Nguyen Chau Van Loc came to the united states in 1998 from Vietnam. His first impression of the United States was very positive. He felt that this new environment offered him many exciting opportunities.   

However, one month later, Loc began to doubt if he was prepared to take advantage of these opportunities. He knew almost no English. Even when he knew what to say on a bus or in a store, local people had no idea what he was saying and he had to repeat and repeat. He wasn't sure if he would ever learn English or feel happy in the US. He began to feel very depressed and homesick. 

Loc was lucky because there was a counselor in his English program. This counselor helped Loc to understand that his feelings were normal and that they were only a stage in his adjustment to this new culture. Eventually, Loc got more accustomed to his life in this new country but he will always miss Vietnam.