Lost in Boston

Well the title of this post pretty much explains it all.  On Sunday I had the opportunity to borrow the car and go to church in Cambridge.  Cambridge is about forty-five minutes away from Northborough.  I was very nervous because it was my first time driving since I first arrived in Massachusetts.  Getting to church was great and I didn't have any problems.  I followed the GPS on my phone and made it there with no problems.  Church was of course wonderful.  After church is where the adventure began.  I set my GPS to get me back home.  Side note about the GPS... Don't get me wrong, I was very very grateful to have the GPS on my phone, but there were some challenges.  For one, I had to constantly be holding my phone and keeping close attention to the map.  So you can imagine how difficult it was to be concentrating on the GPS as well as the road.  Also, sometimes the marker for where I was, was a little delayed.  At some moments it would be paused and then it would hurry and speed up.  That is one of the main reasons why this adventure began in the first place.  So after leaving the church parking lot and trying to follow the GPS with exactness, I ended up missing a turn right out of the gate.  From there it went down hill and I drove all over the city.  When I knew I had missed the turn, a sick feeling came into my stomach because I truly had no idea where I was going.  I would keep trying to pull over so I could reset the GPS, but then once I reset it, I would start off going the wrong direction, since I coudn't even tell which way North or South was.  I probably reset the GPS atleast 12 times, maybe even more.  I went all over the place.  At one point I went right by Fenway Park.  I could have gone to the baseball game if I had wanted to because it was literally right in front of my face.  Another time I was in Harvard Square.  At another point I was headed to the airport.  Another time I turned onto a one way road, going the wrong direction (luckily there was a parking lot right there that I turned into).  I had the worst feeling in my stomach through all of this.  I finally made it to the toll booth which would get me back on the freeway, but then I went the wrong direction.  I went to the toll booth on the left instead of the one on the right which took me in exactly the opposite direction that I needed to go.  Funny side story that happened at the toll booth... An older man with a really really thick Boston accent who was atleast in his fifties, probably sixties, started talking to me.  The conversation went something like this.  Old Man: "Hi how are you today?"  Me: "I'm good" (even though I really wasn't good and I just felt lost).  Old Man: "Hey where are you from?"  Me: "Utah."  Old Man: "Utah?!  Are you a mormon?"  Me: "Yes I am."  Old Man: "Isn't everyone from Utah a Mormon?"  Me: "Well not everyone is, but there is a large majority."  Old Man:  "What are you doing out here?"  Me: "I'm working for the next year."  Old Man: "Well you are a very attractive girl."  Me: Very flustered, "Thank you."  Old Man:  "Good luck!  Have a nice day."  (Reed said that all that is ever said at the toll booth is something a long the lines of "Have a nice day.")  So then I was on the Mass Pike headed in the wrong direction.  The problem was boston roads are so different than Utah roads.  It isn't like you can just get off an exit and get right back on.  Somehow, I don't know exactly how it happened, but I made it back to the toll booth that sent me in the right direction.  I probably went to way more toll booths than I needed to, so I spent more money than I needed to as well.  Finally getting on the Mass Pike in the right direction, I thought I was good to go.  Well when I came to the next toll booth, I took the wrong turn!  So I had to reset the GPS again.  Then once again I was on the Mass Pike heading home.  Out of nowhere, I highway patrolman  comes up behind me with his lights on.  I panicked but made my way to the other lane to get pulled over.  As I changed lanes, the police car went zooming by.  A huge feeling of relief swept over me.  By this time it was getting dark.  Near the very end it even started raining a little bit.  By the time I made it home, I was emotionally exhausted.  My phone also died just in time.  I didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if my phone had died sooner!  When I made it back, I called home (in Utah) and just started crying when I started talking to Mom and Dad.  It had been so hard!  The funny thing is, when I first left for Boston, I was so nervous about flying and everything that related to that, but honestly, after getting lost in the city of Boston, I would rather travel by airplane fifty times instead of getting lost.  I talked to Reed and the nurse about this adventure.  Reed assured me that I am not the only one that has gotten lost in Boston.  The nurse said that everyone gets lost in Boston.  They both even commented about another nurse who has lived in Boston her entire life.  She won't even drive into the city.  The way she gets around is by the subway or walking because its really busy and hard to get around by driving.  I can definitely understand that!  So now I am afraid of what will happen the next time I drive!  Wish me luck!