The Road to 40 Day 364/365: ‘First Family’ Trip

We’re off to Vietnam for my birthday trip, which will turn out to be my first multi-day trip with the “First Family” that I had in UST.

Back in college, I joined a political party in our faculty. The Faculty of Arts and Letters was known for having a pretty active student politics scene, which I immersed myself in. I understood that I might not be smart enough to claim top honors by the time I graduate, but I thought I could be friendly enough to at least fill my resume with good extra-curricular stuff.

I was very upfront with my intentions since day one, and actually made friends with a couple of political parties. Ultimately, I joined my cousin and met the wonderful people of the Students’ Democratic Party.

At the time, close seniors took us in like their kids, so there was a big “family” aspect to the friend groups that were formed.

I immediately clicked with my party batchmates, and we still get to connect regularly to this day. As for my seniors, Kuya Ags, was already an alumnus when he took me under his wing as I was running for a position that he held before. His girlfriend, Ate Puch, was in her senior year in Journalism, so he regularly visited the campus.

From there, I just gravitated towards his guidance. Even after they both graduated, we would reconnect together with my “siblings.” While most “families” have grown out of that type of relationship, we continued to have the same dynamics even years after college, hence we dubbed the group chat as “First Family.”

There have been attempts to add another guy in the family (we have three girls), but none of the guys stuck around long enough, mostly because of uncontrollable circumstances.

Despite having this connection for years, I realized we never actually traveled together, apart from an overnight trip to Tagaytay that one time. Back in college, we went on trips with all our other partymates. Later, we would make time to meet up for gatherings.

Last year, Tring and I talked about our 40th birthdays (we both had May birthdays) and I suggested celebrating them with a trip to Vietnam. In my head, it was Ho Chi Minh, our old stomping grounds. However, Che suggested that Da Nang would be a better environment, especially with kids.

The random plan slowly came to fruition towards the end of the year, as we all booked accommodations and flights. It still didn’t feel real until it actually happened.

It’s amazing that in the years leading up to 40, I was able to have trips with my closest circles. This one was probably long overdue, but at least we finally found a good reason to make time for it.

I think the most difficult thing about high school or college friendships is that our paths diverge so widely that we often lose touch because of life happening. Some of us mature earlier than others because of the work environment, relationship status, or filial responsibility, among others.

For this circle, our life stages aren’t too far off from each other. However, we haven’t been able to spend much time together because of priorities during the limited times when we visit the Philippines.

As an adult, it’s the toughest reality I’ve had to accept. Now, at least 20 years removed from college life, it’s been easier because the connections that still remain despite everything feel like they are the ones that are worth treasuring.

Always thankful to have this bunch, and it’s such a privilege to be welcoming my 40th with them.