I first visited England in the summer of 1991. I had just graduated from high school and the trip was a present from my family. My aunt and uncle were in London and invited me to come visit. I had no idea that this would be the beginning of my love of travel and my love of Europe. I have several vivid memories of that trip, including arriving at Gatwick Airport and not being able to find my aunt. I almost panicked! Here I was in a foreign country after a long, overnight flight and I had no idea what I was supposed to do! I figured my best bet was to stay put and wait. I eventually heard my name being called over the loudspeaker and I went to the help desk. They gave me a phone number to call my aunt, but even the phones in Britain were different and I didn't have any change. I finally figured out how to use my American calling card and got in touch with her. She instructed me to get on a train and she'd meet me at the station in London. I made it and there she was, waving the Union Jack as I got off the train. I think this was my first real chance to be independent and to figure things out on my own, and I did it (although my aunt made me promise not to tell my parents that she forgot to get me at the airport!)
I experienced so many cultural differences on that first trip: I ate Chinese food in Chinatown; I had my first Indian meal (it was chicken vindaloo and it was delicious); I visited museums and historic sites; I had tea and scones with clotted cream in the afternoon and ate beans for breakfast! We even took a trip to Wales where I learned about their history and language and read Dylan Thomas's poems. Everything was new and exciting and completely different from suburban America. I wanted to learn more and I wanted to go back as soon as the trip was over!
The chance to return came after I graduated from college. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life - would I find a job? What kind? Should I go to graduate school? Where? Or was this the only time in my life when I'd have the opportunity to travel without all the responsibilities that come with being a grown-up in the "real world"? A friend and I finally decided to go work in London after graduation and this started my six month adventure. We moved to London, rented a room in a house full of young people like us near Baron's Court, and found jobs. Who knew I would go to London to become a waitress at a Tex-Mex restaurant? That's what I did, but even that was full of history and cultural opportunities. I got a job at the Texas Embassy Cantina in Trafalgar Square.
The building it's in used to be the offices of the White Star shipping line - the company that owned the Titanic! People came to this building after the Titanic sank in 1912 to see the lists of survivors. 706 of the 2223 people on board survived after the ship hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage from England to New York. I also learned the history of Texas' relationship with England. Between 1836 and 1845, Texas was its own country (the Republic of Texas) with its own president and its own embassy in London. And now I was serving fajitas, nachos, and margaritas in a restaurant named after that former embassy.
There were so many great things about working there: I met people from all over the world. Bartenders from Australia and Denmark, waiters and waitresses from South Africa, Poland, Canada, and Brazil. Cooks from England and North Africa and diners from just about everywhere. Located right in the middle of everything, I walked through the West End and past all its shows on my way to work. I spent free time before work in the National Gallery right across the street. I walked a few blocks to Parliament and Westminster Abbey. I made enough money from tips to go out to see shows or take trips to Bath, Oxford, and Canterbury. I soaked in everything I could while I was there - riding the metro and the late-night buses, eating all kinds of different food, going to the theatre and museums, shopping, getting to know British people.
It's now many, many years later and I'm going back...this time to teach classes in London and use the city as my classroom to learn even more about politics, culture and history.
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