The Foreign Service Journal, December 2005

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 93 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT many reunions, both in the U.S. and in the Philippines. The alumni page on the school Web site (alumni. ismanila.com ) is well organized. There is also a section for “lost alums” on the Web site, and they seem to make an effort to keep in touch with their graduates. The alumni office produces a newsletter for alumni association members. They had a reunion for the whole school in 2002 in the Philippines, and another in 2005 in San Jose, Calif. That weekend was well organized, thanks to help from the school coun- selor who worked with the alumni office and some of the teachers. The first night someone from the current school community gave a talk. The participants paid beforehand for the whole weekend, and had to make their own reservations for the hotels. Payment was done through the school — the registration fee was $125-150, with a discount for early registration. As one alumna said, “Hadn’t had touch with them in 15 years. Fun weekend. You have a different per- spective from when you were in the 8th grade. … You stripped yourself of all the pre-pubescent cliques. … We had cocktails by the pool: San Miguel beer, and the scenery could have been in Manila.” She added that it was a full weekend with events including a formal dinner, class pho- tos, a group photo and after-hours socializing. The important part of the weekend was “more like discovery — discovering old friends.” Her class had 150-200 students and she recon- nected with some friends. One of the advantages of talking to others who have shared your experi- ence is that you can say things that would be misinterpreted elsewhere — talking about maids and drivers, which was part of everyday life in the Philippines, and not have people assume you are an elitist. She felt it was a relief to be in a room with oth- ers who understand one’s stories for what they actually are. Often it is an intrepid former stu- dent who takes on the task of organiz- ing a reunion. Kathy, who attended a British international school, Green- gates (www.greengates.edu.mx), in Mexico City from the second through seventh grades, got roped into doing the heavy lifting for their reunion. She was contacted via the Internet in a Continued on page 94 Once the party is over, it is still possible to keep the reunion spirit alive.