I've been indoctrinated by our uncomprehending society to regard my geographical dyslexia, or my directional disability, or whatever it's to be called, as a shameful condition. So it's good to know that DD can be otherwise valued.
I've been informed by one of my readers that the Pilipino word ligaw has two meanings: a) courtship, and b) totally lost. As a result, the adjective ligawan can refer either to a person who has no sense of direction, or to someone who is especially attractive to suitors. It stands to reason that a person who has absolutely no awareness of direction (right or left, east or west) whatsoever and is constantly buffaloed and flabbergasted by the well-meaning instructions of friends and would-be guides must be extremely radiant, perhaps even charismatically magnetic.
I find this new information to be both highly probable and extremely consoling.
Moreover, my admiration for Pilipino language and culture and good sense has skyrocketed.
I therefore propose that the term "geographical dyslexia" be replaced by "ligawan."
From this moment on, there's a new order to the universe: to be hopelessly dysgeographical, hopelessly lost is now, officially, sexy.
Hello
I can't begin to tell you what your words have meant to me. I am 59 years old and I always thought I was abnormal. Why couldn't I remember how to get to places that I've been to a million times. Why can't I remember where I parked my car?I thought I was crazy. But somehow deep inside I knew there was a reason. All my derams are about getting lost all of them. Thank You for putting a real name to my malady. Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone. Email me [lease ida
Posted by: idamarie craig | October 09, 2007 at 05:33 AM
Interesting! I am 72 years old and terrified of driving in the city, not because of the traffic but because of the fear of getting lost. I too can enter a building and not remember which door to exit or where I parked the vehicle.
Posted by: Dell Walston | September 20, 2008 at 04:43 PM
Wow! Finally a name for it! Now, my theory is this. When we are "upstairs" getting our parts, while standing in line to get my love of chocolate, they called to move to the Directional line, but I decided to stay in the chocolate line to get more love of chocolate and comletely skipped the directional line. Hence, I believe all of us perpetually lost souls are chocolaholics - see if that is the link to being perpetually lost. I also can't understand why people on the South pole don't fall off. I have "solved" my lost problem by just thinking that North is wherever I face, otherwise, my head hurts just thinking about directions. And, try to turn a map around to make it go in the right direction! Impossible. Mapquest is a godsend, not the map part, but the written instructions. I have learned, though, to print 2 sets of directions, one for getting there, and then a second set for getting back because it is hard to reverse directions. I staple the 2 sets of directions together and keep them in my glovebox. And to think I have a Masters and Law Degree and can't find my way out of my own subdivision sometimes! Now I know why!
Posted by: Valorie Peterson | September 28, 2008 at 02:55 PM
The adjective is actually "ligawin" (not ligawan, which is the term for courting (a noun).
Was I the reader you alluded to?
Sorry it took me time to correct this. It was only now I thought of Dr. Metablogagain, having just written a blog piece on my royal dysgeographical, for which I liberally used your blog as a resource.
You're blogs are superb. I should subscribe to them.
Posted by: annamanila | July 10, 2009 at 09:17 PM
I am a 66 year old female living in Florida. Several years ago I asked a policeman for directions to a doctor's office and repeated exactly what he said, but immediately went out of the parking lot and turned the wrong way. He actually came after me, told me to follow him and took me to the doctor's office. Where was he when I had to get back home? It is a nightmare never knowing where I am, but I became very brave (along with my GPS) and recently drove 850 miles through 6 states to visit a sick friend. Even with the GPS, I made wrong turns but got back on the right highway.
Someone asked me what route I drove from Florida to Maryland - when I told them I didn't know, I just followed the GPS directions, they thought I was kidding.
If a support group is ever formed it would be nice to meet others who understand this is very real (that is if we can find the meeting place - lol).
Posted by: Pat Erskine | November 16, 2009 at 06:55 PM