London in 1999 Changed My Life.

In college, I enrolled in a class that would take me to London and a host of literary locations around the United Kingdom. I would love to say my reasons for signing up for this class were for the love of learning, literature, and exposure to other cultures. But I’ll be honest - in 1999 I adored all things Ethan Hawke and this Literary London trip seemed to be the one most likely to provide a Before Sunrise experience.

So let’s get this trip going and see what 20-year-old Mindelynn was like in 1999. The cabin door is now closed, please put your tray tables up and fasten your seat belts, let’s get this plane/time machine back to the United Kingdom, pre Will and Kate.

*Edinburgh, 1999 (before I had a digital camera)*

New Experiences

As I have mentioned in past posts, my parents were great at providing as much diversity of experience to my brothers and me as they could for a family of 5 living in middle America and not close to cultural institutions in major cities.

We regularly enjoyed a variety of community cultural events: dinner theatre, high school choir and band concerts, church productions, etc. My dad stopped at every historical we passed (this is among my favorite trait of his that I picked up). Sporting events were abundant: minor league baseball, college football, high school basketball, and watching any athletic event on television were ways our family would bond. Our family trips would be peppered with museums, parks, and restaurants that were outside the norm of our everyday lives.

Through all this, my parents instilled in me a curiosity for new experiences. My trip to London took this curiosity and encouraged it to a whole new level.

Cliffs of Dover

Stratford-Upon-Avon

Not just one performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company - but two!

*C.S. Lewis Home as depicted in Shadowlands*

Westminster Abby

Stonehenge

Magna Carta

Edinburgh Castle

Peri-peri Chicken

My first high tea experience

the list can go on….

The professors were everything an ambitious, curious, and idealistic student would want. They encouraged us to question, ponder, wonder, and - READ!

I was discovering a whole new world of friends in print - Jane Austin being at the top of this list. All while participating in challenging discussion groups led by thoughtful professors. So many questions were percolating in my mind and all of these new experiences were mesmerizing.

During this month of traveling around the United Kingdom, any type of fear I had for new experiences evaporated. Instead, I discovered the feeling I describe as a “travel high” for the first time.

Since then I have continued to capture this feeling through food, music, new neighborhoods, languages, books, art, ideas, and the list can go on! Since 1999, I have been seeking new experiences no matter how close or far away from home I find myself.

New Friend

This Literary London trip changed my life and, even more specifically, the trip to the British Museum, where, among treasures of the world, I realized a most precious gem of a human who to this day is among my most kindred of spirits.

Our visit to the British Museum was about a week into the trip and prior to this, I was finding myself alone - a lot. I would want to stay as long as possible in the cathedrals, museums, and historical sites, while many of my classmates would rush through the sites in order to find a new place to indulge in Cadbury chocolate. (Nerd Vibe is strong here! 🤓🤓)

During these visits to various sites, I started to notice that there was another person who would meander the sites at the same pace as me. She seemed really cool - way too cool for me.

As I mentioned a week into the trip, I found myself discovering the wonders in the British Museum - I was enamored - specifically with the Rosetta Stone.

I could not get enough. I would stay by the display and listen to the various tour guides walk by and share fun facts with their groups (keep reading future blog posts for more cheap college travel hacks).

The girl who seemed really cool joined me in this. We laughed that the tour guide for the middle school group was our favorite as he was the easiest to understand. Noel and I then went to see the mummies, the Guttenberg Bible, and a host of other things. I noticed she was quiet and we both loved to read all the signage in detail. For the first time, I was not walking back to the group alone, but I had someone with me.

We started to discover our shared quirky sense of humor. At the National Gallery, she showed me different ways to read portraits. I introduced her to Kinder Eggs - while the rest of the group was fixated on Cadbury Eggs (the clear 2nd-place finisher in the chocolate egg category). We chatted about what we were experiencing and had Ethan Hawke and Julia Deply-esk conversations - like the ones they had on the train from Budapest to Vienna in Before Sunrise.

One night Noel and I splurged and we went to see Les Miserables (our seats were in last row - it was great!). During “On My Own” we both found ourselves getting emotional. I discovered that an experience like this is what makes a fun travel buddy into a life-long friend. We were no longer on our own (cliche I know, but one of those times that I found a cliche to be true).

What a gift it was to have an entire month of making memories with a new friend. This was the beginning and life has taken us on quite a journey together. I was able to be her maid of honor and she was mine. Since January 1999, regardless of if we are together in person or in spirit - I know Noel is by my side, and what a gift this is.

*You know it is a memorable performance when you keep the ticket stub for 20+ years!*

New Confidence

*Yes I know, the movie took place in Budapest and Vienna - but I needed to pay homage somehow!*

During the month when we were traveling, we were able to take weekend excursions to other cities. I chose Paris and Dublin. One of the reasons why I chose Paris was to meet up with a friend from high school who lived in Switzerland.

So I boarded the 5-year-old chunnel and made my way to Paris. The weekend was exactly as I had dreamed - Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, food I had never experienced, the Eiffel Tower, pastries, coffee, and lots of meandering. It was perfect. When I said goodbye to my friend, I started to make my way to board the train back to London.

But I couldn’t find it.

For whatever reason, the signs weren’t making sense to me and I was getting flustered. Then, next to me, in broken English, I heard:

“Red Hair Pretty”

Oh no. This was not good. As I turned to see a man, looking back at me - in the way too many women know and detest. I knew I needed to figure out how to get to the train and how to get there quickly.

I went to another area in front of the departure schedule with a brochure, and ticket in hand, I sat down on a bench, determined to find out where I needed to go.

“Red Hair Pretty”

Ah Drat! The guy again came and sat next to me on the bench. This was not going well. I got up with the hopes of finding an information booth. The man got up and followed me, continuing to speak in broken English between his go-to line:

“Red Hair Pretty”

I was uncomfortable, confused, scared, and worried that I would miss my train. Then I found a restroom and went in - at least he couldn’t follow me into the stall? There I could at the least, take a deep breath, look at the info I had, and figure things out - away from the gaze of this horrible human.

I then noticed a woman who appeared kind washing her hands. I asked if she spoke English, explained I was lost, needed to find a train, and that a disturbing man was following me.

This angel grabbed my hand, marched me out of the bathroom, past the man, and took me straight to the train. I got on the train, sat down, and was overcome with emotion.

In the town I grew up, the police officers knew me because each time they pulled me over it was to remind me the white border of the stop sign does not mean stopping is optional. I went to college in a town of 3,000 and that was when the university of 2,000 was in session. The campus police of this conservative Christian school actually spent time trying to track down stolen fiberglass sheep from the nativity each year.

I existed within a privileged class and for my first 20 years of life feeling unsafe was something I had no first-hand knowledge. This was a new experience and I didn’t know how to make sense or even begin processing.

Fortunately, I quickly found Noel upon my return to London and she had the perfect listening ear. In verbalizing this Paris train station nightmare with her, I was surprised to discover that I was not crying, but rather I actually had an attitude of accomplishment.

I had been in a terrible situation and

I figured it out.

I didn’t give up.

I didn’t break down.

I found the angel in the bathroom and

I didn’t let the nightmare ruin my weekend.

This sense of accomplishment was more euphoric than meeting Ethan Hawke on the train back to London (okay - maybe I am prone to hyperbole - but you get the point).

When I say that my month in London changed my life - I have this specific experience in mind. This experience has been a foundation of confidence for me.

Horrible things, like this dreadful man, continued to happen, not only while traveling, but also in life. My trip to London taught me that new experiences that create a “travel high” are worth pursuing, having a lifelong friend with you either in person or in spirit is a gift, and horrible experiences can develop confidence that will last a lifetime.