texas? really?

so i have this necklace of an outline of africa that i wear around my neck. one day my (korean) TA asked me if i was from texas. i said no and asked why. he said he thought i was because i always wear a necklace of texas.

now, he’s certainly not an ignorant kid. he’s well traveled, fluent in english, and smart in just about everything. so he was kind of insulted when i laughed at him. and he insisted that texas looks JUST LIKE africa.

that was weeks ago. but he still can’t let it rest. so usually whenever we’re around someone else and he notices my necklace, he will ask said person, “hey, does her necklace look like texas?” he has yet to get an affirmative reponse.

my favorite response, however, came today. jai (my TA) asked a 9th grade korean boy, “does her necklace look like texas?” the student said, “WHAT?! no way!!” i got a smug grin on my face, which turned to a forehead palm slap as the 9th grader went on to say, “texas is SO MUCH BIGGER than that!”