Problems Facing Asian Students

An interview with Yen Nguyen, from Vietnam

Q . When was your first day in the USA?

A .  On 8 August  2015. That was my first time to come to USA. 

Q. Do you miss your country? As you know a lot of international students miss their country.

A. Yes. I really miss my country such as foods, family , friends, home, school.. But I’m trying to be happy here. Because I have to live here for 3 years and that I came here was my choice and I never regret it.

Q. What made you come here?

A.  Because of my study. I think lot of people come to USA for their job or study. USA is better for higher education. My life would be better than in Vietnam. 

Q. There are many schools in the USA. Are there any reasons that you came to Concord University?

A. The reason why I came to Concord is, here Concord is a very good place to study. As you knows Concord University is really peaceful and calm. This makes me concentrate on studying. There’s nothing that distract me from studying. I do love it.

Q. How do you like it here?

A. People are really friendly. They are willing to help me out whenever I need help. And I can bear the feeling of loneliness thanks to people around me such as friends, professors and staffs. I really love them.

Q. What are the hard things to stay here? I mean kind of challenges that you face.

A. Oh.. There are a few things. Maybe other students feel the same thing with me.

First, I have the language limitations. I studied English quiet well in my country. But when I get to talk and listen to native speakers, I find it difficult to understand. For example, they speak too fast to understand. Also, In TOEFL ( Test Of English as a Foreign Language) the speaker says really clearly and emphasizes all the words’ pronunciation. But in real life, most people do not. Maybe most of international people might feel like that.

Second, The food is really different from Vietnamese foods. The foods here sometimes are oily, sweet, salty and cheesy. I gained 4 kilograms ( 8.8 pounds) last semester.  I don’t usually eat fast foods or oily and cheesy foods such as hamburger, pizza. But sometimes I can’t stop eating because of the foods here such as cafeteria in student center or buffet. They are great.

Third, it is really hard for me to use public transportation whenever I want to. I found it hard to go to Walmart or hang out in downtown with my friends. The buses only work at the specific time which might not suitable with my schedule. Where I had lived (Ho Chi Minh City), there were many transportation systems that everybody could use at an anytime. So this is why I want to have my own car.

Fourth, the environment is really different from where I had lived. I used to live in the big city. In Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are the biggest cities.