Lost in a New World

 

Have you ever been truly lost in a new city or neighborhood for hours and unable to find your way back to your hotel or home? That was my experience when I first arrived in Guernsey. I'm guessing some of you might wonder how an adult could get lost in a city - haven't they heard of Google Maps? You're right, and your questions are valid, but let me share my side of the story before you judge. 

I come from a country where it was almost second nature to approach strangers on the street for directions. All you need is a description of your destination, and often, the locals would respond with a friendly smile and clear, helpful guidance which has always worked for me. This practice is likely one of the reasons why I never felt the need to learn how to use Google Map. Even though my phone has the Google Map application, I never opened it for years, it was just another app among many - seemingly unimportant and, therefore, rarely used. With a culture that deepened helping others, I became accustomed to navigating my surroundings with the help of friendly passersby. In addition to my habit of asking for directions, I was also influenced by the common belief back home that Google Maps doesn’t always work properly. I still remember the amusing story of a man who relied on the app and ended up standing confused in someone else's doorstep instead of reaching his intended location. 

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not making excuses for my inability to navigate a basic application before my little incident in Guernsey. Let me take you back to my story. Just a day after arriving in the island of Guernsey, I decided to take a leisurely stroll to the town center to pick up some groceries and explore my new surroundings. However, as I immersed myself in the charm of the island, I found myself hopelessly lost, circling the same blocks again and again, confusion mounting with every step. What compounded my frustration was that I was in the company of my two little kids. For a moment I felt hopeless - so I decided to seek for help. I approached several locals in hopes of finding my way, but most seemed just as clueless about my destination. It was a rather disheartening experience, but just when I was starting to feel truly defeated, I met a kind woman who happened to know my street. With a warm smile and a reassuring tone, she offered to walk me home. As we made our way through the streets, she shared how she had once found herself in a similar predicament years ago. She spoke of how that experience taught her to always carry her phone and rely on Google Maps whenever she ventured into unfamiliar territory.

Years later, I have come to appreciate and use Google Maps more often. For me, the app is not just for checking directions; I now use it in various ways. I rely on it to check the opening and closing hours of shops in my area, as well as to find out the arrival times of buses and estimate how long my travel will take.