Dear Reader,
I am 18. I can smoke and buy lottery tickets and vote in this country–a country that I know nothing about.
I’ve been feeling awfully stupid lately (I think college/finals has a way of doing that to a person), so last night I decided to quiz myself on the state capitals. THE STATE CAPITALS! We learned this stuff in 8th grade! And you want to know what I got?
20.
A solid 40%. Yup, way to go there, Sammy.
And among those that I missed? Phoenix, Arizona. Denver, Colorado. MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.
I mean, I can forgive myself for forgetting about Topeka and Trenton, but come on. Everyone knows Montgomery, Alabama!
And my first instinct was, God, shouldn’t I know this? Shouldn’t I have been taught this better?
No, no. This is not a teaching issue. I am not about to insult the profession that I’m going into. Because this is not on them, this is on me.
And sure, maybe it’s not exactly brought up too often at the dinner table. Maybe knowing that the capital of South Dakota is Pierre isn’t exactly handy, but this is my country! And I want to be a traveler! I’m proud enough to own up to my Canadian heritage, so shouldn’t I know all of the provinces and territories of Canada as well?
Basically, this was a wake up call. A stupid one, I’ll admit, but one that screams, You’re a poser!
I want to see the world. All of it. And I might as well start with the soil I stand on. I mean, I’m sure I could make some lovely memories in Delaware and Utah. I might as well educate myself before I leave.
I understand that this post was probably pointless to read, but I was just floored with this new information.
I don’t know, I’ve got some changes to make.
Sincerely,
Sammy
PS. Good for you for sticking to the end. For that, I am sharing my all-time favorite song of the moment. It has been on repeat for a solid three days now so enjoy, will you?
SINCERELY, SAMMY 