05.09.07
There Is No Place Like Home
I am currently on an assignment in a very foreign state on the Eastern side of the country. I was in a neighboring state for a few months last year, so I am somewhat familiar with this part of the country. However, I spend too much time lost, rather than getting to the worksite and getting my work done.
I am beginning to wonder why so much of the state is under construction and every map has different road names and highway numbers. I’d understand if they were unfriendly and trying to make the experience unpleasant to outsiders. But the locals here do not know me from Adam.
Others that are here for this project have stated similar things about being perpetually lost, so it is not just me. Traditionally, when I go to a state, I begin to take different routes and sort of intentionally get lost, so that I build an internal map that enables me to do things like route around traffic accidents. However, I do not feel that I have ever been quite so lost as I am wandering this area.
It does bring some things to mind:
- Unfamiliar surroundings and the lack of familiar cues which you may unconsciously use to determine the proper interpretation and response to current conditions are behind feeling "lost" when you leave your home zone.
- Generally, while you are out of town, home is the wonderful place where Donna Reed and Father Knows Best get together to produce Leave It To Beaver. After you return, the illusion is shattered once again. I believe that one key to adjusting to being out of town is to understand and accept that it will be different than what you are used to seeing or experiencing. Embrace the unfamiliarity and wrap your explorations with adventure, so that you will enjoy them.
- Do not explore or experiment during busy periods or when you have a deadline to meet. It is not worth the stress of finding that turning left at Avenue J will put you several miles further from your intended destination.
- If you are a goal-oriented person, give yourself learning goals related to the journeys you undertake.
- See the tourist sites if you can, but you must be sure to meet local residents and talk with them about their lives and views. Try out the local foods and beverages, find out what the locals do for fun.
