These men came from the UK, Canada, the US and Australia. One came from Hong Kong and the other from Japan! So Malaysia was chosen as it was central and cheap (thanks currency!)
My husband has had experience organizing these kinds of reunions but it was the first for me. First off, unlike typical men, these guys were very active sending e-mails back and forth. Many queries and ideas were flying months before the reunion took place. As they day grew closer for them to meet each other, the excitement was paramount and old nick names started surfacing much to my delight (who had to reply all the emails!)
The trip was KL-Penang-KL so on the first night of meeting them in person, we decided to meet at the hotel lounge and do some ice breaking over some drinks. I got a little cheeky by sending them pictures of Kajol and Ryan Reynolds, telling them that is how my husband and I look. They were thoroughly disappointed. Poor fellas. So anyway, I was expecting to see a bunch of serious guys who will be preaching about how difficult life was for them and so on and so forth, the usual speech you would get from an older relative but lo and behold, I was in for a total different experience.
That is me reassuring them that I would not get in their way
These was what I learned from them.
1. Age is just a number
They were 55 years old and they acted like 18 year olds. A bundle of energy and never once complained of being tired. Kek Lok Si temple in Penang finally made them surrender...hehehe
2. It is always good to hang out with pals
In their case, it was more than 35 years overdue so they had a lot of catching up to do. It was heartwarming to see them recalling their memories of growing up together. They solemnly swore they would meet up more often. So it is always good to take a time out from parenthood to hang out with pals who know you best.
3. They adore their wives.
As much as how often men would complain about their wives, these men missed their better halves and made sure they bought them enough souvenirs to keep them happy (and also, I believe to avoid being nagged at). Some of them have made the first trip solo and missed their wives terribly but the others were quick to make them forget their sadness by indulging in jokes and banter. Code name for wives were handbags. I hid mine.
4. Persistence goes a long way
The nosy me asked them a lot of questions. Basically about being a young adult in a country that was going through a civil war at that time. Many of them came to the foreign land without anything and family support yet they worked hard and are doing very well now. Not a trace of bitterness was detected when they recalled their struggles to make a mark in those early days. That somehow strengthen their character.
5. Canada is the best country
During the gala dinner, one guy sang the Canadian anthem. Later that night, I made a remark about how patriotic the Canadians were to which he replied that Canada is a country that opens its arms wholeheartedly to those who wish to live there. Life is great in Canada, in short hence Canadians are proud of who they are. Now I am thinking of moving to Canada plus their prime minister is HOT!
6. One could get good education in Cuba and Nigeria
It is funny how our thinking is only aligned to the best education in the world which often includes Europe and the US and never anywhere else. Yet, one guy studied dentistry in Cuba and is now a renowned dentist in Canada and the other guy finished high school in Nigeria and now works in a bank in Australia. Here's hoping the education in Malaysia will be recognised world wide. Fat chance!
7. There is a lot more to wine that what we know.
The older the wine the better it tastes is apparently not true. Many factors like when was the grapes harvest, the temperature the grapes were grown in and other mind boggling facts are actually weighed by the wine connoisseur (one of them is) before it is consumed. I suppose I will just stick with Vodka :)
We don't have vineyard in Malaysia but we have the second best thing called the Toddy Plantation
These guys can sing! I had a crash course on 60's and 70's tamil classic throughout the trip. One will just break into a song and the others will follow suit. My plan of catching up on sleep while on the way to and back from Penang was squashed because of this. But now I find myself humming to the tunes :)
9. Competitiveness
The boys, I call them that because they were just that a bunch of boys who couldn't keep still! were very competitive. They were divided into 4 teams and given names of the houses that they had in their college. A series of activities were outlined for them to participate in. I was served with a petition for not awarding a team with points. It was a signed petition.
10. Photos as memories
Two men from the group brought old pictures and autographs that were shared during the gala dinner and it elicited much laughter from the group as they had fun reminiscing good old days. It reminded me on how important is it to ensure we store memories like photographs and memorabilia of the past keep us grounded.
Memories from yesteryear
The plan to have the reunion took them up to a year to plan and execute. They ensured they were committed in making sure they attend this reunion. They planned their work and family commitments as effectively as they could. Some of them also spent some time working every day. One of them was nicknamed Wifi because he was constantly looking for Wifi connection :P One particular guy flew in from Japan for a two day visit just to catch up with his buddies. It was indeed a sweet reunion
Being an entrepreneur allows me to learn so much and the opportunity to meet new people constantly has somehow widen my horizon. My learning curve is still very curvy whatever that means but I am looking new things on daily basis and for that I am blessed.
