Rosie Loves Jack blog tour – Getting Lost

I'm delighted to join the blog tour for ROSIE LOVES JACK by Mel Darbon. I've heard wonderful things about this book and I'm excited to read the first YA from the perspective of a character with Down's Syndrome. As Rosie has to battle all kinds of situations to reach her boyfriend, Jack, I've got a stressful memory of my own to share.

I have a tendency of getting lost. I'm the person who leaves their table at a restaurant and can't the way back or loses my way in a shopping centre. The worst time was when I got lost on my first day of university. Even thinking about it thirteen years later conjures the same flood of panicked thoughts.

I left plenty of time to get to my first tutorial. There are only a few buildings on the campus, so how hard could it be to find mine? Fifteen minutes before the tutorial, I knew how wrong I was. I always get lost, so why did I think this would be any different? I couldn't see the building on the campus map and everyone I asked had no idea where the place was. Ten minutes before the tutorial, heat built up behind my eyes and the panicked thoughts started. Could I get kicked out for missing one tutorial? What kind of first impression was this? 

Five minutes before the tutorial and I was ready to hide in a corner of the library and give up on the whole thing. How much did I really need to learn about the English Legal System?

This went on for nearly an hour, the whole length of the tutorial. I wish I was exaggerating. When I finally found the building, a squat structure set back behind two lecture halls, I felt exhausted and defeated. 

I got to the room just in time to see the other students leaving. On the cusp of tears, I apologised to the lecturer and... she was fine about it. She understood what had happened and expected to see me on time for the next session. That was it.

Since then, my sense of direction hasn't improved much but I'm a lot better at keeping things in perspective. I finished my Law degree without too many catastrophes and I'm sure that lecturer has long since forgotten this story. I try to ask myself what's the worse thing that can happen and how likely it is. Usually, the situation isn't as bad as I make it.

I haven't read about Rosie's journey yet, but I hope she manages to resolve her challenges as I'm still learning to do.