SMA PVT INST RATED PLT BECAME DISORIENTED DURING AN NDB APCH RESULTING IN MAKING AN APCH TO A NEARBY MIL BASE AND VECTORED BACK TO ORIGINAL APCH BY ATCT CTLR ASSISTANCE.

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I WAS IN IMC; BEING VECTORED TO THE NDB APCH FOR RWY 35 AT PNS. FOR SOME REASON; I BECAME DISORIENTED AND BELIEVED WE WERE E OF PNS; INSTEAD OF W (DESPITE THE FACT MY ADF NEEDLE WAS POINTING L -- WE WERE SBOUND). I KEPT CHKING THE ADF; THINKING IT WAS WRONG. WHEN WE BROKE OUT UNDER THE CLOUDS; I SAW AN ARPT TO MY R AND CALLED IT AS PNS TO ATC; WHO HANDED ME OFF TO PNS TWR AND CLRED ME FOR A VISUAL APCH. THE TWR NOTED MY POS AND ASKED IF I HAD PNS OR THE NAVY AIRFIELD IN SIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED MY ERROR AND ADMITTED THAT I HAD THE NAS IN SIGHT AND NOT PNS. I WAS HANDED BACK TO APCH; AND I SHEEPISHLY FOLLOWED ATC'S VECTORS TO THE NDB AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. BECAUSE OF THIS ERROR; I HAVE TO SAY THAT I DID NOT GET MY MIND FULLY BACK ON THE APCH AND IT WAS SOMEWHAT SLOPPY. HOWEVER; I HAD PNS IN SIGHT FROM THE TIME I ENTERED THE BASE LEG OF THE VECTORED APCH. I BELIEVE THIS DISORIENTATION OCCURRED BECAUSE THE LAST TIME I WAS IN THIS AIRSPACE (WHICH I AM NOT VERY FAMILIAR WITH); I WAS VECTORED DOWN THE E SIDE OF PNS (AT NIGHT) AND I EXPECTED TO SEE THE ARPT ON THE R SIDE OF THE PLANE (ALSO; THE NAS IS LAID OUT IN A SIMILAR FASHION TO PNS). AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT; THIS UPSET ME BECAUSE I GENERALLY HAVE VERY GOOD POS AWARENESS. HOWEVER; I WILL NEVER TAKE THIS FOR GRANTED; AS I HAVE LEARNED HOW EASILY DISORIENTATION CAN OCCUR. I ALSO WILL BE INCLINED IN THE FUTURE TO FOLLOW MY INSTS JUST AS WE ARE TAUGHT IN TRAINING.