by Rajkumar Raiyani
The world changed around Bol Mulual (1). He is now a young lad of twenty one. He stared at the rain pattering against his window at his home in Chicago. His fingers slowly traced the raindrops trickling down on the window pane. Bol gazed at the rain and thought of his village which was so dry that the crops would not grow properly leading to a shortage of food. He took a deep breath and turned to look at the refrigerator and remembered how he had struggled with it when he first arrived in Chicago. “What is this? How does it work? Why does it have to be so complex?” He dropped to his knees and examined his hands. They were clean and smooth. He tried to remember a time when they were just the opposite, dirty and rough with cuts and wounds. Bol was one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.
Sudan had been embroiled in a civil war which started in 1983. Religion and oil sparked off this war pitching the Arab North against the Black Christian South. Around 27,000 Sudanese Boys were forced by violence from their Southern villages in the late 1980’s. Some of the boys were as young as four when they were forced to flee from their homes. The boys joined a group and set a course to Sub-Saharan Africa towards Ethiopia in search of safety. A camp provided the Lost Boys food, water and shelter for three years but when the government of Ethiopia toppled in 1991, the boys were forced to flee again. This time, they made their way to Kakuma, Kenya where it is home to 86,000 Lost Boys. The stories of these boys became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan as it had depicted various generations of Sudanese boys that were forced out of their homeland due to the civil war.
Bol reached America when the United States decided to resettle some of the Lost Boys in America. He reached America at the tender age of nineteen. It has been two years since he first landed. Bol walked out into the front porch and took a long deep breath. A sudden gust of cool breeze hit him in his face. The wind started to rage and howl and the rain pelted down hard on the road outside. The trees were swaying from side to side in a fury and the leaves were rustling, as if they were warning Bol to watch his step. Bol spread his arms out wide and felt the raindrops prickle against his skin. His inner soul urged him to let go and explore the ‘wilderness’. Bol began to gulp down the rainwater and the raindrops dribbled from his lips to the edge of his chin. The city-side was now at rest and there was tranquillity all around. He heaved a sigh of despair when he walked out of the gate.
He walked around and scanned his neighborhood. He found a kid struggling to score a 3-pointer near his garage. The kid’s struggle reminded him of his struggle on his arrival in America with 4000 other Lost Boys who were dispersed across the country.
America, the “Dream Country” was where every Sudanese wanted to settle. But they could not make this dream come true as they were tormented by the deaths of their loved ones and they were uneducated, lost, tired and awaiting hope and freedom. Bol still hasn’t forgotten the frightened and intrigued looks on the faces of the Lost Boys before their journey to America. They were worried and had numerous questions about their daily lives and how they would adapt to the dramatic changes.
A few of their questions in the words of the Lost Boys:
- Do people go to the river with containers to draw water for themselves for bathing? (2)
- There is something called apartment? I have never heard, met or seen it?
- Is using electricity hard?
- Shower? How does it look like?
- In the United States we heard there is only one wife?
Bol remained put until the kid finally netted the 3 pointer. Just as he was about to move on, Bol got a glimpse of the kid’s jersey, a Chicago Bulls Basketball jersey with the name Deng printed on the back alongside the no 9. Bol smiled to himself and started to yell “The jersey belongs to Luol Deng, born in Sudan and a member of the Dinka tribe. He fled to Egypt with his family to escape the civil war when he was just five! He was lucky alright, otherwise he would have been a part of us... A part of the Lost Boys!” Bol felt like a fool for screaming blindly as the kid couldn’t hear him due to the heavy rain.
He trudged along and splashed water from the puddles on the road. Images from the past flashed by in his mind about Kakuma, crossing the Gilo river, before boarding the plane, the plane ride to America, its people and the surroundings. Bol chuckled to himself when he thought about his white chocolate story. He ate white chocolate for the first time in his life and thought it tasted like soap. He couldn’t tell whether it was soap or bitter ate it since people around him ate it too!
He remembered another funny incident which made him laugh even harder. This was when he couldn’t tell the difference between milk, cheese and meat. Several Lost Boys were shocked and astounded by the sudden change and complexity of life. Before switching flights, Bol had stumbled upon Simon who was explaining to one of the Lost Boys ”Some of the windows, they might be open and sometimes they close. So when your windows of opportunity open, just take it.” (3)
“I did, I did take the open window Simon... or was it God’s will?” Bol pondered. Till this day, he still hasn’t figured out the answer to the question.
Though it has been two years, Bol and many of the Lost Boys were still finding it difficult to adjust to the American way of life. When volunteers came along to teach them the basics of housekeeping, one of the Lost Boys uttered in an exhausted manner “America isn't paradise and it is not as easy as we were told in the camp." (4). Bol still has issues with food. Sometimes, he would find people staring and talking behind his back, “Who is that guy? Is he crazy?” Everything is different and it irritates him and some of his friends when some people ask them stupid and insulting questions like “Do you live in the forest?” People in America are not friendly and show no sign of hospitality, they are always walking alone and don’t talk to the Lost Boys. Bol couldn’t go into the house of someone he didn’t know even though everyone was American. Instead they call the police. When Bol was trying to find the right path, nobody came to lend him a hand. He couldn’t even ask them questions as they were ‘different’ people. Questions like:
- Can you show me the way please?
- How are we going to be acquainted to the lifestyle here?
Nevertheless, Bol was reluctant to leave America as it was his second home. America was modern, hectic and both financially and economically successful compared to Sudan. America made him step out of his comfort zone in order to try new and challenging activities, granted him all the freedom that he didn’t have back home and provided him with an education and jobs to support himself, family and friends. Bol never gave up and always awaited for what the future had in store for him.
It stopped raining and the yellow gleaming sun came out of his hiding spot to spread around his warmth and light. Bol had been out for more than an hour and a half. He was soaked to the bone and his shoes were stained. The neighborhood was now coming to life. People slowly emerged from their homes as if it were a solitary prison and soaked in the sun and their surroundings. Kids were out screaming, crying and running around, playing sports or just sitting on their front porch for a breath of fresh air. Some couples were out for a short walk; holding hands while others just hugged and wished this beautiful and cool day would never end.
Bol found an empty bench and sat down. His heart was heavy when he saw the couples go by. Bol yearned for Crystal; his girlfriend back in Sudan. He wanted to bring her to America, so that he would have someone who would care, love and respect him. For that to happen, Bol would have to continue working hard, focus on his education and save enough money. Tears started to fill his eyes and his vision blurred. He imagined each teardrop as a Lost Boy slowly making his way around the twists and turns while leaving his hometown and loved ones to reach the final destination, ‘America’. Bol reminisced about his roommate Aboor’s first birthday with his patron and how he weeped like baby while whispering “Back in Africa they do not know how hard it can be here for us!”
Bol left the bench and jogged home, knowing how anxious Aboor would be. He was a block away from his home when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Something flashed in his mind like a light bulb. The question that had been bothering him for two years had finally surrendered itself. “I did, I did take the open window Simon... or was it God’s will?” He now knew that answer to that - it was ‘God’s will’. He stared at his palm and beamed at himself.
‘God brought him to this country not just for himself ... but as a messenger with the power to unravel the exotic and hidden secrets for every Lost Boy in America.”
Footnotes:
(1) THE CHAUTAUQUAN DAILY. "One Lost Boy of Sudan Finds Path, Shares Life story." The Chautauquan Daily. N.p., 05 July 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <http://chqdaily.com/2011/07/05/one-lost-boy-of-sudan-finds-path-shares-life-story/>.
(2) National Geographic. "Mapping the Migration of the Lost Boys." National Geographic Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/god-grew-tired-of-us-mapping-migration-lost-boys/?ar_a=1>.
(3) KTEH. "Lost Boys of the Sudan." YouTube. YouTube, 04 June 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQSg0z6vEA>.
(4) Goffe, Leslie. "Sudan's 'lost Boys' in America." BBC News. BBC, 31 Aug. 2004. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm>.
Bibliography:
a) KTEH. "Lost Boys of the Sudan." YouTube. YouTube, 04 June 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQSg0z6vEA>.
b) Goffe, Leslie. "Sudan's 'lost Boys' in America." BBC News. BBC, 31 Aug. 2004. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3602724.stm>.
c) National Geographic. "Mapping the Migration of the Lost Boys." National Geographic Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. <http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/god-grew-tired-of-us-mapping-migration-lost-boys/?ar_a=1>.
d) THE CHAUTAUQUAN DAILY. "One Lost Boy of Sudan Finds Path, Shares Life story." The Chautauquan Daily. N.p., 05 July 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2013. <http://chqdaily.com/2011/07/05/one-lost-boy-of-sudan-finds-path-shares-life-story/>.
e) ImpactAVillage. "Journey Time Line - Aguea." Journey Time Line - Aguea. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2013. <http://rechercher.aguea.com/jo/Journey-Time-Line>.
f) BCDEnterprises. "Lost Boys of the Sudan." Lost Boys of the Sudan. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. <http://www.lostboyschicago.com/LostBoys.htm>.
g) CBSNews. "The Lost Boys, Part One." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. <http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50143932n>.
h) An interview with Julie who works for the organization called Outreach Africa.(I got to know about Julie after I had emailed to the VAD Foundation. The VAD Foundation is primarily concerned with fundraising for Valentino's school in Marial Bai, which is why Soraya recommended me to contact Outreach Africa.
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