places

When I was around four, I believed that all countries were separated by water and that the US states were also separated by water. In my mind, the water boundaries were what made them separate countries or states.

Dave

in learning about the layout of my city (new orleans) i became aware that there was a west bank. i never liked being there because it didn't look as nice as other parts of town.

and besides, whenever the news was on there was talk about more bombs going off there.

scott f

I used to believe that Niagara Falls was in Nevada. It made perfect sense -- after all, since lots of people went to Las Vegas to get married and Niagara Falls was a big honeymoon spot it stood to reason they were nearby. I think I was confusing NF with the Hoover Dam. Geography was never my strong suit.

Heather

When I was about 8 we were watching TV and there was a picture of the Arch of
Triumph in Paris. My mother said, "Oh, that's in Paris, they make perfume there."
For longer than I'd like to admit I thought the arch was a perfume factory.

Dan

Once, in the car on the way on a holiday to Devon, I asked if he would be there...I was slightly confused, and thought that God would be there...as he "art in Devon"

Verity

I used to think that County Durham was in Ireland.

Anon

I grew up in London, UK and I used to believe that Chelsea (located in London) was actually way up North - somewhere near Birmingham.

Mark

I'm not quite sure when I realized the err of my thinking, but for awhile, I thought Pennsylvania (where I live) was pretty much the entire country, and the states that border us were really far away. Someone I knew was moving to Ohio and I was aghast at how "far" she'd be. I'm pretty embarrassed that I was like, eight or nine when I thought this. I knew that Santa Claus was fake & had a basic grasp of what sex was, but I really thought our state was so damn important that it was the whole country. Blame it on the state maps the teacher used! Not a full nation map, just our own. It certainly *looked* big to me.

Nisa

That if there was an Antarctica, there had to be and Arctica somewhere on the other end of the earth.

tammy

If you dug through the earth to the other side you would end up in China.

Paul

that Uttoxeter was a huge and important place, cause all roads in Stafforshire point towards it

rosy

When I was wee and I got bored and played Monopoly with my siblings on rainy days, I always wanted "The Angel, Islington" because I believed that was where all the Angels lived and they threw parties there. It wasn't until I moved to London that I realised that it was just a tube station..and a rather skanky one at that.

C

Up until the 6th grade or so, I assumed that Washington D.C. was in Washington State. (Naturally!) It was a weird perception shift to realize the White House and the President weren?t just north of me, they were clear across the country.

SillyMe

I thought that Armagh and Baghdad were next to each other because the names went together ('Our Ma' and , em, 'Bag Dad').

Esty

I used to believe that the president lived in Washington state and that he commuted to Washington D.C. for work. (because everyone always said "The president lives in Washington". I thought this was stupid and he should just live in D.C.

Patty, NY

My mom was 40 and we were going to Chicago... she told me to "book a hotel room by the ocean." She also confessed that she thought Hawaii was up by New York. Nevermind, because until I was 18 I thought the Statue of Liberty was in Washington state.

Juliet

I used to believe that the Tallest Mountain in the world, Mt Everist, was actually in my own country, Australia.

Rohan

I overheard a little boy talking with his dad in a bookstore:

"Dad, are England and Europe the same thing?"

This is a common misconception in suburban New Jersey.

Joseph

I used to live in Hawaii while my extended family lived in Utah. We would find ourselves visiting them often, so I thought the entire continental United States was called "Utah."

John