Right vs. Left

People in Provo, UT don't seem to be able to tell right from left. I've had to ask for directions three times today, and 100% of the people I've asked (only two people, but still!) have gotten right and left backward.

With the first girl, on the phone looking for the hotel, I thought it was just a curious mistake. "Turn right at the light and the hotel is on the left" should have been "Turn left at the light and the hotel is on the right." I shrugged it off. But then 20 minutes later, after checking in, I asked for directions to the elevator, and she got it wrong again, and then I knew something was up. For someone working at a hotel, where many guests are presumably unfamiliar with the area, this is a significant handicap. Later, at a restaurant, I asked someone else where the restroom was, and the right/left aspect of the directions were wrong again!

For fun, I'm going to start asking people directions to locations I already know, just to see what they say.