a not-so-awkward reunion
Alright, so bear with me. I don’t usually write this kind of thing, but I’m feeling vaguely inspired by a blog post I just read over at Recovering Overachiever. I just found the blog via this NaBloPoMo thing, and started reading. One of the more recent posts hit a nerve; I just went to my 10-year high school reunion 3 weeks ago and had a very similar experience.
It was interesting, in that in high school I was what you could describe as a somewhat of a dork. Things have changed in 10 years, and now I’m a much more refined… well, dork. Granted, I dress significantly better; I’m in moderately good shape; definitely more worldly; my girlfriend is gorgeous, funny and intelligent; and I make a decent wage. However, I still work in technology (i.e. sitting in front of 2 LCD panels in semi-darkness cutting code all day), which by definition makes me a dork, or geek, or whatever you want to call it (i.e. unlikely to win any popularity contests.)
And high school was always the giant popularity contest, wasn’t it? How else would we end up with online counterparts like Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, and the venerable Hot Or Not?
My class of nearly 400 people had a respectable showing at the (rather large) Vancouver Rowing Club in Stanley Park; I’d guess somewhere near 100 people. Having had a large grad class, I of course only knew about a third of the people who showed up, and out of those, I must have been friends or acquaintances with maybe half. I was never a social butterfly in high school; though I’m moreso now, it was a stark reminder of my rather isolated teen years.
Still, and somewhat surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the reunion. Being nearly 30 now, and an adult for at least the last couple of years (err, my parents may disagree, but I stand by my statement), I can appreciate talking to people I haven’t seen in a decade. And avoid being offended when all the old cliques end up back together again (which, for the most part, they did.) I did notice a lot of balding, overweight, or generally lecherous guys — good odds that they were same guys who were jocks back in school. ;)
But aside from that, I met a lot of significant others who were (interestingly) cooler than their partners. I talked to a few people that I had never even considered having a conversation with back in school. I was subjected to business pitches, uncomfortable reunions with ex-girlfriends/crushes, and met several people that I’d be pleased to see again, without waiting another 10 years. Hayley made a valiant attempt to be friendly and social among a roomful of people she didn’t know — she must have talked to at least a dozen people, made a few friends who were looking distinctly awkward feel more comfortable, and really made my night. I spent most of my evening looking at her, instead of trying to rejuvenate old friendships. Sigh. She tends to have that effect on me.
For what it’s worth, I’d do it again. It turned out to be an enlightening experience and it felt like a bit of a forum for testing my (supposedly improved) social skills. I made conversation, I worked the room as much as I could, I drank without ending up in a stupour, and actually had a good time. I wasn’t expecting that. At the end of the night, I had a few business cards in my pocket, had caught up with several old friends who I’d lost touch with and wondered about over the years, and managed to show off my girlfriend to a roomful of people.
Life is good.
Glad that your experience was better than mine! I think a little more distance and I would better appreciate catching up with everyone.