Uncomfortable Traveling in Paris

As my family and friends are well aware, I have zero sense of direction. I've lived in the same town for my entire life, and I'm still unsure how to get to certain places just ten minutes from my house. When I started driving it really helped to secure how to get to familiar places, but when I am forced to find my way in a new place I am usually at a loss. I can usually rely on my iPhone maps and let it sense where I am and follow the directions my phone gives. However, I've had to turn off my roaming data while abroad to avoid unreasonable charges from Verizon, which means I've been forced to use a paper map for the first time in my life.

Getting lost has been my number one fear during my time in Paris. All of the bus lines and winding roads that fork and curve into other streets make Paris a tough city to navigate, especially for a person with no sense of direction. For the first couple of days I focused on retracing my steps and walked the exact same way back to ensure I wouldn't get lost. However, that proved difficult when we were told to meet at certain places that were beyond walking distance. When Olivier Roux talked to us about different areas of shopping in Paris, I made sure to pay attention so I would at least recognize the names of certain areas. I finally learned how to use the bus system, and considered it one of my greatest successes when I was able to take the bus to Saint Germain and back to my apartment without getting lost. I continued to practice using different bus lines and learned my way around the city gradually which I think really increased my self-confidence.  Even if I don't know exactly where I am, I can see landmarks like certain restaurants we had eaten at or shops I had visited and at least be confident that I was going in the right direction. 

The Metro still really scares me, however. My favorite part of the buses is being able to see where I am, which I can't do on the Metro because it's underground. Also, when the doors open you have about five seconds to get in or out. The loud beeping gives about a two second warning before the doors slam shut and the Metro starts zooming away. I still panic when we're taking the Metro as a group and there is a crowd around the door because I worry that we won't all make it on the train- which has happened! Luckily, no one's gotten caught in the door. I don't know why there isn't some kind of safety feature in case this happens!

Overall, I'm comfortable traveling in the city now (as long as I can see where I am) after a lot of practice and study of different maps in the classroom. I love the quote "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" by Neale Donald Walsch. I think is really applicable to my fear of traveling in Paris because being forced to get out of my comfort zone and find my way around whether it is by foot, bus, or Metro has really helped me to grow as a person. Of all of the things I've learned while in Paris, I think I am most proud of how much I have learned about traveling in Paris.