By HH Mohrmen
On landing at Heathrow Airport, Christine Hayhurst was waiting for me at the exit with my name on a placard. When I think of it now, I wonder what would have happened to me if nobody had been waiting for me at the airport exit. Back then, there were no mobile phones; in fact, people had just started using car phones in the UK, and only yuppies in their swanky cars could afford one. The car phones were so big that they covered the whole face of the caller when he uses the phone. I had a contact number in London, but fortunately, I didn’t have to use it because Christine Hayhurst was there waiting with my name on the placard.
I Was Rich with 20 Pounds in My Pocket
While taking me to their home in the car, my host, who was in charge of my travel, asked me how much money I had. I audaciously answered, “Twenty pounds sterling.” Perhaps she noticed the pride on my face, as she then asked me another question, “Do you know how far twenty pounds sterling will take you?” Honestly, I didn’t have a clue. “It won’t really take you anywhere,” she said, and I now remember that even a simple breakfast cost 5 pounds back then. There were no credit cards or ATM cards, and travelers cheques were out of reach for my family, who were too poor to afford them. So the twenty pounds sterling I exchanged at Delhi Airport was my most precious possession and all I had in my custody.
Upon reaching Christine’s house, I had some food. I couldn’t really tell if it was evening or morning, but as it was my first experience with jetlag, I went to sleep anyway. The morning of my first day in England, Christine took me with her to London, where she worked at the office of the General Assembly of the Unitarian Free Christian Church UK. The headquarters of the Unitarian and Free Christian Church is located on Essex Street, which is also close to Fleet Street in London. I knew of Fleet Street beforehand because of its connection with newspapers and the press, which aligns with my long-standing interest in media.
Two incidents at Essex Hall are etched in my memory. The first was when they saw my belongings and asked if that was all I had. I answered in the affirmative. I had a little over a one-and-a-half square foot leather bag, and they were shocked at how little I had. It wasn’t that I liked to travel light; my entire belongings for my stay in England fit in that one small bag. Inside were a jacket, a few shirts, trousers, and the only pair of shoes I had, which I wore on my feet.
I didn’t understand it at that point, but after staying in the country for some time, I realized how many belongings people in the Western world had—how many pairs of shoes, pants, shirts, or other clothing items they owned to ensure they had enough clothes. People in our country aren’t used to owning a lot of clothes, as reflected in the contents of my bag. To this day, I still try to keep my belongings minimal. Another thing I wasn’t prepared for was the weather. I knew it would be cold during winter, but I wasn’t prepared for the intensity. I arrived in August without any warm clothes, which was fine because it was still summer or rather the beginning of autumn. One evening, after dinner, while we were sitting on the lawn at Luther King House, I was surprised to see light outside even late in the evening. I hadn’t brought warm clothes, as I was unaware of how cold winter could get, so I certainly wasn’t prepared for England’s harsh winter, which would begin in a few months. Eventually, my friends took me to a used clothing store, where I bought my warm clothes.
In the middle of winter my leather shoes were too thin to protect me from the cold winter so I went to buy myself a pair of shoes but was not successful. It turned out that we went to the wrong section. I was able to get the shoe size that fit me only when I visited the boys section of the shop.
Rain in Manchester and Meghalaya
The second incident was when they asked me if I had brought an umbrella, to which I again answered in the negative. It hadn’t crossed my mind that I would need one, or perhaps I was just optimistic. They said, “But you’re going to live in Manchester, the city which receives the heaviest rainfall in England.” When I asked them how much rainfall the city received in a year, they said around 40 inches. I thought to myself, “Now it’s my turn to outsmart the Brits.” When it was my turn to respond, I replied, “Well, you know, I come from the place that receives the heaviest rainfall in the world, an average of 500 inches per annum,” to set the record straight I concluded. Therefore, I said I didn’t think I would have much trouble with rain, and, of course, Manchester would be plain sailing,” I concluded. Indeed, I didn’t even need an umbrella during my entire stay in the city because it was mostly just drizzles.
Simply Copying Others’ Table Manners is Embarrassing
Later that same day, I traveled from London with Rev. John Clifford in his van to Edinburgh, Scotland, where I dined with his family at his residence. But first, let me tell you that I hadn’t had any training in table manners before I left for England, and, dear me, I didn’t even know such a thing existed. The incident that happened at his residence taught me a valuable lesson. At the dining table, I sat next to Naomi, his daughter, and when everything was laid on the table and dinner was served, I thought I would wait for my next move. I wasn’t aware of dining table etiquette or which hand to hold the fork in, or the knife. Caught in an embarrassing situation, I thought I was smart and did what anyone in my position would do. John saw me copying everything from Naomi, including which hand to hold the fork and which the knife. Then he asked, “Mohrmen, are you left-handed?” I replied, “No, I’m not.” He then said, “Well, Naomi is.” That was the first and most memorable lesson I had on table manners, albeit learnt in the most awkward way.
Another embarrassing experience with table manners happened during dinner at Luther King House. The first course was a bowl of soup, which I can’t remember exactly, but I ate very quickly. As soon as I finished, I passed the bowl while everyone else was still having theirs. A colleague at the same table was visibly unhappy because of this. It took time for me to learn table manners and how to use a knife and fork properly. Another interesting discovery at the Luther King House dining hall was that I had to fill my stomach with potatoes instead of rice. Back home, potatoes were considered vegetables, not something you ate to fill your stomach. Talking about rice, whenever it was served, it was always just a handful. Friends sitting at the same table, knowing I came from a rice-eating culture, would always pass all the rice to me.
Revolving Door Experience
Another memorable trip in Scotland was a visit to a famous museum in Glasgow. Two incidents really stood out during this visit. The first was seeing the famous painting of Jesus on the cross, also known as Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Salvador Dalí. What was special about this painting was its unusual angle, with a top-down view of Jesus on the cross. It depicted Christ in a darkened sky, floating over water with a boat and fisherman below. This unique perspective seemed like a modern-day drone shot of Jesus on the cross from above.
The embarrassing incident at the museum happened at the revolving door as we exited. I had never walked through a revolving door before, and with so many people around, I was afraid of getting lost in the crowd. Not wanting to lose sight of my host, I entered the same slot of the revolving door with him, which was meant for one person and bam—we were both thrown out. The security guard rushed over, and my host had to embarrassingly explain that I was a visitor who hadn’t experienced a revolving door before.
While in Glasgow, my host also took me to Loch Ness and told me about the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. The story of this mysterious monster believed to be in Loch Ness is still shared to this day.
