places

My mum used to take me to preschool on her bike. On the way we'd pass a place where American troops stayed, near a defence base, and they flew the American flag (we're in Australia). For years I thought that I was visiting America on my way to preschool

Anna

When I was little and someone would talk about Greenland, they would always say things like "up to Greenland" (because it's up North, naturally), but I always understood it as if it was in the sky. So I was always looking for a gigantic, floating country in the sky...

Anon

When I was small I used to think Africa was one whole country

Anon

Growing up in the southern US, we would sometimes pass tobacco fields which had rows of leaf drying houses in them. There were no windows in those houses and my dad told us kids that blind people lived in those houses.

Every time we would pass them I would look to see if I could spot a blind person outside, and I thought that when I got older I would go and get them and tell them they were living in houses that had no windows and that wasn't fair.

Annie

The first time I was on a plane I looked out the window and saw the seperate plots of farmland. I thought I was looking at the state borders and I got really confused when I couldn't recognize any of the states!

CJ

I had heard of certain suburbs of big cities referred to as "bedroom communities" before I ever actually visited such a place. When I first did visit residents of such a suburb, I was very surprised to find that they lived in entire houses, and not just bedrooms.

Cheryl

The world is flat.

Babui

When I was little I use to think that the United States was the entire world. I was shocked when I found out otherwise!

Emma

well, when i was 5 years old i was in the former checersslovakia(sorry about spelling its late at night) when they split into slovakia and chek republic, i thought a huge lazer beam from space was goona come and cut the country in-half, meanwhile it was only a line drawn on a map how bizarre

kitana

When I was young (probably around three or four) I thought there were two Hollywoods, one in Miami and the other in San Francisco. I have no idea where I got this, but I think it was because my mom read a lot of magazines like People and I liked to look at maps. But I'm not sure about that.

Mike

When I was in first grade, my teacher taught us about the equator. She explained that it was an invisible line circling the earth. However, she had quite a thick southern accent. I thought she said there's an invisible lion (yes, the animal) circling the earth. I even raised my hand and asked her again! For quite a while I believed that there was an invisible lion running around and around the earth. Too funny!

Kris

I have no idea why, but until I was five or so, I thought that there were two Hollywoods, one in Miami and the other in San Francisco. I thought you could only shoot movies in those two cities. I don't know where I got this, but I know I liked to read maps, that may be where I got this.

Mike

Until junior high, I always thought of Africa as one whole country with lots of states. No one told me otherwise till the day I answered a question about what was the biggest country in the world. I said it was a tie between Russia and Africa.

Vella Van Jaun

I live in Arkansas, and at my preschool, there was a US map hanging on the wall. My state was green and the trees are green. Texas was purple.. my family and I went on a vacation to TX, and I asked my mom, "why aren't the trees purple?" I thought that colored map was what the US looked like from a space ship!

Sydney

up until i was 9, i used to believe that the Grand Canyon was in Downtown Manhattan. ( I live in the Bronx)...i used to ask my mom all the time if can go see it cuz it was only a train ride away....man i was soo disappointed to learn it was in Arizona...i cried.

Not a smart child

I used to believe that England was in the Moon.
I am from Brazil!

Anon

When I was little, I didnt realize the Middle East existed. I would watch Aladdin and think it was set somewhere in Asia or in a land that the Disney company made up for their movies. I didnt realize it was actually supposed to be a place on Earth.

Lily

I thought "Made in China" meant that was the material of the product. So naturally, I thought china was the most versatile material.

Ava

I used to beleive that the world was flat until I got into the fifth grade and my teacher told us that that wasn't true. I felt so dumb!

Melanie

When i was about 3 years old i thought that St Patricks Cathedral in Melbourne was Disneyland

Maxine Milton