Sandy came to Banská Bystrica to teach conversational English shortly after the revolution. 

Years before, she had followed her husband to the middle of British Columbia, because he wanted to practice healthcare where it wasn’t accessible. The closest town was two hours away. He established a hospital in Vanderhoof for the neighboring communities, provided dental care, delivered babies and managed everything else that came his way for decades.

In 1989, he tragically passed away on their farm. Shortly afterwards, Sandy heard a call in the national radio for anyone who would be interested to go teach English in Czechoslovakia. 

She took the opportunity and headed to a small town in central Slovakia for a couple of years, where she quickly became friends with my parents. 

During the summer of 1990, they visited her home in BC. 

It was their first time outside of Europe, and they traveled across North America on a 7-day greyhound trip. 

New York to Toronto to Chicago to Minneapolis to Winnipeg to Calgary to Prince George