I missed the date when I was supposed to celebrate my 10th anniversary (if I may call it that way) of my arrival here. But August is not over yet and must be the reason why I suddenly thought about how many years I’ve been living in this country so different from where I came from. And Ack! I was amazed to learn that I have been living here for ten years. That’s right, it was August 7, 1999 when the plane I boarded on landed at the airport called Landvetter and the day I realized I was thousands of miles away from my family. Ten years have passed by, unnoticed yet documented in my mind. The first year was kind of struggle when I studied to learn Swedish the first time. I felt like a preschooler who’s starting to learn the alphabet. But it was worth the struggle. The language is like a key to get into the society and I learnt to live with that.
Times are a changing (so goes the line of a song) and now is different from what I experienced ten years ago. Every year thereafter was a treasured memory concealing the first. But the first encounter is always the sweetest to recall, no matter how and what it was. The pictures below were my first blah, blah ten years ago.
my first snow encounter
my first classmate - swedish learners
my first Swedish teacher
my first Swedish class encounter
my first elephant encounter
The last one was actually my first visit to a Swedish zoo. I have never seen an elephant in Davao so that was my first real view of the mammal, lol!. I can’t recall seeing one in Manila Zoo either. Anyhow, life is full of astounding and surprising encounter but the first could not be put to oblivion, just like all I had ten years ago.
Oh those photos remind me a lot of the photos of my wife when she was studying in UK. She kept hundreds of them. She has her photos in snow too. She misses UK.
Those are memories right?
.-= willie´s last blog ..Kolej Sains Kesihatan Bersekutu =-.
Willie, I’m glad that your wife had such a wonderful experience to reminisce. I’m sure she does and she always have the pictures to keep her memories alive.
Yeah ang ganda nga talaga balikan ang masasayang nakaraan at sarap ulit-ulitin kung pwede lang. But time and some people change in different ways.
.-= Joy´s last blog ..Wrinkle worries =-.
Hahaa, Joy, siguradong naalala mo pa rin ang mga unang araw ninyo diyan sa Australia.
It sounds good to remember old days. These are such unforgettable memories. Thanks to share with us.
Yes, it is. I can’t be more happier remembering those days.
Ako ay hindi pa nararanasan ang kahit ano diyan.
.-= Ridiculous blogger´s last blog ..WordPress 2.8.4 now available =-.
Pero sigurado namang may naranasan ka na di mo malilimutan. 🙂
Ako naman meron kahit paano, pero isa lang, yung sa elephant haha, at sa Manila Zoo.
10 years ka na pala dyan Marlene. I wonder where I was ten years ago. Hmm, nagtuturo pala ako nun, it’s fun remembering those days.
Wow…how fast time flies huh? It’s always nice to walk down memory lane once in a while. But I esp love the pic of snow. Miss it so much! It only rains like mad here!
.-= Rozella´s last blog ..Music Monday – Ms. Jackson* =-.
Rozella, before I was delighted to see snow but not anymore now that I must go out even on rainstorms.
Time says – I will come back again & again. Enjoy !!!
And that’s what I was doing for the past few days – going back to memories of the past.
Wow! Ang tagal mo na pala jan and what a flash back. It’s good you still have those photos.
.-= Raquel´s last blog ..BPI Frustrating Service =-.
Pahabol….I like your layout talaga. Ang linis…I don’t like mga abobot kase. I also like your comment.
Hmmm, maki email nga kay Amor. 😉
.-= Raquel´s last blog ..BPI Frustrating Service =-.
Raquel, oo nga, di ko nga nafeel na 10years na pala ako dito. Hindi pa digital cam ang mga pics na yan, hahaa!
There is not any watch to catch the time.
.-= Surender Sharma´s last blog ..Do you Dream of Creating a Massive Blog =-.
Yeah, that’s why I almost forgot that day. 🙂
wow, ang talal mo na pala diyan sa sweden. the first year is always the hardest one pero after that, okay na.. maanad na ka. should i say, happy anniversary? 😀
.-= Reesie´s last blog ..The Drive to Crested Butte =-.
Hahaa! Di nga ako sigurado kung matatawag bang anniversary ito. Thank you na rin.
sounds like a pleasant trip down memory lane for you, remembering wonderful snippets of memories. and those are great pictures.
.-= liferamblings´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Variegated Bougainvillea =-.
Yes, it was looking at those pictures again. I had a good time with those memories.
Picture are the best to remember older days. When we see these they remind us those older days which we had spent with our friend and relatives.
isang dekada ka na pala. Nice to see old pictures lalo pa pag mekhang nene ka pang tignan. Naalala mo din paano mag aral ng swedish language paanong pilipit ng dila mo parang kami dito.
Ako naman nakakita na ng elepante sa Manila zoo kaya lang malnourish sila dito gand ang condition nila.
Ganda ng theme malinis at simple as usual. Iba talaga pag may alam sa webdesign.
.-= Ana´s last blog ..Bitchology =-.
Ana, ang tagal ko na nga pala dito. Di lang mukhang nene, ignoy pa pati. Oo, at tumatawa nga ako kapag nagsasalita ako ng swedish kasi parang ang kengkoy pakinggan, hahaa!
May gumawa sa theme na ito para sa akin. 🙂
look in the faces you hide over there in pic three. You try to play safe. 🙂
-Shanker Bakshi
.-= How To Make Money With A Blog´s last blog ..Happy Birthday Shanker Bakshi dot Com =-.
Hahaa! That’s my teacher hiding. The lady in red is…me!