Hot Cold

by Bethany Burns

“Hot. Cold. On. Off. Do you understand?” Yusuf asked William and his younger brother, Simon as they looked on in amazement. In his hand he held something he called a shower, which water had been trickling out of just a few seconds ago. Simon looked at his older brother panicked, a look that was familiar to William, as he quickly asked Yusuf if he wanted to take a break. Seeing they were overwhelmed, Yusuf sat them down and asked them to explain their life story to him.

“It all started with the Sudanese Civil War.” Simon said, the memories already causing him to tear up. “We became orphans, forced to walk thousands of miles in life threatening situations with hundreds of other Lost Boys.”

“Wait,” Yusuf interrupted, “Who are the Lost Boys?”

“The Lost Boys,” William explained, “are the thousands of boys who were orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War, the one that affect both Simon and I.”

From 1983 to 2005 the Second Sudanese Civil War had a death toll higher than any other since World War II, but what happened to the people who lived. Whose homes were ruined, families murdered? The majority of the Lost Boys were made up of these people, most of whom were only six or seven years old. Mainly from the Dinka or Nuer tribes, the boys spent years of their lives in refugee camps before some of them were allowed to resettle in the United States. There were originally 30,000 boys wandering in Sudan during the Civil War, but only 11,000 of them survived. “Thousands of the Lost Boys who were originally on the journey were either killed by soldiers who were chasing them, drowning, starvation or they were eaten by wild animals.”

“So what exactly was the Second Sudanese Civil War? How did it affect you two?” Yusuf asked, slightly confused.

“It was a 22 year civil war that cost around two million lives and has ruined the lives of millions more, including mine and Simon’s.” William said, shuddering simply at the thought of how many lives had been destroyed.

The Sudan’s People Liberation Army is the army of South Sudan. During the Second Civil War, the SPLA was led by John Garang, a Sudanese Politician and leader. It was a protagonist in the war, that was a conflict between the central Sudanese government and the SPLA. One of the main ways the SPLA fought the war was using children as soldiers. There were thousands of underage soldiers used in the war and many more who have been held in boys’ camps to be trained for the military.

“What happened with the Lost Boys and all the others who survived?” Yusuf asked uncertainly, as if he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the answer. Kakuma. How do you explain someplace you know saved your life but also took your life away from you?

“We were in a refugee camp,” Simon replied, his voice shaking a bit, “called Kakuma. It was..well it was very different to America. We’re obviously both very grateful to come here but adapting has been extremely hard so far.”

Since 1992 Kakuma in Northwest Kenya has served over 70,000 refugees from Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia, all of whom have experienced the challenges of Kakuma including frequent Dust storms as well as malnutrition, malaria and communicable disease outbreaks. In July 2012 Kakuma surpassed its limit of 100,000 people, all living with very basic facilities and supplies. Combine that with the 40 degrees Celsius weather and the living conditions which were cramped and far from comfortable. “The Kakuma Refugee Camp has no less than eight international aid organizations operating within its fences, with the United Nations providing subsistence-level food rations for the 65,000 refugees from seven African nations currently living there.”

Silence descended upon the room. Simon and William both reflecting on the events that had lead up to this moment, Yusuf, their sponsor thinking about what they had told him so far. The atmosphere in the room was suddenly very intense so William decided to get up and explore the apartment. He walked slowly over to the window. As far as anyone could see everything was covered in snow, the cars, the ground, even some of the people. Before they came to the US they had no idea what snow was. Simon and William had had no experience with snow, the closest was an ice cube in cultural orientation. Everything was so dissimilar to Kakuma, so intimidating.

“How did the two of you get to America from Kakuma?” Yusuf asked, hoping that his question would bring back happier memories.

“In 2001 the US government decided to let 3800 Lost Boys resettle in America and we were selected as two of them, we were very lucky. “ Simon explained, starting to smile a bit more thinking about when he saw his and William’s name on the list. “Many of the Lost Boys weren’t as lucky as us. Imagine going through this horrific journey with someone, surviving it all with them and the only thing that has the power to separate you is a piece of paper, showing who’s been chosen to go and live in the US.” William said thoughtfully.

“Have either of you been separated from loved ones?” Yusuf asked, again slightly scared of the answer. “No,” William stated, “again we were lucky. We’ve done everything together all our lives, and the resettlement agency understood this. Adapting to this new life has been slightly easier for us than many others because we still have each other.” Yusuf looked at both of the brothers, clearly debating whether or not to say anything. After a slight pause, he looked at Simon and asked “What have you been doing in America so far?”

“Many of the Lost Boys have faced many challenges upon coming to the US. The majority of them didn’t know what electricity was, what an apartment was, how they would get water without going to a river with a container. In Kakuma there was a compulsory cultural orientation class that the Lost Boys had to attend before going to America. They were taught that houses had more than one room, that men only had one wife, that it would be freezing in winter. When going out, there would always be a new experience, normally one that would scare one of the Lost Boys.

“In Boston, I watched one new arrival scream and run in fear at the sight of an escalator.”

“Today was my first day in Pharmacy School,” Simon said proudly, “I started going to Hampton University so I can help other people and save lives.” William looked at Yusuf, slightly embarrassed and said, “When we came to America we had no documents with us so the resettlement agency had to guess our age. They think I am too old to go to university so I have to try and find a job.” There was a short silence in the room before Yusef said to Simon and William, “Do you want me to show you around the neighborhood?” The two brothers looked at each other uncertainly, not sure if Yusuf felt obligated to help them or not. “Are you sure?” Simon asked, looking at Yusuf, “You don’t have to.”

“This is the refugee way - not knowing the limits of our hosts’ generosity..... I am tired of needing help. I need help in Atlanta, I needed help in Ethiopia and Kakuma, and I am tired of it. I am tired of watching families, visiting families, being at once part and not part of these families.” Valentino Achak Deng, What is that What

There were thousands of Lost Boys walking miles in Sudan in the late 20th and early 21st century. The lucky ones eventually resettled in America but while going from living in a refugee camp to creating a new life in such a developed continent isn’t easy at all, the Lost Boys should finally get the freedom they deserve after everything they’ve been through.

Bibliography:

"Here’s the Story…." Outreach Africa Inc RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2013. <http://www.lostboysus.org/>.

"Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan." ALLIANCE FOR THE LOST BOYS OF SUDAN - Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2013. <http://www.allianceforthelostboys.com/>.

Sarah, Corbett. n.d., n. pag. <http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/01/magazine/01SUDAN.html?pagewanted=all>.

Goffe, Leslie. "Sudan's 'lost Boys' in America." BBC News. BBC, 31 Aug. 2004. Web. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm>.

"When Sudanese Refugees Come To America." PBH2. N.p., n.d. Web. 2013. <http://www.pbh2.com/astounding/around-the-world/when-sudanese-refugees-come-america/>.

Individuals from Sudan Are Brought to the USA. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYCA6g9bNg0>.