“Everywhere I travel, tiny life. Single-serving sugar, single-serving cream, single pat of butter. The microwave Cordon Bleu hobby kit. Shampoo-conditioner combos, sample-packaged mouthwash, tiny bars of soap. The people I meet on each flight? They’re single-serving friends.” (Fight Club, 1999)
Single serving friends are important. I think they are a crucial and necessary part of life, though I think it was meant as a negative in the movie. I have had many amazing single serving friends who I miss and appreciate.
A year after I graduated college, I was working my first grown up office job and doing my best to not get fired. Me and a few college friends had always wanted to travel together so once we had enough money we decided to do a little Europe trip.
A few of the girls wanted to go to Ireland and then meet our other friend in London. I wanted to go to Amsterdam so I decided to do a little solo trip. I would fly to London and get a connecting flight to Amsterdam. It was much cheaper than a non stop flight. I would spend three nights there and then head back to London to meet up with the rest of the group.
My flight was scheduled for a Friday night, I would get to London in the morning and then a quick connecting flight to Amsterdam. The Friday I was scheduled to leave was the day the Paris Attacks happened. It was a series of coordinated terrorist attacks that left 130 people dead and hundreds more injured. It was heartbreaking. Whenever something like this happens you can almost hear everything come to a screeching halt.
Somehow, my flight wasn’t canceled or delayed and I proceeded with my trip. But it was weird. There were TVs everywhere flashing with the news. People were talking about it in hushed tones. They were checking their phones for updates and reports. As I got closer to the airport, you could feel the tension in the air. Everyone was holding their breath. It seems when a terrorist attack happens, people get a little nervous about flying, especially in New York. Obviously. So by the time I got to the airport, everything proceeded as usual but if I’m honest, I have never seen people in an airport be so kind and patient with one another.
Anyway, I boarded my first flight that night and landed safely in London. I had a little less than an hour to get to my connecting flight. The airport was chaotic but everyone was very kind and let me cut lines and scurry my way through the terminal. Then I found out that my connecting flight is out of a different terminal so I had to take the airtrain to the next terminal. I got on the train and waited…but the doors never closed.
Ten minutes passed, twenty minutes passed, thirty minutes passed and then they finally told us to get off the train, that the other terminal was closed. I accepted that I was going to miss my flight and panic set in. I went to the ticket counter, waited in a long line only to find out that the next few flights were completely booked. The earliest I would be able to fly out would be the following afternoon. It would also cost an additional $300. Way out of my budget.
On the verge of tears, I asked the counter attendant if there was another way I could get to Amsterdam that day. They suggested I take the Tube (very British) to Kings Cross Station and try to catch a train. So I started my journey to the train station. I was terrified and stressed but I was determined. I got to the station (which was beautiful by the way) and finally found the ticket office I was looking for. They said the next train to Amsterdam wasn’t leaving until the next day and it would be $75. Cheaper than the flight but still too expensive for me at this point.
Again, almost in tears, I asked if there was any other way to get to Amsterdam and they said they didn’t know of one. So I went to a coffee shop, got a snack and a coffee and tried to regroup. After a little searching on my phone, I found that there was a bus that went to Amsterdam. There was one leaving at 9pm that night, I just had to get to the Victoria Bus Station. The bus ride was going to be 14 hours long, it would be overnight but it would get me there by the morning and it was only $35. Score.
Back on the Tube I went and found the bus station. I successfully bought a ticket and was feeling very proud of myself for conquering that little hiccup. What would be my first Europe trip without a meltdown in the first 24 hours? I survived and off I went.
I was finally on line for the bus. Someone asked me if the bus was going to Amsterdam and I said yes, I really hope so. The girl behind me perked up instantly. “That’s the first American accent I have heard all day,” she said. “Oh my god, you’re the first American I have heard all day too,” I exclaimed with relief. We bonded instantly.
She was studying abroad in London for the semester and she was taking an overnight trip to Amsterdam just to explore the city. She was from Minnesota and she was absolutely hilarious. We hung out the entire bus right (yes, all 14 hours). We made some other friends along the way. We bought wine at a little convenient store we all stopped in, and sipped it like we were old pals that had much to catch up on.
At last, we arrived at Amsterdam and went to the hostel that I was staying at, dropped our bags and set off for the city. We figured out the local train, went to museums, coffee shops, walked the Red Light district and enjoyed some drinks. At one point, we actually split up to see different monuments and then came back together to have dinner and find another coffee shop.
Then, it was time for her to catch her bus home. She grabbed her bag from my room and I walked her out of the hostel and we gave each other a big hug and wished each other well. We didn’t exchange numbers or contact information. I don’t even remember her name. But for those 24 hours we were best friends. Instant friends. Single serving friends.
It’s not sad. It’s important. Meet as many people as you can and absorb everything they have to offer. Learn from them and laugh with them. Enjoy life together. You don’t have to know each other for years to be vulnerable and open yourself up to possibilities. I will admit that I missed her as soon as she left and I think about her often. I hope she is doing well.
I walked back up to my room, absolutely exhausted from the last two days. I had barely slept. I hadn’t opened my suitcase since I packed it back home. I sat on my bed and went to call my dad, and as I looked down at the sheets, I noticed…bugs. Bed bugs. I called my dad, cried, and slept in the bathroom that night. Apparently my adventure was just beginning.
