I am trying to get my bearings

[Awwal12]

Greetings.

What this phrase exactly means (or could mean) in English? The most probable variant that crossed my mind is that a person tries to get to know something about his new whereabouts, but I am not sure. Couldn't somebody provide a synonymous construction?

The maximal available context is: "I am new here. I am trying to get my bearings."

Thank you very much!

 

[Aidanriley]

It is a term used in navigation that means "direction." But yes, it means something along the lines of "I'm trying to orient myself with where I am."

This should help (a Wikipedia article on Bearings):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearing_(navigation)

 

[Awwal12]

Thank you very much again, Aidanriley, you were very helpful.