Rainy Expedition

Today I set got up driven to get to church. I'd found a church not too far away (by cab) online and figured I'd get to a landmark and walk the rest of the way. Even though it was pouring rain I figured it would, at the very least, be a fun adventure. So I dress for church (yea, dress and heals) and to the best of my ability, make a guess from the map as to which direction I'll have to walk in. Knowing the service started at 11, I gave myself plenty of time to make mistakes.

I grab a cab and successfully tell him my landmark of choice. When I get there I go with what I'd decided and start walking. It was strangely reminiscent of another expedition around a rainy city... though I was alone and it wasn't an all day scavenger hunt.

Before I left, I'd tried writing out the address but since it was all in hangul, which don't understand, it threw me off, I didn't like it, and I told myself I'd figure it out on my own. It wasn't like I could ask for directions anyway, I would probably not ask for directions even if I spoke the language! Of course I could have simply given the cab driver that address and saved myself a whole lot of walking, but I was fine with it.

So I walked, and walked and walked some more. When I got to a point (after maybe 20 minutes) on the main street where I knew I must have done something wrong, I move to the small streets, meandering through, not really expecting to find what I was looking for there, but at least take a different road. By the time I'd reached my landmark again, I was basically going to be late even if I did find it. Still, stubborn as I am, I picked another direction and started walking some more.

After about an hour and a half, when I started feeling the blisters forming and I'd been out too long for the umbrella to really be doing much good I decided that I should head back before I started getting frustrated.

Of course the cab driver didn't know the address I gave him and he was one of the few who didn't have a gps, but I actually (somehow) managed to give him directions and actually find the place!

I'm quite amazed at the fact that I didn't get frustrated. I think it's largely due to the fact that I headed out knowing that not finding it was a possibility. In retrospect, I should have drawn the map out (since I didn't have a printer I decided I'd just do without and I had the bright idea of simply discarding the notion of drawing it myself), since it would have been much easier to figure it out there. Even looking at it now, I know which direction (though not exactly which street) I should have walked in.

It wasn't really a productive trip since I didn't get where I wanted to be, but forcing myself to go out, in spite of the pouring rain, and in spite of the fact that I wasn't sure where I was going... that was productive.

Stubbornness may not always get you were you want to be, but at the very least you'll get a good workout (ok it might also leave a few marks, like blisters, but it's worth it).

~Elyssa~