Sunday, Jan. 11, 2004 - 4:00 p.m.
North Americans Are Not The Only Geographically Dumb People in the World.
The following is an e-mail messages from two friends and former co-workers of mine down in Cuenca, Ecuador: Judy and Karen. I enjoyed reading their comments and insights and wanted to share it with you.
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Judy writes on Dec 24th, 2003:
Karen is in England for Christmas and this is the E-mail exchange we have had today. It's very exciting to know that North Americans are not the only geographically dumb people in the world.
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Dec. 24, 2003 Karen wrote:
The Leek of the Week Award goes to my mum's friend who thinks that when I say I live in South America I actually mean that I live in the south of the United States!
And her winning question was......
"Do you eat them big steaks what they 'ave over there?"
You were right Judy, people have the smallest brains and ways of viewing things when they aren't ex-pats.
If you don't live in a place that they usually go to on their holidays then the place doesn't actually exist....
I don't live in the United States, the south of France, the south of Spain or Greece therefore where do I live?.....
Well, what they seem to be doing is dispensing with the word South and latching onto the word America.....
It's the only thing they understand. They ask me 'Do you like it there?' and that's it.... they cannot conceive that there might be other countries out there that they haven't heard of and that they might be totally different.
My mum impressed me by telling her friend that I live where the Incas come from. Which is mas o menos correct. Her friend then answered 'Who?'
People just can't stretch their minds and their education is lacking. I remember being taught about the Incas, the Aztecs and the Conquistadores.... what were the others in this country taught?????
I live in a beautiful country that they have never heard of, I live on a continent that they cannot even imagine, and I live amongst people that they didn't know existed.
We have a globe here in the living room which has been strategically placed to show the continent of South America, maybe if they are so inclined they may have a look.
I've given up trying to tell people about it, because I'm tired of the blank expressions that I see.
Ecuador is beautiful and I like living there..... It's a shame it doesn't actually exist........
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Judy wrote:
Ah, but instead of getting angry at their stupidity, look at the great educational opportunity you have. Start with the word "Equator" and see if they can locate that. That might take them to South America. Ask them what they know about South American countries and languages. They will probably know Brasil and Argentina. Then get them to Peru and then north to Ecuador. Right there you have a language vocabulary lesson -- from Equator to Ecuador.
Then you can mention the Andes Mountains and perhaps they have heard of them. Then you draw a map of where the Andes are in South America and Ecuador will be part of that. So, now they have the continent, the country and the mountains. You can then decide if they can go as far as the Amazon River and jungles and attach that on to the Andes.
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Wed, 24 Dec 2003 Karen wrote:
Do you know who Paddington Bear is?????
Well, he's a fictional bear and a cartoon now and he comes from Peru. Well, it only took him about half an hour to get from Peru to London's Paddington station, hence his name. Therefore, as my friend Jackie has pointed out, Peru can't be too far from London. Therefore, I conclude that Ecuador isn't that far at all!
She thinks it's sooo funny that people think I live in the southern US that she's started calling me her friend from Texas!!!!
There's no point in educating these people Judy... I think the only answer is Napalm.
