Get Lost! - Oct. 2007 (Granada, Spain)

Get Lost! Written - Saturday, October 13, 2007 at 1:25am Not knowing where you are doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. In fact, it's one of the BEST things. Being lost is something that should be welcomed. You never know what lies ahead of you, or what you may stumble upon. This could never be more true than when you’re in a totally foreign country. A country where clocks are a mere decoration on the wall, being late doesn’t matter, and the notion of time is “really more of a guideline anyways”. When placed in a surrounding like this, “getting lost” really contains no negativity. The first time I didn’t really know where I was I ended up seeing things I had only seen on maps, signs and heard about from cab drivers. It was en la tarde. In American terms this means, the afternoon or PERHAPS early evening. But for Spaniards the “la tarde”, which roughly translates into early evening and part of the night, is about six or sevenish. It was a hot afternoon, about two or so, and the temperature was a blazing 30 degrees. It was a blazing 30 degrees, centigrade, and I decided to go and search for some dried fruit. Luckily I had about three hours or so before I had to meet anyone. I thought, I’ll go to this place I know of and kill some time, or so I thought. I decided to change up my route a bit and walk down one, only one, different block. This one block turned into about three or four, and then I was in a part of town which I’d never seen before. The more I walked the farther away I got from my "comfort zone". But it was amazing. I ran into the Palacio de Deportes, a bunch of cafe’s I never would have known about, tons of different shops, and I got closer and closer to the Sierra Nevada. Still with some free “time” to kill I decided, although I was frustrated with my self for my lack of directional skills, to turn around and I told myself “you can do this Lily”. So arming myself solely with my wits, but still keeping my curious eyes open to everything which they could possibly see, I ventured back in the direction I thought I would find my familiar barrio. 11 blocks later I was coming out of this super insanely small mildew smelling cobble stone street, I tripped on one of the loose stones and literally FELL onto Avenida Dilar. My street. The comfortable street which I’d become very accustomed to and was my “home-base” if you will. Amazing :) The next time I was “in the wrong spot”, really was another beautiful experience. I had just gone with my Hungarian friend to the pants tailor and I decided I would walk to the gym. However, I went a way I’d never gone before. After about 3 or 4 minutes of back street walking, zig-zag’ing and watch checking I ran full-force (I was clad in brand new shiny Nike shoes, black shorts and a grey t-shirt) into a back street “farmers market” (if you will) in a tiny part of town which I never knew existed behind the most brilliant of Cathedrals. I turned a corner, and I was blasted with the warm glowing sun, spilling through some scarcely seen greenery, basking a cobble stone square full of vendor booths. There was a Spanish lady selling baskets full of the most amazing herbs, and next to her was a stand of spices. Yellow Cumin, Red Cayenne, and many more odors and colors filled up the back street air. In this little surprise plaza, which was placed so secretly behind an amazingly decorated ancient cathedral, was a little park, full of vendors, gypsy’s trying to "cleanse our souls" with their pinches of Rosemary, young Spanish punks with mullets, and oblivious tourists from around the world. The fake Dolce and Gabanna (sp?) bags, which were lined up against the sidewalk, were quite the contrast with the original oil paintings which were so classically placed against a white sheet hung upon another stone wall. Everything and everyone was different, yet the same. They were all selling; all were trying to make a business. Behind 5 blocks of random shops, behind a huge church, behind a facade of Capitalism, was a plaza of mixed culture, human beings, and simply life. This plaza of culture I would never have known was there if I had not taken a chance and took my straight direct route to the gym. Although I looked like the average “gung ho” American clad in Nike sneakers and a Texas State University soccer t-shirt, on the inside I was Lily. I was taking in everything I had accidentally run into. I was taking a chance, and with this chance I discovered something amazing and brand new. Chances like this are worth it. You never know what brilliant and exciting things may be around the next calle or esquina (street or corner). So get lost. Get lost and discover as much as possible. Live in the moment wherever you are, notice everything and take a chance. Or as Garth Algar would say “LIVE IN THE NOW!!!”