east west

boy, she could talk you up a blue streak about carolina

I started taking Russian classes at the community college a few weeks ago. It's good for all of the reasons you might imagine - diversity, heightened sense of community, tax dollars going to good use, being back in a classroom setting, etc. Using a different part of my brain, wearing a sweatshirt, slouching in the back row while taking notes.

So - tonight. We were learning about questions and answers, and our format for doing so utilized the US map. I was in a group with two other students, both in their early twenties. Both (I assume) high school graduates. I asked them, "Where is Michigan?". It, apparently, is next to Louisiana. As our time progressed, I learned that Utah and Ohio are one and the same. Don't even bother trying to find Iowa. I have this tendency to be a Geo-Nazi, and have a feeling that tonight was no different. How do you tell someone, "Yeah, so New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Delaware? They're actually states. Not cities." and not feel somewhat snug in your own knowledge of the world, simplistic as it may be?

But then. Oh, but then. The next exercise had to do with identifying animals. Most of the Russian terms were cognates, so it was pretty easy to match the word with the image. Fresh off of my geographical victory (which had clearly established that I was the smart one in the group), I was matching up "pahnda" with a panda, "sheempahnzee" with a chimp, etc. But then I got to the word "antelope".

"Wait….I don't see an antelope on here".

My partner pointed to um, this thing that looked like a gazelle, sort of.

"No, that's not an antelope. An antelope eats ants. And it's otherwise known as an aardvark and is native to Sub-Saharan Africa and is primarily nocturnal. It has a long nose and resembles a pig".

My partner just looked at me while I, unfortunately, continued ranting. Again, I'm the smart one here, I've got a license to rant for as long as I darn well please. Finally, he broke in -
"Are you SERIOUS?"

Silence. Realization. Oh crap.

"Um….wait, you're right…uh….sorry about that."

I deserved it.

posted by jessica @ 9:41 PM