The Unexpected

"Sometimes the expected simply pales in comparison to the unexpected. You gotta wonder why we cling to our expectations. Because the expected is just what keeps us steady, standing, still. The expected is just the beginning; the unexpected is what changes our lives."
-from Grey's Anatomy

I have had a run-in with the unexpected this week. It bowled me over, and I'm betting that it will change my life, if I let it.

I was accepted into UCL, and the school year is slated to start this September. I have been getting ready, psyching myself up to face the cold (freezing!) weather. I've refrained from buying tank tops for this summer, and I've started to buy winter clothes instead. For the past few months, I have been anticipating this event.

But that's not even the unexpected part yet.

A day before my birthday, the CEO of the firm I work for gave me some very big news. He has hand-picked me to head a new project in Dubai. Out of all the 120+ employees, he chose me to be the project architect. That's pretty big, considering that at 25, I'll be the youngest PA in the office, and I'll be managing an overseas project. No, I won't be based in Dubai, but I'll be attending meetings there a couple of times this year. I've never been there before, I've never headed a project before (at least, not one this big!), so this is a great opportunity.

I had to decide (he gave me a 4-day deadline to decide!) whether to take on this project, or to continue with my graduate school plans. It was a pretty tough decision to make, because they are both such great opportunities, that it would be really such a waste to let one of them go.

Which one do you think is the better option?
Which one do you think I picked? :)