On settling in

I have a terrible sense of direction. I am fascinated by people who, when asked which direction is north, just point. Confidently. It occurs to me that they could all be wrong, but I would never know. Moving to a new area entails heavy reliance on maps and detailed directions. As I learn a new area every time I can get someplace without having to rely on GPS feels like a victory.

I was driving home from work Monday evening; it was around 7:30, right around the time dusk was turning to dark. I have several routes to and from work mastered, but just a few miles from school the road was closed, and traffic was being routed down a side street and I found myself on an unmarked detour. No worries--I grabbed my GPS from the glovebox and hit "Home."

And then lost satellite reception.

There I was. On back roads that I'd never been on before, without the type of information I thought I'd have available to me. It was dark. I had no landmarks to go by. I just kept driving, taking the turns that seemed right, hoping that I didn't get even more lost. Nothing looked familiar for the longest time, until eventually I found myself at an intersection I recognized. Relieved, I took the turn and continued on my way home.

Two months into my new job, this is how I feel: I still don't entirely have my bearings, but I feel like I'm headed in the right direction.