When Dau first arrives in America, he believes that everyone is wealthy because most Americans have a car and even the roads are lit by electricity; cars and electricity are both luxuries in Southern Sudan. He is also shocked to see homeless people on the streets because in Sudan “even strangers could find a haven in Sudanese homes” (190). In his village people tried to live what they read in the Bible, and they believed that taking in the least of God’s people was serving Christ.

Dau and two other Lost Boys, Jacob and Andrew, all share an apartment together. For three months they receive government assistance to pay for food, utilities, and rent, but then they are expected to get jobs and pay their own way. Volunteers from a local church help Dau and his friends acclimate to American life, showing them how to shop at the grocery store, cook food on modern appliances, and operate the various appliances in a home.

Dau is shocked to learn that meat can come from many sources. For the Dinka, “meat is not meat unless it comes from a cow” (194). This is just one of many cultural differences that Dau encounters.