When Alvin and I were preparing for our wedding, we were also busy looking for our own place to stay. My parents were telling me that we can live in our family house because it’s big for just LT and Faye that time. My future in-laws were also telling me that we can stay at their place because there are a lot of room for us there. However, Alvin and I agreed that we’d like to try living separately from them. On our own ba. Although we really appreciate their offer and we know that, financially, it will be very advantageous for us, we politely declined their offer. We were happy because our parents understood what we meant and they supported us.
Alvin was a little stressed looking for a house for us. Maarte daw kasi ako. He thought I wanted a big house with a lot of rooms. He thought I was expecting to live in a grand place eh we can’t afford it yet that time. I wasn’t working and most of our savings was spent on the wedding preparation. I told him that he was wrong. Pwera pagka-cheesy, I didn’t care about the size of our house as long as we were going to live together. Totoo yun. I was already 6 weeks pregnant that time. All I asked for basta we have our own room and the maid has her own so even if small lang the house, we still have privacy.
After our wedding, we found ourselves living in a two floor apartment with a total area of 80 square meters. It was small but I loved every corner of it. It was ours. The furniture and appliances there, we bought with our own money. I lovingly decorated that small place. Ang dami din naming memories dun. We were living there when I gave birth to Anika. It was in that house where Anika took her first steps. It was in that house where we heard Anika’s first words. We were living in that house when I got the job of my dreams. That was also the time when I got promoted, twice. We were really happy there. Albeit that the space was really small, it was ours and it was filled with memories. It was our home.
And since we were living apart from our respective families, I always make sure that we are connected to each other. We bring Anika to my in-laws’ house as often as we can. We go out with Wowa and my brothers almost every Sunday. I want kasi Anika to be close to both families since she’s the only grandchild in my side of the family and the only granddaughter in Alvin’s side. My only worry was my dad. My dad lives in Amsterdam. He only goes home every Christmas. Ayoko na hindi siya kilala ni Anika.
Through the internet and it’s various social media, Anika is in touch with her Lolo Papa (my dad). Even if Anika can only see him once every year, she remembers him when he comes home. She became a Lolo’s girl. She loves her Lolo Papa so much and my dad’s super smitten with her. Even if he lives thousands of miles away, we are still connected very much to each other. Distance is not an issue.
They are very close to each other. Anika sticks to my dad like glue whenever he’s home. You’ll get surprised because I can only count in one hand the number of times they have actually been together. Pero pagnakita mo silang magkasama, you’d think that my dad lives in Manila, not in Amsterdam. We are lucky talaga that we have these kinds of technology now: Facebook, Skype, Viber. Anika can talk to her Lolo Papa whenever she wants to and it doesn’t cost us an arm and leg. Necessity na din talaga ang isang reliable broadband internet sa mga buhay natin.
These reliable broadband internet only connects family members wherever they are but also they make learning at home faster and more fun.
Imagine how can you make a toddler sit still for more that 3 minutes just to learn her alphabets? Kung dati yan, it would me impossible. But since we have a strong internet connection that gives us a complete internet experience, surfing the net for lessons can’t get any easier. We downloaded fun apps for Anika. Ayun, she learned her alphabet, numbers and words in a very early age. Ang galing lang talaga.
Mommies like me prioritize on giving their families a home they deserve. Number one na diyan ang connection to all your loved ones, near or far.