Dimitrios Niko Ignazio Amendola

Jamie Burgess
UWRITE

Literacy Narrative
Despite modern education labeling literacy as the ability to understand words or to
read, literacy is something more. From a walk down town to watching a TV show our lives are
constantly dependent on literacy. As Grace Slick once put it through literacy you can begin to
see the universe. I believe literacy holds a grasp on perception. Through my life experience I
have come to find that life is much more bright and vibrant the more literate you are. Thus one,
through the study of literacy, begins to see the well knight web that is the world. The most
important fact however, is that literacy provides us with a never ending search for more
knowledge and information.
My experience with literacy began in elementary school. I had consistently performed
below average on reading and writing tests and I was placed in a special class along with being
given a multitude of test privileges. My teacher at the time encountered many difficulties
teaching me to write and read correctly. This was due to the fact that I was an Italian
American boy who spoke an odd mixture between an English and Italian. Thus, my writing was
horrendous by American standards and Im pretty sure a goat utilized better grammar than I
did. Regardless, I continued the rest of my elementary career in the same fashion with little to
no improvement in my literacy skills. Before my graduation from elementary school my English
teacher sent me an email stating my writing will always hold me back and that it is inevitable
that I will continue to struggle throughout my entire educational career. It was a though

thought for my mom to handle but I constantly reminded her that my best was always good
enough.
That summer my family decided to move back to Italy, a move I was very familiar with.
Thus, any progress I had made with the English language would be rendered useless in Italy as I
would have to learn literacy in Italian. Upon arrival to my first day of school, I had doubts about
the Italian education system. My mother had always reminded me that living in America was
the greatest privilege and so I directly assumed that the Italian education system must be
inferior to the American. However that was not the case as I had discovered that European
schooling was much more concise and organized. The classes were taught on a very personal
level and it seemed that everything done in Italy was opposite to the American system. For
example, instead of changing class rooms the teachers would simply change rooms and teach
their class. The expectations were clear and strict; we were required to write with fountain
pens, confining our cursive letters to grid paper rather than the American lined paper. The most
important class in Italy aside from history and math was the study of the Kings English.
Surprisingly, despite my time spent in America, the kids in Italy knew English just as well as I
did. It was here that I began to learn what literacy was. I began to see the importance of
knowledge with no boundaries. Being exposed to two different cultures I began to bridge the
two worlds. I began to see the world from different perspectives, understanding that the world
looks completely different to each and every individual. After this realization I began to crave
the learning, and I found an appreciation for literacy.

After spending 3 years in Italy I returned to the states with a new perspective on life. I
began my high school career with a fresh start. I began reading avidly; soon discovering that
within literacy and language there is power and influence. Among the many authors that stood
out to me in high school the one that had the most profound effect on me was Christopher
Hitchens. Christopher Hitchens provided me with the motivation to study and use language and
literacy to my advantage. I learnt that there is nothing nobler than exploring the endless
frontier that is knowledge. Following my exposure to the influential Hitchens I began joining
multiple clubs in high school such as Speech and Debate as well as Model UN.
It was in these clubs that I began moving out of my comfort zone and started
appreciating education and literacy more and more. My time spent in speech and debate was
initially difficult as I was put in events that were research intensive and required a large grasp
on statistic manipulation. However later on I began entering myself in philosophical, moral, and
religious debates. I found these debates quite enjoyable as they forced one to not only expand
on other cultures but to search deep down inside ones morals. It is through the scrutiny of
others that one finds individual meaning. With this self-confidence gained I began to excel in all
aspects of school finally enjoying my educational career.
With literacy, I found that there is much power. I began writing lots of persuasive essays
practicing effectively communicating my ideas to others. I soon found that I had a talent for
communication. I began to write with confidence and speak with confidence. By my junior year
I was respected by most for my literary abilities and my persuasive techniques. I looked back at

my years in elementary school and smiled with pride. I had exceeded expectation; I had found
the purpose in literacy.
This miniature nirvana in my caused a chain reaction of events in my life, as if I had
been held back up until now. However, the quest for literacy is like trying to satisfy an insatiable
thirst. This being said I began taking Latin Dance lessons, just so I could be literate in another
aspect of life. I soon found myself in an entirely different world. I knew nothing about dance
and looked like a fool in front of my peers. My first dance partner was a Colombian by the name
of Scarlett Maestre, who is now my girlfriend after countless hours of frustration on the dance
floor. I began to improve my dancing skills but also started to become literate in Spanish. After
a couple of months of practice my girlfriend and I joined the Latin dance team for our school
and began doing performances around charlotte. Soon I found myself in a completely different
community, attending Colombian parties and engaging in completely different cultural
practices. From salsa, to merengue I spent 3 years of my life immersed in Colombian culture. I
performed in many events across charlotte, and I began to realize my motivation; I was
addicted to the process of immersive learning and literacy.
After my Colombian excursion I felt that it was my obligation to explore all the
intricate workings that is literacy, expanding from Italy and the United States to all over the
world. Each thing I learnt became a part of me and or least good conversations starters for
those encounters that are lacking the initial spark. I found that through such exposure it was
much easier to engage in conversation. I felt that the more I learned the more I matured. My
senior year of high school I decided to join the workforce and work at my fathers dealership.

There was no better experience in understanding literacy than working at my fathers

car dealerships. The entire year I spent there I worked in sales, service and parts. Each section
of the car industry seemed as if it had its own language. I began my career in Audi parts where I
encountered the most difficulties. I was assigned with answering calls regarding part
availabilities. A simple part such as a gasket could be called something entirely different at
another car shop. I also had to learn the different types of car oils and the pros and cons of
each. Then from parts I moved to service where I was forced to learn the functionality of the
cars and their parts. The car industry is littered with thousands of acronyms and is only second
to the military. It took me an extensive time to effectively understand what an R.O or C.S.I was.
Despite being a year in the service business there is an infinite amount of information one can
learn and I look forward to working in the field again. During the summer I worked in sales. This
proved very difficult at first as I was a little intimidated selling cars to people who are much
older than me. However after the first month I proved to be very good and have decided to
pursue a career in sales. After my experience at the car dealership I found that in life you
continually learn new things and you continually build a network of literacy as the world
infinitely expands before your eyes.