I came to Edmonton in May 1997 with my daughter to join my ex-husband. He was a Ph.D. student.
The city was lovely. My son was born there and I made some friends.
We moved to Toronto in 2001. The city was big and I felt lost.
The living cost in Toronto was high. We could not afford daycare unless I found work. I did. My kids had a very enjoyable childhood there. My daughter was in the gifted program and my son was always happy.
But my marriage fell apart in 2002. When things got tough, I reached out for help through all the channels I could find: friends, family, church, counseling, lawyer, everything.
During the process, I found two activities that I truly enjoyed:
A wonderful organization called Toastmasters. I joined Thornhill Toastmasters in 2003. I missed only 3 meetings in a year and I won 6 certificates plus a little Smile Award trophy. I loved it and I wish that I had known it sooner
A place where I could go dancing every Saturday. It was organized by a dear friend Yong Wu who is now running for the city councilor. Go, Bill, Go!
Those two weekly activities kept my mind sane and body fit. I remember driving 30 km just for a night of dancing and loving every minute of it!
In August 2004, I moved to Montreal for my Master's degree at McGill. I gradually fell in love with the city and eventually made it my home.
Life in Montreal opened another chapter of my life.
A beautiful one!
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