Lost at Pohnpei

When folks of the same nationality bring their customs to a foreign land, the celebrations are picturesque impressions of home.

The night was still young when we arrived at the Club Flamingo where the members of the Filipino community and guests were already celebrating Valentine’s. Some of the staff of the Genesis Hospital were already there, so we found our way through the crowd and seated ourselves with the group.

One of the events of the night was the selection of Mr. and Ms. Valentines. There was definitely wrong that night when I was chosen as one of the candidates. There were three SDA teachers and three of us Pinoys who were there. I could not recall the names of the teachers, but the two other Pinoys who were with me were Jordan and Jun Jun.

I thought, how could we compete with the backstreet boy image of those teachers?

The host announced the mechanics;

“There is only one elimination round,” he said. Then gave us each a pen and paper.

“Whoever writes the most four-lettered word or more from Happy Valentine’s Day in two minutes will be our winner.”

Boy, that was the fastest two minutes I ever experienced in my life. There was an intermission number first with our friend, Kit leading the dance floor.

The host came back and declared the winner.

“With 24 correct words, Mr. Valentine’s is… Doc Lorenz.”

Lucky me.

Then the dating game started. The girls lined up behind a curtain and were asked three questions each from which I was supposed to choose from.

I chose the answers of an Architect on the island, Ms. Marvelyn. We won a dinner date at Ocean View Hotel.

Jane was one of the contestants, but I didn’t figure out who among the women she was.

We were serenaded by Kuya Rene, the balladeer of Genesis.

What was best about the party was making more friends, crossing boundaries, and breaking the conventional.

The party was a success in my opinion and the inviting dance floor beckoned our feet to jive with the music.

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