Location, Location, Location

Knowing where you are, or how to get where you need to go, is very important. If you don't know directly, you can always look at a map. And if you don't have a map? Well, there is always the option of talking to strangers and asking for directions...I guess.

I am not really the person that knows directions very well, which often times can cause problems. Today, I was heading to Casa Central to begin my classes for the day. I left the house a little before 9:30am to wait for the bus so I could get to school a little bit earlier. The bus that I ride, or the 'micro' as they call it here, goes in front of my house. They pass by it, drop off some more people, turn around, and then come back. Every single day that I have been here, I have ridden bus number "607." As I was standing there this morning, I watched bus number "607" pass by me to turn around. So, I started to get ready for the bus to come back. I hear the bus coming, so I stick out my hand so the driver will know to stop for me. He stops, and then I get on. I pay the driver $300 (CLP) and head to my seat. No big deal, right? Wrong. What I hadn't noticed about the bus was that it had actually read "612" instead of my bus, "607." I didn't figure out I was on the wrong bus until I realized we were going a different way than usual. I keep cool and stay calm so I can figure out a plan. So I am thinking and thinking, and the bus keeps heading down the road. We finally come to the bottom of the hill. By this time, it is now 9:45. I have class in fifteen minutes. So I need to think of something quick. I don't really recognize where I am, but I notice that we are not heading anywhere close to the direction of Casa Central. So I get off the bus at the next stop, and pull out my map. I look at the street signs to see where I am: "Avenida Francia" intersecting with "Avenida Colon." So I find where I am on the map and start walking as fast as I can to the school. If people weren't looking at me like a stranger before, they definitely were now. This little gringa, basically jogging down the road with a backpack on that is the size of her body? Weird. At this point, I am not paying attention to the people around me, I am just trying to figure out my way through this unfamiliar part of town. Alas! I finally come to an area that I recognize! I just happen to be about four blocks away from where I need to be. I check the time and I see that it is 9:50. I start to walk just a little bit faster when I get to the home stretch, and I am a hop, skip, and a jump away from the front door. But seriously, I was about that close. I make it into the building and into my classroom with just two minutes to spare. Father Time was not in any rush this morning, which I greatly appreciate.

The moral of this story is: If you don't have a keen sense of direction, always carry a map!