The magic of reunions

It has been a month and a half since I was in Vancouver and the U.S. but the vividness of the trip still refreshes my imagination and twirls my senses into a tumble of tasty/tactile remembrances. At the center of all the evocative remembering are the precious persons I re-met, re-hugged, re-chatted after years of separation – relatives and childhood friends. What joy reunions bring, and what immeasurable giddiness it adds to one’s sense of being.

A city – no matter how marvelously bedecked with antebellum architecture and magnificent monuments – is just another beautiful place in the world, alien and somehow insignificant. Factor in the presence of loved ones in a place and that place suddenly becomes a sought-after destination. And so it was when I revisited the cities of Vancouver and Richmond in British Columbia. The familiarity of the sites gave warmth to my heart, bolstered by the exuberance of my hosts’ welcome embrace, that of my brod-in-law Demie Tan and his wife Pacita. It was like coming home.

Then, I spent time with my nephew Wendell Tan, eldest son of my eldest brod-in-law Vicente. He was with his wife Barbara Anne, who we all call Bambi, and their two fine sons. I can’t get over the fact that Wes and Wayne -- the junior versions of my sons Irvie and Arvin -- have grown far taller than I. (Bambi is the sister of Kathleen Anne “Kitty” Uytengsu Tan of Leisure Travel & Tours, Inc.) I am happy to know that the boys are holding down part-time jobs as they attend college. I commend the parents for instilling discipline and good values in their sons. Too bad it was too late to go out for some ice cream and share more stories. Vancouver closes down by 9pm. Nowhere to chill out, I tell you!

Surprise met me when I walked into Demie’s office and saw a Sacred Heart School for Girls’ schoolmate, Beatrice N. Chua. She lost no time in calling another Sacred Hearter classmate of hers, Virginia G. Ching. They were a year ahead of me so we have known each other well throughout high school. Virgie and I had a spirited conversation over the phone, as years slipped away while we conversed. Instantly, we agreed to have a night out. The girls treated me to a wonderful Japanese dinner as we updated ourselves on each other’s lives. Time flew and it was quite late when they brought me home.

Another good friend, Rosemary Lim-Law, was my classmate since First Grade in Sacred Heart. When we were in Grade Two, her birthday party was the first party I was allowed to attend. Her father, Sergio Lim Sr., was a good friend of my father, Jose M. Angbetic, so he asked my father’s permission. We daughters became fast friends. Rose was the soft-spoken, painfully shy class valedictorian while I was the speech contestant/stage actor/writer of our batch.

I have maintained my passions, while Rose long overcame her shyness. She is a respected pediatrician in Burnaby, about an hour’s drive from Richmond. A mother of three daughters and a son, she has succeeded in allowing them to pursue their own paths. Husband Francis, a Ph.D. holder, is a professor in the prestigious Simon Frasier University where he is doing a research on “The Efficacy of Herbal Medicine.” He teaches Toxicology, both in the Undergrad and in the Post-graduate Departments.

Yes, a city can be a sought-after destination when you know that people you hold dear live there. Then, that city gains significance and will attain layers of memories over the years, to become a home away from home.

Travel safely to your home away from home.