Last year in the UK we tried to inundate our British classmates with as much information about Canada as we could. We would answer their questions about our mother country with a lot more knowledge than they asked for. We hoped they would absorb every random fact and detail we threw at them.The first lesson about Canada generally went like this...
"So, you're American?"
"No, we're Canadian" (hee hee - no, just kidding... usually they knew we were Canadian).
It went like this...
"So, where are you from in Canada?"
"We're from Ottawa, the capital of Canada" (note that subtle example of giving them more information than they bargained for).
Their response: "The capital? I thought Toronto was the capital."
"Nope, Ottawa's the capital of Canada."
We really wanted them to get it. Of all the classmates we thought would get it, we would have counted on Matt. Matt's from Huddersfield - he's doing his PhD. He was given the award for highest mark in our class. Matt's clever and he really pays attention too.
Apparently this weekend Matt was in some sort of student quiz. He was shown a Canadian flag. He had to name the country and the capital. He got the country right - not the capital.
Matt, you've let us down... but we still love you.
Lesson one: Ottawa's the capital of Canada.
-Maryann
6 comments:
I feel like the Arrogant Worms probably have a satirical song about that.
What can you expect from a person whose country's capital is a city named Liverpool? A pool full of livers...gross...
Merry Christmas Ben & Maryann - May you & all your family have a totally blessed and prosperous 2008! Gavin, Rachel and Daniel White
As the old telling off at school goes... I've let your country down, I've let my friends down, but most of all I've let myself down!
Matt
Canadian A!
Shared a flat with Canadians once, only thing they ever taught me were the rules to ice hockey including the one that you can punch someone during a game, but you have to take your gloves off first! Is that true!?!
We also use to chuckle that when most people were asked where Canadians were from they responded Canadia!
Thanks for dropping by my blog!
I was trying to teach this to my students yesterday and they kept saying "I thought that Toronto was the capital of Canada". I don't know how many times I told them that Toronto is the capital of Ontario before they finally understood that Ottawa is the capital of Canada. -Heather R.
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