Hornblower Niagara Cruises
Our #crazyrichasians 51st high school reunion. Full of joy, walking for miles and miles, eating, artworks seen all around the city, fresh flowers surrounding you. What a great, healthy, livable, walkable, orderly, clean and plant-based nutrition at most places. Toronto, Ontario. Our host, Seny Reyes Zamora, gave us the red carpet welcome treatment.
She singlehandedly cooked and prepared 8 courses, including dessert, brazo de Arsenia, a very delicate one and went to Chinatown twice to get us our favorites: lanzones, atis, mangoes and mangosteen. When we were looking for more of the brazo, it was magically gone to some other classmates’ tummy. That is how much we loved her cooking! Elizabeth Cortez, another Canadian host, picked up classmate Beth Aspiras, brought turon dessert and led us in a brisk walking of their underground city, 3.7 miles in one day.
Prior day – we walked two miles. All in all this reunion got us into doing something we were uncomfortable with: walking long miles briskly, knowing GPS, and travelling alone by oneself. It is what we challenge ourselves with each reunion – for each of us to evolve and to grow healthier. Some of these lolas aka grandmothers have fake knees, meaning they have now been replaced to keep them moving after the original parts have worn out. Yet, even with their physical ailments, their smiles will not reveal their limitations at all. One is even injecting herself with insulin to keep her blood sugar level, yet, you will not hear her complain at all. Another had an aching back, a prelude to gallstones being an issue for her, yet again, with no complaints and simply kept going and walking. Another had episodes of rapid heartbeat yet, she kept going. Now, she found the right heart medication and no more episodes after this trip to the Niagara Falls.
It is as if God gave us all a challenge and because of our optimism and goodnaturedness, most of the physical ailments got resolved after this Canadian trip. Imagine these grandmas braving the rains, driving 10 hours one way from Chicago to Toronto, and another 10 hours to return from Toronto to Chicago, with a stop at another classmate’s house in Michigan. I am in awe of their fearless, adventuresome spirits! They are strong, fierce, loving women with such generosity of spirits! I am in awe of their bravery and courage, their deep faith in God which fuels them to be optimistic, positive and cheerful. Oh of course, we had 5% drama, but the beauty of being grandmothers, we can choose to be noble so after a temper tantrum (of all issues, Trump as few of my classmates are die-hard supporters of Trump, as some of us are die-hard supporters of Obama), one chose to distract us all by changing the topic and another was so brave, she sat down with the grievance-venting group and got them to change their moods. Since I am the obvious die-hard of Obama, I went to the Trumpie supporter and told her –
“Our friendship will outlast any political figure in office. We are bound by our love for St. Rita.”
She gave me her biggest smile and in our goodbyes, we hugged tightly. We are looking forward to our 9th reunion in Dec. 2018.Thank you for making this a very joyful reunion, my 8th now!