Croatia has more waterparks than you would think.

My graphic design class is focused on Adobe Indesign and we have to make a book at the end of this quarter. I will be doing mine on the world’s best water parks and lazy rivers. How did I get here? I am traveling to Europe for spring break, it’s my first time going abroad entirely alone! Very excited.

And, for Corinne mostly, I am NOT checking a bag, 2 weeks, backpack & big tote bag, that’s it. #Growth, but not too much, because I need to shrink, the things I pack.

I am beginning my trip in Croatia, and to plan my itinerary, I keep looking at their map. Never did I expect to see, in an Eastern European country, so many, waterparks.

I never searched for waterparks either, I keep zooming in one the cities I will be in and the waterparks are just there, with big red pins, drawing all the focus on themselves.

Here’s the business.

How many waterparks do you think are in the Eastern European nation of Croatia? Well if you guessed less than 10, you’re wrong, and that’s not even the maximum amount. There are more. Look below, even if you’ve never wondered how many water parks are in Croatia, you have to admit this is a lot, like A LOT.

I was besotted by this discovery and decided to do my graphic design project on waterparks. How many more might there be? Where are they?

CNN ranked the top waterparks in the world, and not surprisingly, a park in Orlando, Florida was listed as the 1st.

What was #2 you ask? Well, the 2nd is a waterpark in…the United Arab Emirates. Obviously. You think Florida, then United Arab Emirates. Where is the 3rd best waterpark located? Well, isn’t it obvious?

Innsbruck, Austria! Duh!

Everyone knows when you think of slides and lazy rivers it goes, Florida, United Arab Emirates, Austria.

…Despite my very convincing performance above, I was shocked by this news.

At this point, while reading this CNN list, I blacked out. I am unlearning American propaganda with each passing year, but when it came to waterparks, I did believe the lies. I thought we were the only ones. I did not know other countries had figured out how to put big slides next to their pools. This Talladega Nights quote shaped my understanding of aquatic entertainment geography. (The healthcare joke really hits differently at age 31…)

I did believe water parks were something only we could do. Are we a safe country? No. A healthy country? Absolutely, not. But do we have big slides? You know it, but it turns out, other countries, many other countries, also have big slides.

Countries with universal health care, mandated maternity leave, and consistent public transportation, also have water parks.

Nothing makes sense anymore. I thought I had an informed, finalized view of the waterpark sphere; now, I don’t know what to believe. I studied abroad in Brazil for 5 months in college and had no idea this tall water slide was also there studying abroad.

In life, we fall 7 times and get up 8. Sometimes, we fail, we’re wrong, we mess up, but we must stay strong and live another day. This is a turning point in the waterpark/lazy river chapter of my story.

Sadly, I cannot visit any of the 10+ Croatian water parks next month because it will be too cold, which might be the saddest part of all.