It is Possible to Get Lost Walking on a Straight Road

I would like to apologize for waiting so long between updates. My classes and daily life have been keeping me busy. I had planned on writing an update last weekend, but shortly before I was going to begin, my computer decided to quit working. I told my roommates what had happened, and luckily for me, Ana's friend's (Laura) boyfriend works in the computer industry. We called him to see what we could do and we could bring it to the store where he worked on Monday. This was Friday.

When Monday came around, we were too busy to go to the store after class, so on Tuesday I asked how get there on my own. Ana told me it was just down the street from our apartment. I was about to leave when she told me to wait, and she called Laura to see if her boyfriend was working. He was, and everyone decided it would be easier for her to show me where it was. Ana gave me the directions to Laura's apartment, which is about two blocks away. Figuring that I would have no problems, I set out in search of her apartment. I should mention that now it is after 7:00 and dark out. It took me about 20 minutes to get to her building because I got slightly turned around while walking. When I finally arrived, she took me to the store to see if it were possible to fix my computer. They agreed to look at it and give me a call if and when they could do it. Unfortunately, I still haven't memorized my phone number, and didn't have my cell phone with me. Laura had hers and was able to look the number for my apartment. We left the store, crossed the street, and walked a short block until we were at a corner with a bookstore. At the bookstore, she pointed me down a road that was slightly to our left and told me that by going straight down that road I would arrive at my apartment. Having been in that area before once or twice, it seemed fairly straightforward. I arrived at my apartment in about five minutes.

About an hour later, the store called and told me they had fixed my computer and asked if I would like to come get it. This was about 9:00pm. I left and made it back to the store without any problems. I collected my computer and headed on my way. I stayed on the right side of the road and forgot to cross the street by the bookstore, only remembering that it was a straight shot from the store to my apartment. The problem with this was that there were two roads, one that went slightly to the left (the one I should have gone down) and one that went slightly to the right. Because I hadn't crossed the street, I was on the wrong road. I continued down this road until I came to a fork in the road. Remembering from my previous journey that at one point I had to go left, I chose that fork. This was a fairly residential area, so everything looked the same. I saw a traffic circle up ahead, and figured I was on the right track, because there is a traffic circle on my street. Upon arriving at the traffic circle, I realized that I didn't know where I was. This traffic circle didn't have the familiar signs pointing me to the main tourist attractions. I notice a busy street a couple of blocks away on my right and thought it was probably my street, figuring that at the fork in the road I should have gone right instead of left. I walked to the street and discovered that it wasn't my street. Instead of backtracking the way I came through the residential area, figuring that I had a greater chance of getting lost there, I headed up the street. After walking several blocks, I realized I had no idea as to where I was. Had I actually decided to backtrack I wouldn't have ended up anywhere near my apartment, because I thought I had taken the wrong road at the fork in the road, not at the bookstore.

At this point, I was getting worried. It was dark out, I was alone, carrying my laptop, and had forgotten my cell phone again. I thought about walking into one of the many bars in the area to see if they had a phone, but then I remembered that I didn't know any phone numbers. After wandering that street for a few more minutes, I broke down and asked someone. There weren't many people out, because this was the dinner hour, but finally I ran into a little old lady and asked her for directions to the street I live on. She seemed surprised and said that it was far away. "Oh, dear," I wondered. I knew I was lost, but I didn't think I was that far away from where I needed to be. She pointed me down a road and told me that when I got to the traffic circle to go to the right. I followed her directions, but didn't know what to do when I got to a second traffic circle. I looked around for some hint and saw a sign advertising for a parking lot near a school. The sign looked just like the one across the street from where I live, so I went in that direction. The thought that there may have been multiple schools with parking lots owned by the same company didn't even cross my mind. I came to some sports fields owned by the school and though I was in the wrong place because I didn't remember them. I continued to walk and saw the lights of a building I recognized and knew where I was.

I walked into the apartment, freezing cold, and told my roommates that I had gotten lost (again). They said, "We figured as much, when it took you so long to come home." I have gotten lost many times before, but this was the first time at night. I have since decided that I am not going to walk to any unfamiliar area after dark, even if it is only a few blocks away on a straight road.