In lieu of the usual birthday bash, I decided to use my allocated party money for a worthwhile cause instead. Marlon B., one of my classmates at Grad School, teaches at a small elementary school in Sarrat and jumped at the chance of turning my loud thought into a reality while we were having lunch one Saturday.
"Second week of November would be great," he said.
"Would be great for what?" I asked.
"For your gift-giving."
My spoonful of pinakbet froze in mid air. The thought of foregoing the usual videoke-and-beer party just whizzed through my mind, and here he was, clearing a date for it.
And so it was that I went to a nondescript building to gather all the school stuff that I could bring, including a globe, a chess set, and balls for the small kids. I also invited some of my other classmates to join me.
The event was moved 10 days after my birthday and Raul, my husband, was gracious enough to be my driver and kargador. We loaded everything into the van and followed the lead of Elaine and her husband. (I can drive without help from Manila to Laoag, but I need to have a navigator. And that goes for any other destination. Give me ten forks in the road and I'll miss 9 times out of 10.)
We arrived to see a wonderful oasis of a school in the middle of rice fields. It only had two main buildings and about 70 students in all, from the first through the sixth grade. The "campus" was constantly cooled by a fresh gust of wind, and I was immediately taken by the place.
The teachers were used to teaching in multigrade classes (e.g., 2nd graders combined with 3rd graders) but I told them they were still quite fortunate because the students seemed to be well-behaved.
The children prepared a short program for us, after which we played a few parlor games hosted by my friend Marlyn B. She also prepared snacks and drinks from the children (an unexpected and much-appreciated "love gift").
It was past 5 and time to leave that picture-pretty school. We rode our vehicles to once more drive through the dirt roads. Along the way, we passed several schoolchildren hurriedly walking home. They happily waved goodbye as we rode off into the sunset.
I may not have enjoyed singing and drinking with friends, but the hangover from gift-giving feels much better.
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