Orient

To orient something is to line it up the way I want it. If I am to orient a person I tell and show them how things work here. When they are oriented they pretty much know where things are and who is who. If I capitalize the O and make it Orient, well, that is a place, generally speaking the part of the world that is at the west side of the Pacific ocean. So, an oriental person hails from the Orient

Orienteering is a group of activities where you need map and compass to get to certain spots, maybe to identify or pick up something. It is usually a kind of race done in teams and in an outdoor area that is unknown to the participants. There are many orienteering clubs across Canada. Orientation is the direction or position one places things, like the hands when singing a particular song

Did you know that in times past many churches were oriented so that their front faced east? Most people, when using a map, will orient it so that north is at the top. A new employee may experience a slate of activities to orient them to the norms and practices at the new company. Orient, in this example is to line up, align so the new employee understands the culture and the way things are done

My personal orientation can pertain to many things about me. My sexual orientation is my preference in choosing partners and how we then have sex. My religious orientation is a statement of my primary beliefs and how they affect my choices in life. Some religions call on the believers to pray facing the city of Mecca and thus the direction of orientation will depend on where they are at the time of prayer

A politician attempts to get their audience to orient with what they are offering. A well prepared politician will have learned about the general orientation of their audience so they can align better (orient more closely) with them and thus tend to be better accepted by these people. Sometimes I adjust my orientation to better align with the people I am interacting with. I think we all do a bit of that