Ok fine, I'll admit it, October 26, 2002 is a date in my planner with drawings and highlights. I was really excited about the Poveda-Xavier Interaction for a lot of reasons. I guess being with the boys is something I do not do everyday so it is just natural for me to be excited. But along with the excitement came mixed emotions of nervousness and anxiety. I thought, what if I step on them or what if I say something really weird and I'll be so embarrassed? Those scenarios played in my mind a lot before the interaction. Thus, the day of truth came. I realized a lot of things about the boys and girls.

     I was fortunate enough to be in the registration table. I got to see the boys before anyone else. I remember my amusement in watching them come in. They got out of the car, pulled their pants, straightened out their shirts, touched up their hair and brought their cellphones out. They all did that! It was funny to see them primping and know that they were nervous too. Boys are a lot like girls. They are very concerned about how they look and how to act when around girls. They huddle themselves in groups and whisper their assessment of the situation while trying to look cool. I guess they were just worried about the same things that I was worried about. I realized that it wasn't only the Xavier boys who act that way, but all boys do. They do whatever it takes to look and act good. (I don't know if it is to make them feel good about themselves or just to impress the girls.) They feel the need to be "in" and to be socially accepted. Though the boys in general do not talk much, it doesn't mean that they are less sociable than girls. They just do it in another way, I guess.

     On a deeper note, I also found out that the Xavier boys have cliques too just by looking at the groups (barkadas). You see the quiet group and the loud group. You get to feel who was popular and who was not. As snobby and superficial as it may seem, it's true. Just like here in Poveda, your friends are who you are and where you are socially. Finally, I can say that boys in general have their own set of insecurities and the ever pressing need to fit in.

     Through this interaction, I learned a lot about boys and how they relate to girls, but more importantly, I learned some things about myself as well. One is that my shyness just disappears. I can talk to them in an easy manner and not be conscious all the time. Another is that boys are half of the world's population. There is no escape, once I am out of Poveda, I will be with them on a regular basis. It is nice to know that I can relate to boys and develop friendships with them as well. I now know that boys are great to have as friends and I am thankful to God that He created them too. Life would be dull without them. Boys- can't live with them, can't live without them.

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