Spring in Amsterdam with the Whole Family (At Last!)

Thirty years ago, my father was sent by Philippine Airlines to Amsterdam to learn how to maintain the Fokker 50. It was his first trip outside of Asia and his first time away from the family for longer than a week. Long-distance calls cost an arm and a leg in those days and even dial-up internet was unheard of where I live. I remember our jubilation when he returned, lugging a ton of Van Houtens and pictures of him and his colleagues amid the miniatures of Madurodam. It all seemed so faraway and foreign.

Fast forward to 2018 and…

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Here we all are!

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Well, at least technically, we were all there; I was just on the other side of the phone, taking the picture.

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Like coming full circle.

I didn’t realize it till now but Amsterdam has been the setting of so many of our firsts: my father’s firsts that I mentioned above, my mum and H’s first European city, my first taste of winter back in 2014, and now the first taste of spring for all of us.

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It was also in Amsterdam where I had my first taste of goulash — it was seriously good, which is why I remember it till now, even though it was served out of a stall in a styrofoam cup — and it was also the stage for my first attempt at busking (world concert tour coming up next). Amsterdam’s been good to us as a family.

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(More notes from our adventures to come!)

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