Post Reunion Report -- NYC2002
Chicago: 2004 Reunion Site
Illinois residents Pete & Edith Paluay, Dick & Lily Abad and Linda Masibay -- all of whom came to the New York reunion -- have graciously accepted to be the coordinators of the event. It's not too early to begin thinking ahead. We'll keep posting developments on our Web site. This will mark the first time our reunion will be held in the Midwest.
Attendance Target Surpassed.
When the Organizing Committee set about in April 2001 to estimating the number of attendees to the New York 2002 reunion, there were negative factors that weighed heavily against optimistic projections: NewYork is expensive; three fourths of Mekong Circle members live in California (a good distance and a large airfare expense) to New York; East Coast members in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were few and far between; the three West Coast reunions, with their high member density, drew from 200 to 280 participants each time.
Thus, we asked ourselves, what's our target for 2002? We settled on 150. Our boarding list for the cruise boat was 167 -- or 17 more than we anticipated. The major draw, we feel, must have been the free, open bar for the entire four-hour cruise.
Who Missed the Boat?
Walter "Ty" Voradeth, our multi-lingual,multi-talented former purchasing agent in Vientiane.
He tells us he was only af ew minutes late. He was almost late for the baci event too. Set for 10 a.m. on Aug. 2 in the Penn Top ballroom, he and his baci entourage, emerged at 9:30 a.m., huffing and puffing from the 18th floor elevator, lugging fruits, flowers, candles, strings, silver platters, hard-boiled eggs and two bottles of whiskey. "Hoo boy," he said, "two hours traffic!" (Should havetaken only one hour from Queens).
Ty is not your typical asylee from Laos. While his three daughters and wife were left stranded in Thailand after escaping there from Laos, Ty was plotting how to get them to the USA. After OB terminated its activities in 1975, he stayed to oversee the severance payments of OB's Lao employees. The new Lao government, short on local skills, employed him to manage the budgeting chores at the Ministry of Public Health. Escaping to New York, he promptly applied for asylum, obtained it, then successfully applied for his wife and three daughters. One daughter has a Filipino boyfriend. The ties that bind endure.
Dancing Lamvong The Correct Way
Bob Monserrat, former OB agriculturist, now living in Seattle, Wash., was weaving in and out of the line of lamvong dancers aboard the Paddlewheel Queen. He was pulling the men into the inner lane, and pushing the women to the outer lane.
"In, out! In, out! In, out!" he was commanding. He was right. The lamvong is not danced in single file. Men and women dancers face each other. Thirty years not doing the lamvong is no excuse to forget this rule.
Looking For The Familiar
When former OB accountant Red del Rosario went to pick up former OB social worker Ciony Agbayani Ljungar at the airport, he was aware that almost three decades have passed and faces have changed. So his instructions to Ciony were clear: "Look for a guy who is kuba, walks with a pronounced limp, and uses a cane." Red was none of these. Ciony fell for it.
Another true story: At the reception, Red is wearing the name tag of Fred Mendoza (our reunion coordinator in Manila). Former OB accountant Tony Victa comes to shake his hand and says, "Hey Fred, kumusta. I'm looking for Red del Rosario. Where is he?" Hey Tony, your eyesight and your memory are fading as fast as your hairline.
Who's Got The Most ?
The Organizing Committee set a rule that no committee member can win any of the prizes, no matter how deserving.Nonetheless, in the heat (and din) of the competition aboard the boat, the rules went overboard.
Committee member Sas Sayong won two prizes: the participant with the most grandchildren attending (4) and the participant with the most members attending (7) -- all family members. As a former OB accountant, Sas knows what numbers really count, namely, his genetic code which has been passed on to two generations.
Where's The Dramamine?
Poor nauseous Linda Mendoza, former OB nurse, who stayed mostly hunched over the rail on the upper deck. Hey Linda, we assured you New York's East River was no ocean, therefore no waves. Here's another promise for the 2004 reunion in Chicago: its Lake Michigan is a lake, therefore we promise you no waves.
Going, Going, Gone, then Haggle
The two Leila Lareza original watercolor prints that were auctioned were donated by former OB architect Joe Barcelona, who now lives in California and who attended with wife Jojo.
Marie Aguilos, former OB nurse, and Puring Dejesus, former OB Controller, haggled over who won the "Hmong Woman" print. Marie graciously gave in because Puring had also won the "Lao Villager" print. The two prints did go together. The third watercolor print by former OB artist Bert Sobrevinas (who attended with his wife Irene from Toronto, Canada) was won by former OB nurse Becky Ciborski.
Our Other Winners:
Who came the farthest: Felix and Nilda Valera from Iloilo, 7 km farther than Vitoy, Joji and Josel Naranjo who also came from Iloilo.
Youngest attendee: 11-month-old Patrick Reyes Hillmeyer, grandson of former OB agriculturist Bert and former OB nurse Melanie Reyes.
First registrant: Lydia Palma from Seattle, Wash.
OB photo contest: Joe Barcelona. Joe's list of names for the 30-year old photo missed one person and misidentified one first name. But what the heck, after 30 years, whose memory is perfect?
Who was the oldest attendee: OB dentist Bac Bacordo, 78 years old (17 of which were spent in Laos, from 1958 to 1975).
