It was my brother’s Recognition Day last March 26. He’s in 3rd Year and happens to go to the same High School I went to. It was so surreal. 15 years ago when I graduated from this school, the University of the Immaculate Conception was the last remaining All-Girls’ High School in Davao City. And now they have BOYS in the BUILDING! Unfair!!! Hahaha! Nah… I liked it better when we were all just girls. Growing up and facing your awkward adolescent years sure was easier without pesky boys around.I was able to say hello to some of my old teachers, all of whom are retiring this year. Wow! Has it really been that long? Come to think of it, some of my older teachers back then were also teachers of my mom. Yes, mama went to my school too and that time it was still called ICC or the Immaculate Conception College. During her time, Ateneo De Davao was still an exclusive school for boys. Thus, they had the traditional and “notorious” Ateneo-ICC Soirees. I believe a lot of the sweethearts back then ended up marrying each other (and maybe some already divorced, hehe, ssshhh).
Anyway, although it was exciting to go back to my old High School, I couldn’t really reminisce that much because the building that my brother’s class uses now is not the one we had before. Our building was at the old (original) campus on Bankerohan Hill while theirs now stands at the new Bajada Campus. This was actually the site of the former Retreat Houses. When they began accepting male students in the High School department, naturally they had to expand and make facilities fit for boys. Our old building didn’t have comfort rooms for men. That was just one of the many challenges.
Back in High School, we often wondered how it would be if we had boys in class. Surely our Prom would have been more exciting. Imagine going to a Ball, all glamorously made up and pretty in our glittery dresses, and end up getting jiggy wit’ it with your female classmates. Don’t make me say it. Okay, I admit. It was practically Lesbo-land. Hahaha!
If we had boys back then, my friend Jenny didn’t have to play “Jason” and Zharon & Leizl didn’t have to turn into dykes while singing “Mahirap, mahirap ang maging pogi”. Geez, we actually did stage plays in the true Shakespearean manner. We crossed-dressed for art’s sake!!!Because we didn’t have boys we were practically an all-woman army in our CAT. Basketball was always a funny game during Intrams. And falling in love with the University College boys was natural. In our old building, some of the college courses held their classes on the top-most floor so there were some memorable instances when some of the college cuties managed to tug on some of the younger pink skirts. Whenever the Student Council (that was basically my barkada) planned a school fund-raising event or party, we always invited the college guys.
But even though we didn't have boys inside the classroom, lesbian relationships were rare. We were still princesses in need of our Knights in shining armor. I remember that every afternoon, our classmates’ boyfriends from the other schools could be found waiting at the cafeteria across the street. Well, there was indeed some novelty and intrigue into being the ONLY all-girls school in Davao City. We were after all girls in pink skirts! What could be more adorable than that?
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