DIRECTIONS
So today I was on my way to visit a friend because I had a playdate with their toddler. I'd been there several times before on a different day. I was noticing all the locals I kept passing and thinking to myself that the street was a lot busier on this day than any other day I'd been there.

About 2 minutes later, a taxi slows down and stops in front of me. The passenger window facing me goes down and a lady speaks to me, in the local language, asking where such-and-such-a-place-is. Oh yeah, and I understood!

I looked at her apologetically and shrugged while trying to formulate an "I don't know" but just gestured with my hand before uttering an "I don't have (know) this language". I turned away and continued walking, wondering if she really didn't just speak to me in English. She looked like a national but perhaps she wasn't and maybe she'd just asked me in English or maybe she was a national who had asked me in English, which is why I understood.

I hoped I wasn't guilty of just doing the thing many nationals I've encountered tend to do which is, as soon as a foreigner opens his or her mouth to speak they say they don't understand, even though you're speaking in their mother tongue. It's like the fact that you're foreign-looking automatically causes their brain to cancel out the possibility of comprehending even familiar words and phrases. But then I remembered that I'd certainly understood WHAT she said but the problem was that I didn't know where such-and-such-a-place-was.

Having mused over that, I then pondered to myself, "Of all the people strolling up and down this street, why on EARTH would anyone ask ME for directions?!!! I think it's pretty obvious that I'm a foreigner. Not to mention there were quite a bit of nationals that had passed me and that I was walking towards that she could have stopped. In the event one assumed I was a part of the small population of nationals that look like me, it's still beyond reason why they would chance asking someone who looks so foreign for directions over any of the 10 people around who clearly look like locals and should know".

Then again I thought, "Maybe BECAUSE I'm foreign she asked me. Nationals are famous for wanting to be helpful, bless their hearts, and often give directions even if they don't know. Maybe she figured I'd give more accurate directions".

Then I started thinking, "Hey! I understood what she said," again. "I UNDERSTOOD! Yay!" ......................Yes, this is how my brain works. It travels in and makes connections from all manner of directions. Kinda scary, heh?