I arrived in Barcelona on a pleasant spring day and heaved my luggage up three flights of stairs with help from the landlord. I had little idea of who I would be sharing the apartment with, hoping and praying that whoever it was, they would be confident, interesting and like me, that they would have a passion for arts and culture.
I met Karine, a fiery redhead who says what’s on her mind and who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Equipped with a French accent, Canadian birthrights and a damn-straight attitude, this lady is on a roll. But things weren’t always smooth sailing for Karine.
A number of years ago before boarding a bus in New York City, Karine had a strange thought about the tyre of the bus blowing up. Minutes later, while on board, the tyre exploded resulting in the death of the driver and numerous other passengers. Despite several injuries, Karine survived.
Since then, Karine has been on a life-changing journey – one that challenged her physically and emotionally. After the accident, she spent months plagued by guilt and fear and didn’t want to leave the house. I met her at a time in her life when she had conquered that fear. In 2013 she made up her mind to travel, to live her dreams and to explore despite the trauma of the accident that often replayed in her mind. She made peace with the fact that life is often out of our hands, that we cannot control everything and that what happened to her should not hinder her journey, her dreams and her destiny.
Karine’s story no doubt made her stronger – stronger as a person and stronger as a writer. Her power and radiant energy is miraculous, given her past. She certainly isn’t afraid anymore. She’s a fiery lady on a trip to success. And her story most definitely motivated me to take my writing into my own hands for there may be no tomorrow and we never know what impact our words can have on others.
Write out of love for others, write now.
This post is an entry in the “Win a Trip to TBEX Contest” sponsored by WeHostels, Webjet, and TBEX.
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem is the founder and main writer at The Museum Times. She works as a university lecturer by day and is an avid travel blogger and arts and culture enthusiast by night. Elizabeth started The Museum Times out of the need to give smaller, lesser-known museums more exposure.
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Wow! What an amazing story of an individual who wouldn’t let something bad that happen to her hold her back! Karine’s story is a true inspiration that we can’t live in fear because that will get us no where! Thank you so much for sharing her interesting story and for entering our TBEX contest! Good luck 🙂
Thanks so much Jenna 🙂 Really appreciate your comment and I’m so glad you liked the story! Karine most definitely is an inspiration.
This is a fantastic meeting for you both. Karine comes from the same city as me. She and I have some exchanges on twitter. I know that she is a nice person, that went trough a lot, and now going on forward her dreams. An inspiration for me and many others.
Most definitely! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post 🙂