Life had just begun

The year 2006 brought with it excitement and a sense of freedom. After 7 years of struggle, the framework for all the career plans I had for my life were finished. I completed my 5 year music degree at Dalhousie University in April, 2004. This was a great accomplishment for me after excruciating and seemingly endless amounts of work for 5 years. It was a stepping stone for me that allowed me to pursue the end result of becoming a music teacher, music education advocate, and curriculum developer. So ... finally I was able to go on and complete my education degree at the University of New Brunswick in May, 2006. For 7 whole years of my 25 years of life, my thoughts revolved around all of this. In addition to ending the 'Education' segment of my life, I also closed another chapter of my book. I severed the ties of a long-term (4 year) relationship that we both knew was going nowhere.

Suddenly, as 2006 had commenced, I was feeling great. I had so many options in front of me. Nothing was holding me back. No commitments. Wow ... life was beginning to become enjoyable. I met Michael, my current beau, in the winter and began thinking about where I would now take my life. With a lust for travel and adventure and a heavy load of student debt, I searched out the options of teaching abroad. After endless amounts of research, the idea of moving to South Korea became appealing to say the least. Mike also began to explore his options in SK and soon enough we were making plans to travel to Asia together and embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

On August 17th, we hugged our family and friends, shed a few tears, and boarded the plane on what we thought would be a minimum 1 year travel experience in Pusan, South Korea. Although we were heavy hearted leaving our loved ones, we also enjoyed a sense of excitement and anxiousness. Off we went.2 days later, we stepped of the Korean Air flight and on to South Korean soil. We spent a week in Seoul training and then travelled by bus to Pusan, where we were to live. Seoul was a stressful experience, as we spent most of the time training and working and adjusting to the food and jetlag. Pusan brought with it much more fun and satisfaction. Nothing could have been better. We were working at a beautiful, brand new school, the staff was amazing, they had just got us a beautiful, huge apartment 5 mins from work, the food was excellent, we were meeting people from all around the world, I loved my students, we were having a blast, but then ... BANG!?$@* Everything changed, literally, in the blink of an eye.

I could NEVER stress this phrase enough at this point in my life: "You never know what tomorrow will bring." (And I know a lot of you say this now, but you will never fully understand the extent of it until you are struck with a tragedy).