It’s a Small World

by William Realon
(as published 4 years ago in MVP)

Sometimes when we are away from home, there can be nothing more exhilarating than to meet someone unexpectedly, especially somebody from your hometown.  I remember number of occasions when I have met people that I know in peculiar places, which made me realize how small the world really is.

Many years ago, a friend of mine caught me holding hands with someone at the beach in Lloret de Mar in Costa Brava, Spain.  Rumors that I had gotten married quickly spread among my friends within our small Filipino community in Heidelberg where I was stationed.

Friends of SWI Class 79 reunited 29 years later on Feb 07 in Las Vegas

A year later, the same woman I was holding hands with in Spain and I were walking out of St. Michael’s church in Waialua when someone called my name.  When I turned around it was our neighbor in Magsingal and also a relative – Starlet Udani with her brother and sister.  We visited them later that night to give our wedding invitation and also found out that Starlet’s sister, Janet, and my sister-in-law-to-be were classmates.

Whenever I meet a Filipino, I am accustomed to ask where they are from in the Philippines. I met a gentleman in Dhahran (Saudi Arabia) in 1990, during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, whose accent sounded like mine.  I made a wild guess that he was from Magsingal.  I was right!  And he was from San Ramon – manong Vic Luczon.  What a delight when you’re away and you meet someone from your hometown.  Your homesickness fades away for a moment.

When I arrived in Alaska in 1997, I visited a friend of mine who helped me get my military assignment changed to Anchorage, rather than the arctic-cold Ft. Wainwright in Fairbanks. My friend had another visitor whom I really felt comfortable talking to right at the start.  Much to our surprise when we learned that we were both from Magsingal, and that her husband (manong GUU) was a retired army from the same battalion that I was assigned to.  We later found out from our relatives that we were also related.

With Manong Steve and Manang Eva (Pascua) Tadique in Seattle, Jun 08

In 1998, I was sitting at Anchorage airport waiting for my flight to Hawaii when a young gentleman next to me called my name.  Even after 12 years from the last time we met, we still recognized each other - he was Starlet’s brother, Wilkins, also waiting for his flight to Hawaii.

The world isn’t really immense after all; the many out-of-the-blue encounters in far flung places are a testament.  Technology has made it even much smaller and the MVP can claim some of the credits of reuniting many friends and relatives spread around the world. So, when parting with friends and loved ones, shed no more tears.  You’ll never know, with a stroke of luck you may well see them again because it’s a small world after all.

Many thanks to the generous folks who created and continue to maintain the MVP website. You made this wide world a really small place to live in.  Hooooah on you all!

Reunited by MVP, Father's Day 2008

Another reunion by MVP, Starlet & family during stopover in Alaska, Aug 08

Met Starlet again 22 yrs later after that meeting at St Michael's Church in Waialua