One-sided

This evening I felt that I had to make an effort to experience Europe's funkiest hostel at its prime and take in a bit of the night life. The bar turned out to be pretty dull, everyone bunched up by dorm room and guys and girls separated as if it were a middle school dance. (I've come to realize that nearly all the girls opt for "female only" rooms, so all the "co-ed" rooms are filled with only guys.) Given that, I ended up running into my roommates, who in the capacity of good Samaritans helping girls with their baggage had managed to meet some new people who were of the opposite sex. Talking with the newfound acquaintances, I somehow managed to be challenged to name as many African countries in five minutes as I could and wagered a drink that I could name more than the girl who challenged me. As it turned out, she disappeared without going through with it, but I made a list anyway, if only to honor Mr. Beckman's seventh grade social studies class.

• Togo
• Benin
• Cameroon
• Ivory Coast
• West Sahara
• Morocco
• Lybia
• Liberia
• Mali
• Tunisia
• Egypt
• Nigeria
• Chad
• Kenya
• Republic of Congo
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• South Africa
• Zimbabwe
• Swaziland
• Somalia

I'm not sure if 20 out of 46 "honors" Mr. Beckman's class, but I'd wager I did better than most Americans (and certainly our president, who referred to Africa as a country itself).