Dress 13 : They met on a train

In early 2005 while living in New York I began chatting online with an Australian boy who was moving to Vancouver, Canada. This was back in the day when there was no such thing as online dating, chat room features like ICQ were almost not cool anymore and people would chat to strangers for fun. Now we don’t chat to random people online for fear they will turn out to be a paedophile or serial killer and most people have enough friends on Facebook to keep them entertained.

Over the course of the next year he moved to Canada, we became great friends chatting through his move to Canada and as the months went by getting to know each other while living on two different sides of the world. It was nice at night before I went to bed to chat with another Aussie riding the waves of living in a new culture who would understand the frustrations of trying to order a sandwich or learning a new train system. Someone who knew the strangest-loneliness that you feel when living away from everyone you know. You truly feel like the only person in theworld.

After living in Canada for a year his time was up and he decided to travel around the East Coast of America and the East of Canada before heading back to Canada to begin his move back to Australia. So we made the decision to finally meet!! He came to stay in New York for a few days and then we had decided to travel by train up to Montreal, Canada. When he arrived he definitely looked like his picture, but now this picture was moving! It was hard placing the voice, the laugh and matching it with the human being moving in front of me.

I think we thought there should be some sort of romantic connection there because of the romanticism surrounding our meeting but I think mistook friendship and familiarity with a spark. We certainly got along very well and had agreat time together. After a few days-touring New York we jumped on the train at Penn Station and began the 9 hour train ride to Montreal.

I liked parts of Montreal but it seemed like a very confused city torn between trying to decide whether it wanted to be Canada, France or America. You would get told off for speaking English, then get told off for speaking French. I did have a wonderful time eating poutine .. then I didn’t need to speak at all! I also enjoyed shopping in the underground city and when he said ‘Woo hoo I’m going bikiniville' I thought he was joking. I looked up and there it as ‘Bikiniville’. When he said next ‘Look they have your bathers’ I was even more confused. In Canada they have a brand called Skye. I never thought I would say Canada is where I bought my last pair of bathers from; they even had Skye written on the bum!

We drove down with another Aussie we’d met to Ottawa and the people down there were super friendly compared to those in Montreal. I tried beaver tail (don’t get any ideas) and saw the Canadian Parliament. On the last night we hit a few bars back in Montreal and when I awoke early the next day it was time for me to head to the train station.

I left my friend in Montreal as he was heading back via Vermont and headed solo to the train station. While waiting in line for the train this short girl mumbled something I couldn’t understand at me and then walked away leaving a suitcase in front of me! Oh no I thought this is what all those travel stories are about.. I’m going to get arrested by the Canadian Troopers for agreeing to take someone else’s bag!!

The girl appeared back in front of me and I asked her whose bag it was. She explained that some lady had left the bag and was trying to tell me to walk around it! It was then I stopped her and said ‘Where are you from?’ She said she was from Scotland and I exclaimed 'I’m from Australia we are the same'! The train was extremely crowded so I asked if I could sit next to her and she agreed. As soon as I sat she offered me a snack – I knew in this moment we would be friends! I don’t think I have laughed for 9 continuous hours In my life, but Trudy made me do just that. We swapped stories that day I still remember today. Once we arrived in New York I asked if she wanted to have dinner, but after being on a train together for almost 10 hours she politely declined.. I think I just wanted to keep laughing and didn't want that train trip to end!

We exchanged emails as she was interning at the UN in NY and about to head back to Scotland. In the years to follow she did move to New York and I had a wonderful time including her in my friendship circle in New York. She was the one to drag me to the gym, have DnM’s over sweet potato sushi and take me to documentaries about penguins in NY art house cinemas. Since she has left the USA and so have I we have travelled all over the world meeting in countries in between. She even took me to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. I think Trudy and I will still be country hopping to see each other when we are old and grey and to this day she still makes me laugh the way she did 6 years ago when we met on a train.

I bought the dress I am wearing today when Trudy was visiting New York a few years ago and we went for a stroll down Mulberry Street shopping with Rachel right near what we call Little Australia (there are two Australian restaurants on the same street). I have never worn this dress before today as it didn’t fit!! I am so happy what a series of chance events lead me to call Trudy my dear friend. No matter where we are in the world I know somewhere out there I have a friend who is just as willing as I am to pack a suitcase and meet me for the price of an airline ticket.

We all used to get stuck on my couch on a Saturday watching re-runs of Americas next top model the shots today are inspired by that … I am America’s next top model –can you see my smize?!

Day 13 :They met on a train

Bought: 4years ago
Price Range:39.95
From: a boutique on Mulberry Street in New York
What I like about it: I LOVE the colours and the pattern. It makes me feel very exotic like I’ve just come out of an Amazon jungle
Tag Info: Made in USA, Belinda, 92% Polyester 8% Spandex
Photo Credit: DWhite