The only air-conditioned library in Taipei was at the American Embassy Information Center, and lots of high school and college students went there to meet, to study, and to learn about America. Every student wanted to study in the United States. Even though I was a student, and I did not know anyone who worked at the U.S. Embassy, I knew through my friends that getting a U.S. visa could be difficult because many of those students who went to the United States did not return.