Dubai's Creek Park is SLC campus, too.

It was an idea that was long in coming. Once in a while, in my over three years of stay in Dubai, I would cross paths with colleagues and former student in malls and public places. From this accidental bump-ons, we got to know who are here in Dubai or in Abu Dhabi or in some other emirates of the UAE. O, you will never know how exciting it was to meet them here, until you are a stranger in a far away place yourself! With the warm exchange of pleasantries, the small talk would always lead to a suggestion for a gathering with fellow Louisians. Maybe it’s the homesickness, or the need to belong. Maybe it’s the need to anchor our identity with familiar friends and people who share our own roots. Maybe we need a venue to compare notes and jobs and salaries and gadgets. Maybe we just plainly missed everyone. But for whatever reason, thirty-seven products and by-products of Saint Louis College of Engineering decided to gather, a day after Christmas, in the relaxing landscape and waterscape of the Creek Park in Dubai.

It is hardly what you would call an organized activity. In fact, it was a spur-of-the-moment, an impromptu. I was calling the handful of numbers stored in my phonebook to break the sad news of Engr. Ailyn Apilado’s passing and each one of our former students volunteered to send a token amount. However, sending it individually would be too prohibitive because of the disproportionate cost of remittance. If I collect from each of them, we will need to pay only once for the remittance fee. And so we decided to meet at some designated places. And then it clicked on my mind! Why don’t we just take the opportunity to gather in one place at the same time? It will be for a worthy cause and it will be fun!

So I started calling them back and instructed everyone to call their network of Louisians and announce about a Christmas Picnic in the UAE. They soon give me more names and numbers to call. Before I realized it, Engr. Raul Nones and I were swamped with calls and text messages. We never realized how responsive and how alive the SLC community spirit in the UAE until then. I counted up to 60 names and then I simply stopped counting- I lost count! The rest, as they say, is history. We raised more than the expected amount and so, as a group, we decided to turn over the amount to the SLC-PICE c/o the adviser, Engr. Rubia D. Nones so that it could be shared with the other SLC employees who are in sick bay. That made everybody feel good. We felt good for reuniting and rebonding with everyone. And we felt good for being able to share something with fellow Louisians to whom we owe much and who are now in need.

The pictures that accompany this need no captions. Years and years of separation had been compressed into a few hours of catch-up talk and vivid recollections. Same old familiar faces only a little bit more matured (don’t want to use the word “older”). Two Engineers came from the first batch ('84) and the youngest one came from batch 2004. The rest came from all the school years in between. We will definitely do it again perhaps in a bigger, more organized manner. We wish you will all be able to join us next time.

Special thanks goes to the following people: For Engr. Michelle Mayo and Engr. Norilyn Castillo for rounding up their batchmates and providing the photos. For Engr Ed Blancas, (Ex-B.F. of Dean Carisa Blancas, hehehe.) for informing and herding the group in Abu Dhabi. For Engr. Andrew Mifa for his "resourcefulness". For Engr Flor Doctolero for coordinating the potluck; For Engr. Theody Raul Nones for calling up his old students and intimidating them to come (hehehe ) and for his culinary talents. Most of all, our thanks goes to the better halves of Engr Mariano Espenilla and Engr. Jeffrey Jaramillo who were very supportive with their sumptous and mouth-watering recipes.

Here's the list of those who attended:

Ancheta, Edwin
Angala, Christopher
Aquino, Ludy
Bautista, Winston
Blancas, Erodolfo
Borja, Eduardo
Britos, Jesus
Canedo, Angelo
Carpina, Eric
Castillo, Norilyn
Ceralde, Reynold
Delmendo, Crisanto
Doctolero, Flordeliza
Dumo, Rogelio
Espejo, Isagani
Espenilla, Mariano
Flores, Richie
Flores, Jermaine
Fontanos, Wendell
Gaceta, Aries
Gagtan, Melecio
Gapasin, Jose
Guerra, Marlon
Hernandez, William
Jaramillo, Jeffrey
Juganas, Samuel
Loma, Hezron
Marzan, Mario
Mayo, Michelle
Menguita, Hector
Mifa, Andrew
Nisperos, Gilbert
Nones, Theody Raul
Quipotla, Rodel
Sualog, Michael
Tabios, Neil Chester
Zamoranos, Ariel

Thank you, everyone.

... more photos to come in your e-mails.

Please feel free to comment and leave your messages. We will appreciate any feedback.