One would expect that a foreigner’s life is a struggle because they know so little about their new country.

Dung Le came from Vietnam five 5 years ago, and immediately noticed the differences between her home country and America. “I felt really different because, in Vietnam, people would stay outside a lot and talk much more,” she said. “But over here it was really quiet and nobody was around, which was confusing at first.”

Being in California was a very different experience, but an even harder challenge she faced was going to school in America for the first time. “It was really hard for me at first because I did not speak any English. I also had no friends at first, so it was hard adapting to school all alone,” she said.

While many foreigners cherish their home country in some way, Dung Le says that she has nothing at all from Vietnam, but she would just like to remember the country for what it was from her memories. One thing she had liked when she moved here was her new house, a big house where she had her own room. “Back in Vietnam I lived in a small house,” she said.

“It did not take that long to get used to America because my friends over here helped me a lot,” Le said, “and I appreciate that they helped me.”