We Made It Through the Rain
By Gigi Jacinto-Jones
The pandemic is like Bruno – we don’t want to talk about it. But we can’t help it because it is this horrible, unwelcome, overstaying, in-your-face torrential rain you can’t ignore.
It has not stopped . . . and as it continues to steal our thunder, we are making a conscious decision to laugh, dance and make it through the rain. And on the weekend of August 12 and 13, we did exactly that.
Assumption Alumnae Association Abroad NE hosted the 12th Triennial Reunion in New York with a dinner on Saturday, August 12 and a picnic at Central Park on Sunday, August
As if on cue and in keeping with the theme “We Made It Through The Rain,” there was a sudden quick downpour just before the festivities began on Saturday. Some of us got drenched on the way to the venue but even if our outfits were dampened, nothing could have dampened our spirits that day.
Sr. Lory Mapa and Sr. Gertrude Borres from Philly, along with some local and tri-state alumnae and others from Delaware, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Boston and as far away as Ohio, joined us for the Saturday celebration. We were also joined for the first time by Assumption Alumna, Linda Floirendo Lagdameo, wife of recently assigned Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, Antonio Lagdameo, and their daughter Mayen.
Mig Ayesa, nephew of Ramon and Ching Legarda, regaled the group with his extensive and versatile repertoire. He got everyone mesmerized one minute and dancing on their feet next.
The unexpected treat of the night was Jose Mari Chan, who attended with his lovely wife Mary Ann Ansaldo. (Fun fact: Joe Mari and Mary Ann were the first AMA Missionary couple who were assigned to Japan after they were married.) Joe Mari, despite his sore throat, obliged us and performed a song at the request of Sr. Lory. Not surprisingly, there were several other requests from the crowd for more songs from Joe Mari, and he was gracious enough to sing a couple more songs and even threw in a hilarious joke. His stand-up comedy had the audience in stitches.
The only thing that may have stolen the spotlight from these two wonderful and talented entertainers were the cute umbrellas! We are still in the process of finding a way to fill the demand for this item which is part of our fundraising intiatives.
Nanette Gonzalez-Kaplan and ChiChi Muñoz Lacson did a top-notch job with the catering and décor and their “All Hail” (alcoholic) and “Rain Mist” (non-alcoholic) cocktails were a hit; as were Linden Martinez’s turon and Ching Ojeda- Legarda’s Galliano cake which have become staples and sought after desserts at AAAA’s celebrations.
As always, no Assumption event can be complete without photos galore. There were tons of pictures taken, an abundance of food and oodles of merry making. If it weren’t for the time constraint imposed by the venue, we would have partied all night long.
The next day, half of Saturday’s attendees gathered at Central Park. We laid out our blankets and continued to eat, laugh and take even more pictures and videos. But this time, the rain stayed away to make way for the sun. Let’s hope that this is an omen of what is to come.