Friends in New Zealand circa 1981-1982

With Anicetas Mejico, Tomassa Balassu and Nenita Juan at Loida's

Cetas, Macing and Nenita were fellow Filipino post-grad students when I was there. Cetas came one year after me while Macing and Nenita were a year or two ahead of me. Cetas was a Seed Technology diploma student from Los Banos while Macing was a PhD student in Virology from the Bureau of Animal Industry. She is also a sis from the UP Rodeo Club. I can't recall which program Nenita was in, but she came from the agricultural school in Tarlac. This picture was taken at Loida's home during one of the frequent Filipino student parties. During my first year in Massey, there were four regular Filipino students and another three or four trainees in different disciplines. No Filipino private students (non-scholarship) were enrolled during my time over there.

Cho Yam Chan and Noeline Samarasekera

Cho and Noeline were my best buddies in Massey. Cho was a business student from Hong Kong. I believe he eventually married a Kiwi and is now permanently living in New Zealand. Noeline is a first generation Sri Lankan-New Zealander. She was a first year computing student when we started hanging out. Cho also became my flatmate when I moved to a flat in Park Road.

Cho Yam Chan with a cast taken at his dorm

Noeline with Das and another Malaysian-Indian friend during the 1981 International Dinner

Noeline and Jim Janse

Jim Janse was a 2nd year veterinary student (first year proper) when I met him as I was a lab demonstrator in Anatomy. It turned out that he is a quarter Indonesian and three quarters Dutch and had more affinity with Asians than Kiwis. So we also started to hangout together. I did vacation in his home in Auckland during the first inter-trimester break.

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