Including general knowledge gaps that you feel you shouldn’t have had (e.g. “wait, there’s been a country there this entire time?”)
Young child:
- I thought Berlin was right on the full FRG/GDR border, and that the Berlin Wall ran along the entire border and through Berlin.
- You’re flying to Chicago? Cool. That’s one of those “four corners” states, isn’t it? Can you bring me back some sand from the desert? You say I’m wrong? Well, if you do encounter any desert on your trip, I’d like a sand sample.
High school:
- The existence of Malta surprised me one day.
- I one day noticed that China has a giant island (Hainan) off its coast.
Adult:
- My mental map of Canada is skewed. I forget how far west Ontario goes, and in my mind, Calgary is due north of Denver. Despite having been to both cities and knowing this isn’t true.