The GPS and my poor sense of direction

Many people might be wondering, how are these two things related to each other? Actually, I was born with a very poor sense of direction. I'm never the kind of person who can go on a road trip with a map bought in a gas station. However, my sense of direction got even worse because of this new technology that was designed to help people.

I started using the GPS when I started driving. There was a built-in navigator in my mom's car, and I fell in love with it immediately because I knew I would never get lost again with this amazing device. I was right about it most of the time, but things were a little different when there was construction on the highway or when the navigator didn't work. Because I was so used to using the navigator whenever I drive, I never paid attention to the road signs or where I was.

I didn't change this bad habit of completely relying on the GPS even when I came to the US. My parents came to visit me a few years ago when I bought a new car, and they wanted me to show them around Purdue campus. They couldn't believe that I turned on the GPS when getting into the car ,and they started to question me if I knew the roads on campus. In order not to be laughed at, I pretended to know the way from Walmart to the campus. "I turned it on just in case I get lost," I said. But I was not very sure if I should make a right near the stadium or keep going straight without the GPS.

I didn't think depending on the GPS was such a big deal until it stopped working one day. That was a relaxing Sunday afternoon. My boyfriend was taking a nap, and I wanted to go pick up our dinner in a restaurant near the Tippecanoe Mall. My plan was, I go pick up the food, and by the time my boyfriend wakes up, there will be delicious food on the table. However, my plan was ruined when my GPS lost its satellite signal. It couldn't even locate where I was. I thought I knew the way, but I started to worry when i noticed that I passed by the same building three times. I eventually figured out how to get there by calling friends, but I also realized I should prevent the same stupid thing from happening again.

I wasn't the only person in the world that depended on GPS so much. Many of my girlfriends did that too, and so did my mom. She decided to stop depending on her GPS as much a few years ago, but her reasons was "GPSs are too stupid to point out the fastest way."

So, no matter what reasons people have, I say we should always at least pay attention to where we are. Why? Because the feeling of being lost in the small town that you have lived for years wasn't that good at all.