Assignment #6 -- Daniel Mendoza Vasquez

I have a rather strong affinity, and ‘talent’, for anything involving geography, demographics, or maps. For some reason, which I have yet to clearly define, I find these things highly intriguing and would not find it difficult to peruse an atlas for hours. That’s something that I’m sure my classmates would laugh at, but it’s true. I can point out and name almost every country on an unlabeled map, save for Pacific island nations perhaps, as well as populations and capitals of many. It helps me have a very clear sense of where things are in the global sense, put simply, and also my sense of direction in general. Regretfully, though, I can think of no occupation that would allow me to actually employ these interests and earn money from it in the future (a superficial but necessary concern, in my opinion), as cartographers are not really needed anymore. The only thing that I believe could be at the root of this is my tendency to travel from a young age, and my tendency to really enjoy it. Remembering the capital of Denmark, for instance, is much easier to do when you’ve spent nights there and navigated it. Then again, I’ve never been to Sri Lanka and can tell you the capital is Colombo. So, is it a skill? Yes. A gift? I’m not so sure; I have no idea what to do with it. For now, however, knowing that Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world has put me in good favor with some of my classmates during Jeopardy.