Homecoming Home Stretch

One more week and it will be December 9, 2006, the date of the Ateneo High School 1981 hosted Grand Alumni Homecoming. It's been a year of seemingly endless meetings and planning sessions but as we wind down, it was all worth it. Last week, we previewed the video presentations and they gave us goose bumps. If you are an Atenean, you would appreciate it. We only have to iron out a few minor kinks and we are all set. Final preview of the videos is on Tuesday. Set-up in the high school covered courts begins at midnight of December 8. Rehearsals and sound-checks will be on the afternoon of December 8 up till the morning of December 9, with various performers taking turns.

Tomorrow, December 2, we go to the Rizal Monument in Luneta to lay a wreath on the school's most famous alumnus, our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. This marks the beginning of the week long run-up to the homecoming. In the evening, we welcome our batchmates from abroad when we host Balikbayan Night at the rooftop of Parc Royale Condominium in Ortigas Center, Pasig.

We had to overcome many obstacles especially when dealing with the very demanding co-jubilarians. They made it appear that they were the ones who payed for the whole thing because they wanted too many special privileges. We raised around P2.5M to fund this party and P1M for our beneficiary.

I expect next week to be the most hectic of all. I'm sure a lot of last-minute problems will come up but after all that we have gone through, "sisiw na 'yan".

I have mixed emotions at this point. I want it to be over. I am excited to see it unfold. I am tired. I am somewhat sad that all this will come to an end soon. I think such is the experience of being a silver jubilarian and it will only come once in a lifetime. This is why I chose to get involved. It is a story I can share with my family.

"Ang Sarap Maging Atenista!"