Ever have those moments when you felt really, really nostalgic? I’ve had a lot of those before. But never as intense as the most previous one. I went back to my previous company, Convergys Alabang, to take care of some stuff. I expected to be nostalgic about my the 9 months I was there, but I never expected it can go beyond those 9 months. Nostalgia sent me back to as early as high school. Yeah. Weird.

First of all, I didn’t plan on going back there since the way I left the company was, let’s say, not admirable. Nevertheless, I had to come back for official business so I had no choice. It wasn’t as crappy as I expected it to be. In fact, it’s an awesome way to start the new year.

I saw a lot of familiar faces. Some faces I’d rather not see again (ever), and some faces I would be more than happy to see everyday. But they’re not just “Convergys faces”. I saw faces from college and a couple from high school. It was the ultimate nostalgia trip for me.

I don’t know if it was coincidence, but most of the people I consider my friends from that lovely call center were there when I came back. The lovely HR people. The sweet and caring trainer. The fun and challenging TL. The boys and girls from my former team. My wavemates. The girls I used to flirt with. The girls I used to ogle while taking my yosi breaks. Even other former employees who I used to know were there. Crazy.

Seeing them and talking to them somehow made me regret leaving the company, considering when and how I left it. I never thought CVG Alabang would feel like home until I went back. It was an ugly feeling to regret leaving that kind of camaraderie behind. And the company isn’t so bad as I used to think. And then my old call center buddies told me stuff about the current state of the center, particularly our account. I suddenly felt good about making the decision of leaving it all behind.

I also talked to a “brother” from college. We talked about how things were back in UPLB, and how depressing it is now that whenever we come back there, we come back to strangers and a strange place.

The most unexpected encounter of the visit would have to be seeing a high school classmate who’s just in his 2nd day in training. I thought he went through a New Jersey plastic surgery or something. He looked so different and… feminine. Yeah, I know he’s gay, but back in high school, it wasn’t obvious physically. Now, it’s so in-your-face. Pathetic pun intended. I wanted to ask him if he’s still a homo or just a metro, but our conversation says it all.

Homo HS Friend: Uy, kelan ka pa dito?

Baddie: Uh actually, wala na ‘ko dito.

HHF: Bakit naman?

B: Basta.

HHF: Marami bang cute dito?

B: Dito sa first floor daming chicks.

HHF: …

B: Ay, wait. Lalake o babae?

And you know his answer. The whole experience was awesome, but it lacked one thing to make it a perfect nostalgia trip. Beer.

On that note, I’d like to propose a toast. To the high school laughter because you think someone in your class is gay. To the nightly college boozefests and the hardcore hangovers the mornings after. To the cussin’ rednecks and jive-talkin’ ghetto brothas calling in to make your life miserable. To friends old and new. To the happy thoughts and emo drama. To the good times and the bad.

Cheers.