The Art of Wayfinding

The Wayfinder

Jeanie was still savoring the moment that she had flicked him. It wasn't often that she got the opportunity to flick semi-strangers. When had she ever  done anything like the things that she had done in the last two hours? Exactly. Never. She turned her attention to the question and sighed a bit heavily.

"Well, I was a student in a Masters of Nursing program, while working at a local hospital near Detroit,  but currently am in the employ of the US government working at Camp Casey in the IT department." Seeing the surprise that she anticipated in his eyes, she nodded in agreement. "Yes, there is a story behind the job shift... and it probably isn't too far off from what you're thinking," she held her breath in a funny kind of way that made her cheeks puff out dramatically. "Soo.....your turn. It's hard for you to top that, isn't it?" she laughed. He smiled reassuringly.

"I'm a wayfinder," he said simply. She gave him a look that was also expected. It was a look that conveyed both curiosity and a bit of mischief. The soft gurgle of laughter that followed was refreshing. There was another bout of turbulence, but Jeanie seemed not to let it bother her with the distraction of conversation. Ji Yeong found himself analyzing her in a very objective way. She had wavy shoulder-length hair, that had been pulled into a messy bun with a scrunchie, and it was at least three different shades of brown, gold, and blonde with some reds and dark brown for added definition. An airplane ride wasn't the defining moment of any individual, but it did allow a lot of time to muse about random things like your seat partner's attributes, both inner and outer features. Jeanie wasn't wearing any makeup, and didn't really need to as far as he was concerned. Her eyes were a very light blue, and when she smiled they crinkled so cutely in the corners. She had a sprinkling of light freckles across her long, but not overly large nose with very nice rosy bow-shaped lips that smiled, smirked, and spoke often. When she smiled, a deep dimple charmingly appeared on each side of her face. Her ears were small and had double piercings. If he was to quickly explain her, he would have to suggest that she had very doll-like features.  Jeanie's neck was long, and that was where he decided to stop, as the rest was housed by a large University of Michigan hooded sweatshirt with popcorn crumbs still on it, that swallowed her completely. It made her appear how she admittedly had described herself...a bit naïve...a bit adventurous...still actively searching for her true calling somewhere...and he could tell that he was really beginning to like her. As much as he had flown, he didn't think he had ever met someone he could see himself pursuing as a love interest. 

"A what? Is that like some new kind of astrologer or psychic? Do you read hands? How about an 800 number??" she held out her hands, palm up, facing him with eyes wide and teasing. Song Ji Yeong ignored the needling, and opened his laptop in an attempt to help her understand. "You obviously get this question a lot. Are we going to watch your TED talk?" she asked with a giggle.

"They called, but I had to cancel," he replied straight-faced. Oddly enough, he did have a power-point presentation that he could show her, but thought it may be a bit too much. Absentmindedly, he loosened his tie and opened the folder on the screen. He found a model that he had been working on for a client that happened to be one of the largest grocery stores in the Midwest. A picture of the layout of the store filled the screen.

"At it's simplest, wayfinding is what helps people navigate almost intuitively through an area that although new to them, makes them feel at ease and in control. With the help of proper signage and color to draw people to where they think things should be, it helps create an overall better experience in a new place." Jeanie could sense that he seemed to really enjoy what he did for a living. It was inspiring. It was also interesting, because, how is someone called to wayfind?

"So, how did you choose to become a wayfinder?" she asked. He didn't answer her right away. He looked at her thoughtfully and asked her the same question about her own career plan.

"How did you decide to leave everything you knew for a country like South Korea?" he asked. She wondered if she actually could trust him with the whole truth or whether or not it was as important as she thought that it was as a reason to leave everything behind. In the few weighted moments that followed, she decided to give him the short version. Details were time consuming, and emotionally taxing. 

"I broke up with a long term boyfriend who I thought was going to be my one day husband about a year ago. I can't say that I would have made this decision without that push, but I also know that it was something that was always in the back of my mind to do...not the IT part! I just happen to be really good with computers," she smiled with her dimples popping.

"and Hangook Mal?" he teased. She pondered a moment... The Korean Language.... Ji Yeong was curious about how comfortable she was with speaking Korean. Jeanie spoke Korean well, but would she speak it well enough? It had been one of the reasons that she had chosen to work on the US military base. It would afford her a language buffer if she felt the need for it.

"I once read that you need to know one hundred words of any language to say that you can speak it." both of them laughed at the same time. " I guess that's true...but I wouldn't call it fluent. I wouldn't call myself exactly fluent to my own standards, but, I'm probably quite fluent at yours," she replied confidently. "I worked at the library when I was in High School and spent a great deal of time in the foreign language section. I started with children's books and worked my way up as I started familiarizing myself with the land of foreign music, film, and television. I've immersed myself in all of it for the past five or six years with minimal use of subtitles. I feel for foreign language speakers who are around those who speak their mother tongue at a zillion words a second." she said thoughtfully.

He nodded his head in solidarity, "It is the price one must pay when living in another place. I hope that you will not feel at a complete loss when you get settled." he replied with eyes that completely understood her.

"Want to guess what the first phrase was that I learned??" she giggled. He couldn't help but smile.

"Hello?" he replied.

Jeanie shook her head, " Na-neun mayak-geul handa....It was in this Straight English book, and I couldn't fathom why someone would need to know how to say, I do drugs. Full disclosure, maybe??" she laughed..."So, yeah, that was my first phrase. Next to I'm sorry, thank you, hello. Really, I'm sick. Stop. Sit. You know the average catalog of phrases in any Kdrama," she smiled. He nodded politely.

The rattle of the carts was heard from the center of the plane as the stewardesses prepared for another snack and drink pass. 

"If you'll excuse me. I better use the restroom before they come through here." Ji Yeong got up from his seat and moved down the aisle. The woman from the row of seats right behind them gave him a suggestive look and he wasn't sure how exactly to respond, so he ignored her only to see her eyes glitter in amusement. He shook his head and moved the rest of the way to the washroom.