thought actually read my blog. I was tickled. Awww...you guys (blush). But you must leave a comment so I know you are here, so I can say oye!

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Back up the Hill

In just a week's time, my high school class will hold our 13 year reunion. Even with Facebook and all the other social networking machinations over the years, meeting up in person will always trump cyber contact. Some of the stories that I have already been reminded of have made me snicker. The infamous "ass of 1995" sign. I cannot believe I forgot about that. Of course you know the sign originally said Class of 1995 but somehow the letters "c" and "l" wanted to go party, and in the middle of a sober moment, because we attended a school where girls were quiet and prim, when the letters slowly slid down the curtain, leaving just "ass of 1995", I really think it was too much for our conservative pretence. I still cannot remember in great detail the food fight which followed but it apparently happened, but thinking about how simple life was back then makes me want to go back there for a minute.

Now so many years later, with some of the girls from that moment, laughing their heads off at a sliding sign now being wives and mothers, and entrepreneurs and career divas, it's awesome to know that we all did alright. That we turned out pretty damn good and that the 5, 7 or 2 year experience shaped who we are - the years of scolding from our teachers, of being told ladies should only cross their legs at their ankles and not their knees, of running half dressed from the gym to science or history class, or eating each other's sandwiches cross legged near the dorm or in the auditorium, or facing the embarassment of being sent under the tamarind tree for all the school to see that we were miscreants. The lunchtime rush to the cafe to buy slices of nasty pizza from Lue-Shue or cherry slushies, forging notes so we could go down High Street at lunchtime to lime, or for the CXC Info Tech class, before Birbal drove up the hill in his green Sunny (saw him at Miami International in December by the way...he has not changed a bit). The retarded way we used to act when we had a lunchtime function and we invited the boys as guests because we were so starved of testosterone that our estrogen levels were off the charts. The silent and sometimes not so silent war we had with that "other girls school down the hill". Through Chaucer, Shakespeare, hydrochloric acid, sin and cosine (yuck), Amerindians and Inquisition, ser and etre - we still managed to find moments to laugh, to be mean and nasty little creatures (leaving soiled items on teachers' chairs) and to make friendships that have lasted longer than we expected.

And now as some of us are at crossroads of our lives, we meet again. It should be a great evening and I cannot wait to see you all. After my football. (I just had to say it). Don't forget your photos and stories, ladies.
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Photo credits: Therese C-T.

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