Right or Left?

There's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment. I found Manazel all by myself today. (Manazel is a department home store. You can find anything you want there. An. y. thing.) When a city has streets that wrap around each other like spaghetti and are all one way, you usually have to learn how to get to a store twice. #1) How to get there #2) How to get home.

The first time I went, a friend of mine drove & I tried to pay close attention. But we got there right before sunset & came home in the dark, so really, I had a very loose idea of how to return. I had been toying with the idea for the last two weeks and finally decided yesterday was THE day. I was very confident of which exit I had to take, but after that . . .

*dialogue in my head*

Isa Park Exit . . . then right . . . ooookay, which way at the light? . . . the right lane feels right . . . haha, right . . . . (two more round-abouts) . . . have I gone too far? yeah, I think so. (there are a bunch of industrial factories looming at the next intersection) . . . flip a u-turn before that cement truck barrels into my lane . . turn, turn, turn! . . . *whew* let's try this street, it looks populated . . . (coming to a T-intersection) right or left? Hmmm, I think I'll turn around . . . Hey! I see the sign over there!

So after tooling around for about 40 minutes, I found my destination, Manazel!! I went in and basked in accessible bliss. I found one isle that will be my downfall. It has containers in every shape; ones for drawers, the fridge, bathroom, cupboards. And for every function: soup cans, sugar packets, toothbrushes, make-up vanities. *insert Arnold voice* I'll be back.

As I was browsing the kitchen gadget section (btw, there were these cute little measuring spoons labeled 'dash', 'tad', 'pinch' etc.) I had a sudden feeling of dread wash over me. How do I get home?

*in my head again while maintaining a composed exterior*

How do I get home? How in the #@#* am I going to get home? . . . breath in . . . breathe out . . . You can't get lost forever, Lydia . . . this whole city is only about, what, 10 miles by 6 miles? . . . all else fails, the sun still sets in the west here, right? . . . Of course, Lydia . . .

That little reality check was quite the buzz kill, so I gathered my purchases & hightailed it out to the car. After 15 minutes of wrong turns, I found my way back to the overpass to get on the freeway. *whew* Then I realized, hmmm, what do i do once I get on the freeway? See, the freeway works like a normal freeway; one side for eastbound, the other for westbound. Except once you get off, there usually isn't a convenient way to re-enter the freeway. Except for the Isa Park exit, which I'm on. Well, let's just see where it takes me.

Getting back on is a breeze, I'm sailing along and then a big sign over the freeway informs me that I must choose "Manama West" or "Saudi Arabia". I know that I don't want to go to Manama West, but Saudi Arabia won't take me home either. I keep on the Saudi route, just looking for more clues on how to get home. I mean, it's pretty hard (for us) to get a visa to Saudi, they wouldn't let me plow right on through to Riyadh. Right? A familiar exit, Janabiya, appears and I snag it. I had been here before!! Yay!!

Long story short, I did take the correct exit to get home, but did not do anything right after that. What should have taken me just 15 minutes stretched into an hour and a half odyssey. But I saw new places and am more familiar with my new country.