Okay, so I need to tell you this story because it is amazing and wonderful and really really creepy at the same time.
Back in May of 09 my friend Maureen and I took a little trip across the water to visit my friend Nikita in Ireland. I hadn't actually had a huge desire to go to Ireland (my mother is staunchly British and would often wail about the barbaric and unsafeness that was 'the isle' as well as the fact that I specifically was in danger with my 'ethnic airs' as they are also a land of racists apparently. Oh mother. You are the whitest woman alive....), but, I thought that I should go and visit Niki at Trinity while I could. It's always better to see how the locals do it. This was also before I knew I was going to Scotland a few months later and could have saved a considerable amount of money on airfare.
Anyway, so off we went and got on a plane from Toronto to Dublin for the great Irish adventure. Now, our plane for some reason seemed to be filled with old people. I am not being ageist here, it was just a fact that everyone else around us seemed to be over 75. However, happenstance dictated that another twenty-something girl was also on the plane and she happened to be sitting right next to me. This girl's name was Jennifer and we began to chat (if you know me, you know that I cannot go 7 hours without talking to the person sitting beside me and because luck had it that she was born in the same cenutry as I, I couldn't very well not talk to her, now could I?). Turns out that Jen is from Hamilton, the same city that I lived in for 4 years while at McMaster. While chatting, our stewardess came by to offer us drinks (as they do) and I ordered my usual: A Clamato Juice with Ice and a Wedge of Lemon. I know, I am disgusting. But for some reason, maybe it was since I was a child or something, I have had this need to always order this drink while on a plane. And usually only while on a plane. We all have strange neuroses.
So anyway, I turn to the stewardess and say "Ah, yes, I will have A Clamato Juice with Ice and a Wedge of Lemon." The stewardess gives me a look (as they do) so I feel the need to apologise to everyone around me: "I know, it's gross, but I only ever order this drink when--" and here Jen interrupts me (or finishes my sentence, same thing) and says "WHEN I FLY!?! ME TOO!"
And there you have it. Jen from Hamilton also orders the exact same drink but ONLY ON PLANES. It was fate. It was serendipitous. It was kind of gross but to me we were basically soul mates. Bosom buddies. Whatever. That sealed it. Sooooooo, Jen traveled around all of Ireland with us for the next two weeks and we had a blast. But that isn't even the beginning of the weird freaky serendipity iceberg. Not even the tip. Not even just to see how it feels.
We go back home, while Jen stays in Europe for the whole summer. She goes to Scotland and ends up reuniting with an old flame from days gone by and decides that she is going to move to Scotland to be with him. Yes, you heard right. So last month, Jen and I have coffee (2nd Cup, in Hamilton, right in Westdale--my favorite....) and she tells me the sordid tale (not really sordid I just like to throw that word in whenever I can) and that she is moving to Scotland at the end of October. Yes people, she is moving to Scotland 5 days before me and that's not all! What you say?!? What could be crazier?!? She is moving to Dundee! This probably means nothing to you. However, Dundee is like a 45 minute bus ride away from Aberdeen! CRAZINESS!
So, to recap, this random girl I met on the plane going to Ireland and we became friends and toured the country, randomly happens to be moving to basically the same RANDOM place in Scotland as me just a few days before!?!?! Unreal.
So really, this story was not really about Ireland at all but about something that happened on the way there, and ultimately, about Scotland. As all good stories are.
A wee update
3 years ago
