Today I went into Aachen with my host parents. We went to a great craft market that seemed to cover half the city. After walking around for a while we went our separate ways; I had places I wanted to visit, and they had their own errands to run. I started my trip with an impromptu visit to Starbucks, where I ordered a frappucino (they have those here!!). This was great, because it was very hot outside. This will become important later.
In any case, the real purpose of my visit was to track down an Asian market that my friends told me about. My host brother showed me on the map where it should be so, looking so much like the American tourist, I followed my little map through Aachen and out the other side. I walked for maybe half a mile, but the trip seemed longer, as I was certain that I was going the wrong way (I wasn't) and it was very hot. I did make it in the end, I got what I came for, and I made it back to the bus stop to wait for the bus that would take me home.
I knew exactly what bus I had to get on and when (I plan ahead for these things) but I soon realized that I had no idea when to get off the bus. I waited until the bus arrived in Roetgen, then started frantically scanning the landscape for anything that would tell me what stop was right. I did manage to get off as close as I could to home, and began walking. This is when I realized something else; I didn't know where to go.
I had the basics mapped out in my mind; go downhill here, make a right here, there's a bus stop over there, but I didn't actually know what street to turn onto. However, I have a sense of direction that has never failed me, and I went with my instincts, taking the turn right before a little blue bus stop, like we did in the car so many times. I didn't know it at the time, but there are, in fact, two little blue bus stops on the same stretch of road. I took the road passing by the first one, rather than waiting until the second like I should have.
I was only vaguely concerned at this point. I got the feeling that I was going the right way, but I didn't actually recognize anything yet. I went for a mile or so up a hill, following the road that I thought would take me home. After making it farther up the hill than I had ever intended, I started to get concerned. I knew this was not right. I did know, though, that there was a bike trail that cut through Roetgen, and that I could find my home if I followed it. Just as I began to think that, I saw it right in front of me. I followed this path for what felt like another mile, until I began to get the sense again that nothing was feeling right at all. I was hot and tired and there were blisters on my feet. I finally turned around and headed back to the road that brought me to the bike trail. I got back to the intersection, sat down in the shade, and called my host mother. She told me she would look for me, even though I could only vaguely describe where I might be. In 10 minutes she hadn't showed up, so I called again to ask how the searching was going. I started to feel dizzy while I was speaking to her, so I announced that I was going to ask someone for water and directions.
By the time I stood up and made it across the street to a woman who was doing yard work my hands were shaking. I asked her if she spoke English, and found that my voice was trembling a bit, too. She didn't speak English, but I used what German I knew to tell her I was very thirsty, and to ask where I was. I called my host Mom to tell her the street name, then stumbled onto this lady's porch, where she handed me a glass of bubbly water and brought me a chair. At this point I'd like to make it clear that I can't recall ever being lost before, or even having to ask directions. Asking a total stranger for anything is an almost brand-new experience for me, so I count myself lucky that this lady was so generous. In two minutes my host Mother arrived. I thanked the woman over and over again in German as I left. My host Mother chuckled, then brought me home, making sure to point out where I had gone wrong as well as the proper street to take on the way. I made it home dizzy and weak, and I stood up long enough to drink five glasses of water before crashing on my bed.
I keep trying to blame other influences on all of this, but that hasn't really worked out. The truth is, I stupidly tried to walk too far in the heat (which is a brand-new thing for the Aachen area; I've hardly seen a day without rain,) and without water, too. The last drink I had was a small soda I got with lunch on the way to the bus stop in Aachen. I knew I could ask for help at any time, but I insisted to myself that I knew the way home, which only made getting lost even worse. However, it's all over now and, as my host Mother told me, it will only happen once. Hopefully you can get a good chuckle at my expense. Maybe I will, too, once I'm feeling a little less tired and sunburnt. The first not-so-amazing experience of my entire stay is now done, and life will go on. I even might go to Aachen again, soon. I want to go shopping when I get a chance. This time, I'm sure I won't get lost.
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