Ch-ch-ch-changes

I write to you today as an official graduate of the Master of Music program in Choral Conducting at the University of Alberta! I've been bragging about this all over Facebook, so it's only fair that I devote a short little post to this newly acquired accomplishment. I'm kidding of course. I want to just say a few things that I have thought about since convocation.

I remember planning to leave for Edmonton to start this degree. In fact, I remember the evening of my departure as if it was yesterday. What a whirlwind I was in! I couldn't think straight. Actually, I forgot one of my best batons...The adjustment to a new city which followed proved to be an incredibly difficult time. Without going into detail, I will just say that the combination of unbearable living conditions, need for surgery, and countless assignments and award applications really tried my character and will power. But alas, I made it.

Where did the rest of my time in Edmonton go? All I can remember are fragments of important events - my graduating recital, hearing Tallis Scholars live, trying rhubarb cupcakes for the first time (an important event indeed!). Everything else seems to be a blur. I bet this is normal. I bet that in no time at all, I will be reminiscing about my days working at the choral library, or writing my thesis on the 5th floor of Rutherford library...Things that I can never do again, but things that I am glad I did. I don't think that I could have made a better choice than to come to the U of A, and I say that with an honest heart. Edmonton, with it's unbearable winters and silent sidewalks, charmed me. In fact, I have decided to live there for another 2 years - a decision that I NEVER thought I would make had it been two years ago. Yet, thanks to the experiences I've had in the past two years, I know that I am capable of shifting my perspectives and adjusting to my environment. Learning this may have never happened had I not come to a city that is so different from all that I know. I guess I learned that yes, I really like change.