THE STATE

Victor didn't know what a "State" was in America.

In his head, America was just... America. One big country. One big place where everyone lived. He thought if you were in America, you were just in America.

One day his Oga who lived in the US called him on video. The Oga asked, "Victor, I want to invite you over. Which state are you coming to?"

Victor froze. He had heard of Texas, California, Utah in movies, but he thought they were cities.

"State? Like Edo State?" he asked, confused.

The Oga laughed loudly. "Yes! Exactly like Edo State! You already know it!"

That's when it clicked in Victor's brain.

He quickly understood. Nigeria is one country with 36 states. Lagos State is inside Nigeria. Edo State is inside Nigeria. Kano State is inside Nigeria.

America is the same. It is one country, but it has 50 states inside it. Texas is a state inside America. California is a state inside America. Utah is a state inside America.

So Utah is not a city in America. Utah IS America, just a part of it. Just like Edo is Nigeria, just a part of it.

Victor smiled wide on the call. "Ah! Oga, so Utah is like Edo, but inside America!"

"Exactly," the Oga said, nodding. "Now you get it. So which state will you visit first?"

Victor laughed. "Let me start with Utah!"

And just like that, America wasn't confusing anymore. It felt like home.

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