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Latinx first-generation college student shares biggest culture shocks: ‘I didn’t know people flushed toilet paper until I went to college’
Going off to college can be a big adjustment, and many people can encounter a culture shock.
Alexis Garcia, a first generation Latinx college student, recently posted a video chronicling a few of the biggest culture shocks she felt when first arriving to school.
Garcia, who was raised by her Mexican-born parents, moved from El Paso, Texas (81% Hispanic or Latino population) to Dallas, Texas (42% Hispanic or Latino population). There were several things that struck her as different when she moved, but one of the biggest changes was the plumbing situation. Despite living in El Paso, her parents still maintained Mexican customs in that department.
“I didn’t know people flushed toilet paper until I went to college,” Garcia said. “Back in Mexico, they don’t you don’t flush the toilet paper because our plumbing is not good, but I thought everywhere was like that.”
She said that when she got to school she wondered where the bathroom’s trash cans were and why nobody had places to throw the toilet paper away — which was a common scenario for her viewers.
“So we were all throwers not flushers,” replied @esmemiliano14. “I started flushing once we came to the usa.”
Garcia was shocked when she flushed the toilet paper down the drain and nothing happened.
On top of that, she was also surprised to hear that the tarot card reading and “candle magic” that was ingrained in her culture in El Paso wasn’t the same in Dallas — even with her other Mexican friends.
“I thought all Mexicans did the card readings, but to my surprise, it was not anything like that,” Garcia said.
In another video about her culture shocks, Garcia explained the difference of what was considered authentic Mexican food in Dallas threw her for a loop.
“All my friends said, ‘Let’s hit up this one Mexican spot. It’s so good. It’s so authentic,’” she said. “It would be the most mid-Mexican spot I’ve ever been to.”
Such cultural differences aren’t just limited to Garcia and her experiences, but are relatable to many first-generation students. According to the Center for First-Generation Student Success, a third of all college students are first-generation. Furthermore, 21% of Gen Z students are first-generation.
There were several things that took Garcia by storm, but after telling her viewers her experience, she now has a community of people who understand what she went through.
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