I remember when maps started making sense to me. I was in and around ten years old, and suddenly "Never Eat Shredded Wheat," served a purpose. For some reason I have a fairly vivid recollection of daydreaming during an English lesson of some kind in fifth grade. My vision wandered to the Rand McNally like map that hung over one of the chalkboards on the far side of the room, and I traced the outline of the United States with my eyes over and over again.
The United States was shaded "green," while Canada was "pink," and Mexico was "purple" (I'm almost positive of this because for some reason I remember thinking that Mexico was my grandma's favorite color). And as I stared at this map from across the room, suddenly it hit me like a flaming freighter. I actually started "getting it." I actually started noticing things like the "Legend" and the "Scale" in the corners of the map, and I used them to decipher different aspects of the whole. Suddenly I was not only starting to understand this cartographic creation, but I was fascinated by it! As soon as the English class ended, I was front and center under my new discovery.
From that moment on, there was no going back. I became downright obsessed with maps. All kinds too. Topographic, weather, traffic and transit, souvenir, it didn't matter. I started collecting them, big and small, old and new. My mother started buying them for me once she saw my interest in them, and I got a new map every time we visited a new place. I studied them inside out. My understanding of the United States and the world at large pertaining to locations, borders and distances (among other things), significantly rose. I was really starting to grasp the idea of our world from afar. I have not a clue as to why, but it was a hell of a thing to pickup.
As I got older, my geographical knowledge really started to expand, and I could now make practical use of it. I started to envision things in my minds eye when looking at the map. I started thinking about trips I had taken both domestic and abroad, and I'd retrace them with the map. I thought of the different wars and specific battles we had learned about in other classes, and I marked them on maps I had acquired as well. I even started drawing my own maps. At first, I'd trace ones that already existed. Then, I started to copy them (or portions of them) as I'd flip through books, or look at a large map. Shortly thereafter, I started creating my own.
Borders became very appealing to me, both the idea of them and what they represented, and the literal physicality and placement of them. I loved to see which states bordered each other, and the same with countries. It provoked question that I'd ask myself and only sometimes looked up the answers to. How did a countries or states neighbors shape its own land, people, and way of life? Were there hostile borders, or friendly ones? Were the borders open both ways, or one way... or none? I really started to think about larger ideas and philosophies, but all while staring at the map. Just looking at the US alone, I saw what a large role rivers and bodies of water played in the shaping of states. Then I realized this was really true of the entire globe. Water shaped the world. And that makes perfect sense if you think about it. But I never would have thought of these things or even looked into them, if it weren't for the maps.
They had this odd power over me, and like I said, I even started drawing my own maps, and I was getting quite good. That's when things really started to get nutty. Like a true Sci-Fi nerd, I started creating worlds in my head. I'd draw map after map to get these ideas out of my head and onto paper. Some of them were merely small towns and their surrounding geographic features like hills, forests, mountains, and water. Some of them were giant globes with continents and countries. I'd often do a little page long write-up of the specifications of the world I had created including climate, topography, size, and elemental composition. Yea, I got really swept up in it. I took nerd power to a whole new level.
Then college came, and my time for maps decreased sharply. The ones I created were usually in doodle form on the back of a syllabus or assignment. I stopped thinking about their environments and climates, and who their potential inhabitants would be. I was far more interested in who the girl was three rows up and to the left, wearing the Posada jersey. And as far as studying maps that already existed? Well this was pretty much relegated to MapQuest printouts that would ultimately guide me to liquor stores or apartment parties. Yea, it was a different ball game.
My time for maps may have decreased then, but my fascination with them was merely hibernating. To this day I can't pass a map without going back and taking a peek. And if I go somewhere new, I always look for one as a souvenir. Sometimes I'll even just buy one of those map-styled postcards if I can't find a real one to my liking. And after all is said and done, and I look back on when my intrigue started, I must say, I think I'm a more well rounded person because of it. It got me asking questions that might normally come from reading the likes of Plato or some other classic philosophy. And it certainly gave me a much firmer understanding of the world in which we live. Literally.
So, if you even have an inkling of interest in cartography or maps, I'll let you in on a little secret of mine. An old co-worker (from back in my Weinstein Company days) who shared an enthusiasm for maps and knowledge in general found an amazing website. The site itself is used to teach children about geography, but let me tell you, it works on adults as well. I re-learned the United States inside out (capitals, bodies of water, and all) in a matter of days. I even learned Europe in full, shortly there after which is no small feat. The program works, and it's a lot of fun. I've even got Kimi doing it, and she gets better every night!
So I'll tell you what. If you try out the software/website, and you don't like it, or are not entertained whatsoever, I'll come to your home and personally tutor you in the "Geo-graphic arts." But in all seriousness, take a look when you have a little free time. You might just enjoy learning something again!
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Geography.htm
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