I have a mild case of prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, which makes it easy to forget individuals I haven't seen in a long time. Even if I've encountered someone multiple times beforehand, I would still have trouble remembering that person's face. My condition is not as severe as not being able to recollect the faces of my family members, relatives, and close friends; instead, I cannot recall other people's faces from memory unless I have an continuous and extended interaction with them. And if that person was someone I haven't seen in a while, say over a year or so, I wouldn't recognize that person even if we pass each other on the street.
For instance, four months ago, a cousin of mine who worked abroad for three years returned to my town to attend his grandmother's funeral. When I reencountered him in his grandmother's house, I did not recognize his face and was surprised by his unexpected greeting. I would have stared at my cousin's face for a long time in a futile attempt to recall him if not for the presence of my older brother. Fortunately, my cousin is an understanding man who understands my situation.
Another instance of my condition causing me extreme embarrassment was when I ran into a former instructor during the second-semester enrollment last January. The teacher in issue was one of my first-year college teachers during the first semester. While I was waiting for my turn outside the registrar's office, a teacher unexpectedly walked by, prompting me to greet her as it was customary for students at my school to greet instructors outside the classroom with "Good morning, noon, afternoon, etc." as a sign of respect.
Nothing would have happened if my former instructor had merely returned the greeting. Unfortunately, she recognized me and began speaking with me. Given that I had lost touch with her due to the pandemic, I could only explain my situation and apologize for not recognizing her. Fortunately, she is a very easygoing instructor and was not offended by my blunder.
Although the situation with my cousin and my first-year college instructor was a little embarrassing, it wasn't too terrible, and no feelings were hurt. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for a close friend I haven't seen since high school, who I ran into in a mall six years ago. I was able to recall that event so vividly even today because her hurt expression that day was imprinted in my mind.
So anyway, at the time, I was window shopping at a local mall, minding my own business, when a young lady approached, greeted me, and began a conversation with me. I was initially surprised, but it soon became clear that the young lady was someone I knew based on how familiar she acted with me. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember her name because her face was unfamiliar, so I could only look at her blankly.
The awkwardness only grew worse after I asked her who she was. Seeing how she suddenly stopped talking while looking genuinely hurt at my question, I realized I had messed up. But she bolted away before I could explain the situation to her, leaving me dumbfounded. That day, I went home, depressed.
I had no means of contacting my friend then because I had been out of touch with her for many years. I couldn't even search for her social media accounts because I couldn't remember her name or recognize her face. Out of options, I had no choice but to wait for a miracle, which thankfully occurred. Several days after that incident, she contacted me via Facebook, and we arranged to meet again at the mall over the weekend. At the mall, I could explain why I asked her that question that day, ending the misunderstanding once and for all.
With the misunderstanding resolved, we're able to reconnect and rekindle our friendship. Nowadays, we would call each other via Zoom or Google Meet to ensure that we stay connected and that the situation where I couldn't remember her face would never happen again.