Episode 3: 365 days and counting

It's funny how it took almost a year to post a new episode.

Forgive me as I will be quite general throughout the length of this "episode." This will provide me lots of room for "specifics" that would come in later ones.

It's been over a year now since I've come here. I don't even know where to start. So much has happened. So much has changed, and yet, so much has stayed the same. This entry is sort of a preface to the upcoming "episodes" as I would put it, regarding the different MAJOR events that had occurred during the year's span I've been here.

It was on the 1st of April I celebrated my 1st year anniversary here. This day proved to me once more how time flies incredibly fast. It was initially hard to believe all the things that I went through, all the endeavors I underwent, and all the hardships I endured.

But at the same time I felt a sense of accomplishment. A sort of peace of mind. A sort of pat on the back telling myself how far along I've gone - away from home, my home.

Yes it's been a year now - this day serves as a monument - a monumental day that stands as a margin. A margin that rids me of excuses of the so-called "ignorance" I brought with me when I first came here.

It's 365 days, AND counting.

Episode 2: Settling Down

Nowhere else to go, my Dad, who was the only one with me at that point, decided to "live" with my Aunt who just about arrived a year before us, for now.

It was a simple apartment - a place to eat, sleep, and bath, nothing more, nothing less; but more than anything, it was my first "home." My uncle, who happened to be just about a year older, was the first person whom I considered my "peer." Let alone, a first friend, who also happened to be at work most of the time, or sleeping.

I practically only had one thing with me that kept me sane - my dad's laptop. TV wasn't much of a luxury mainly because it was broken at that time. And that one thing I had sadly led to countless disputes as to who would use such a marvelous piece of technology. In other words, my dad made sure that I didn't call it "my dad's laptop" for nothing.

It was basically boring by default, as I desperately (ab)used the internet much to my satisfaction. And chatting with my "peers" back at home, never felt THIS compelling.

Food was surprisingly abundant, as I had no worries of leaving some for my siblings or whatnot;it therefore allowed me to gain a substantial amount of weight over a short period of time. Surprising indeed.

I slept on the sofa, which by the way is pretty comfortable for just a sofa. I developed a liking to it, which eventually led to my constant declining of bed or sleeping bag offers. Back in my country, I've always wondered what the hell bed bugs were since you always hear them say on TV "don't let the bed bugs bite." - now I know.

Not the best of places, and certainly not the most non-boring place to be, but this was my first "home" away from home, all the way from home.