“It snowed!” I yelled to my cousin Pelma who was still sleeping. It was October 1974.I was only 20. Pelma was 21. We have been waiting for the snow to come so we could try on our new coats and our new boots.
Pelma and I had just arrived in Edmonton from the Philippines five months ago. Our aunt Ofelia Malbog, or Tiya Fely as we call her, who was teaching in Edmonton sponsored us to come to Canada.
Pelma got out of bed and we both watched the snowflakes through our window. Then we looked at each other, ran to the bathroom, brushed our teeth and put on our coats and boots and ran outside with our cameras. We walked around the block taking pictures and sticking out our tongues catching and tasting the snowflakes.
Then we went home, still excited about this new experience. Just then, I thought about how as a child growing up in the Philippines I used to imagine what snow would taste like when I looked at the images of snow in the cards that we get from Tiya Fely, our only relative in Canada at the time. She immigrated here in 1968. She was the younger daughter in a family of nine boys and two girls. Pelma’s dad and my dad are two of her brothers.
That night I sat down at the kitchen table and wrote to my family.
I finally saw and tasted the snow that we used to only see in Christmas cards that Tiya Fely sends to us from Canada. It truly is beautiful here this time of the year.
Wish you all were here.
Love, Lita
My parents and three siblings joined my brother and myself in Canada in 1981. More nephews and nieces of Tiya Fely’s, all of whom are children of her nine brothers, came shortly afterwards. To date, there are now four generations of us Malbogs calling Edmonton our home.
I am now 52 years old. My husband and I have been married for 28 years. We have three children, one of whom is now married and we are proud grandparents to Taylor, our only grandchild…for now, anyway.
