Tercie

From 1978 - 1982 we lived in Brussels, Belgium. Our apartment was a two bedroom, 1.5 bathroom with a bathtub, a workable size kitchen with separate dining room and a spacious living room with big windows. The view from our living room was the front street lined with big trees. It was on the second floor of an orange bricked building with an old style elevator, and an older couple who lived downstairs serving as the 'concierge' of the building. It was located in the univesity part of town in the capital of Belgium.

Our first ever car was a 3 door A/T silver Toyota Tercel hatchback. It was quite an oddity in a country prevalent with European and American cars. But Dad and I guess Mommy too decided it was the perfect car for our small family of 4.  Dad chose it because it had only 2 doors (with a hatchback) so it meant me and my sister were safe at the back. I remember we would push the passenger seat down so we could enter the back side of the car. 

It was a much loved car we named Tercie. We traveled all over Europe in Tercie, from the alps of Switzerland, the cobblestone streets of Paris, the windmills of Amsterdam, the sacred grounds of the Vatican, the old town of Cologne, Germany to the canals of Venice, Italy.  It was so fun those road trips with Dad at the wheel and Mommy as our navigator. We were just small kids but we cherish those European travels with much fondness and gratitude.

In 1982, we were recalled back home. Tercie was still our car when we lived in Mandaluyong. Dad took great care of Tercie even though sometimes, he had difficulty finding its spare parts as it was one of a kind in this neck of the woods. I still remember Tercie with no aircon but a heater (European winters were harsh) rollling through the streets of tropical, sunny and humid Metro Manila.  

In the 1990s, sister dearest drove Tercie when she was studying in UST. Still handy and quite reliable. But in 1992, Dad was reassigned to another posting abroad. This time to Singapore so it was with a heavy heart that we had to leave Tercie with some relatives. But sad to say, Tercie was neglected as it was too costly for them to maintain. Last time, I saw Tercie it was all rusty and in a state of total deterioration. It was heartbreaking.  I cried so much but Dad was strong yet I knew he was sad too.

So imagine our surprise when sister dearest and I were walking aimlessly in Tamsui, Taiwan because we got lost looking for some historical fort. We came across this silver Toyota Tercel parked along the road. Although it was a 4 door sedan and Tercie was a hatchback. We were so happy we had to take a picture.

It brought back so much memories along with the thought that it was a sign (yes I am a strong believer of signs!) from Dad and Tercie. They are watching over us because we were lost in an isolated place with the bus stop so far away. Some taxi driver didn't understand us and refused to take us to the nearest MRT station but thankfully we regained our bearings and got back on track to the Tamsui MRT station. Thanks Dad and Tercie!