As an eighteen-year-old coming from California to Texas for college, I never really understood what cultural literacy was. Even up to a few months ago, I was unaware of Cultural literacy until this year in my Intermediate Comp. class. Now knowing what it is, I can recount my experiences and figure out when I became culturally literate even when I was unaware. It began with my transition from California to Texas, the environment of the states themselves, and the people were so different. California had the coast, undulating hills, and cities everywhere. Texas, however, is flat, hot, and has miles of open land. It made me wonder what life in Texas is like and what locals do if they have no ocean, no hills to hike, and a large variety of cities to visit. This is where I began to develop an open mind for the Texan culture and what was usual for the residents of the state.
When I first met a few of my friends who were born and raised in Texas, it again opened up my cultural literacy. Speaking to an individual from Texas, it is almost impossible to miss the accent and the Texan slang like “y’all, Yes Sir, Yes Ma’am.” This made me realize that the kids in Texas were raised using different Vocabulary and terms. Moving into Texas, I had to become aware of this new Vocabulary because I was going to school with a ton of Texas kids. Besides the Vocabulary of the locals from Texas being different, they also had food restaurants that were only located in the state of Texas. Throughout Fort Worth, there are fast-food restaurants such as Whataburger, Torches Tacos, and chicken express. When I first arrived at TCU, I was surprised they had no In & Out or Chronic tacos on campus. It was surprising to see the food differences that people in Texas had compared to the food presented in California. Texas has more fast food and steak house restaurants where California has vegan options and standard food options as well. Today I clearly understand what cultural literacy is and have learned that even in the U.S., people come from very different backgrounds. The only way to be culturally literate is to be openminded and observant of the different cultures that surround us in society.
Being a college student in the twenty-first century, there are a few cultural literacies that should be known. From experience, a student should be culturally aware and prepared for their transition to their school, not matter if they are leaving their state. Here are ten points that people should know to be culturally literate:
1. The National Anthem
2. Football College, Pro, XFL
3. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
5. Superman New Movie
6. Netflix Original “YOU”
7. Uber Eats
8. “Im not Racist” By Jordan Lucas
9. Religious Holidays
10. Glass
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