By Elisa Benham
Overwhelmed after arrival in the airport, an African Boy who stands out amongst the crowded terminal, walks dumbstruck admiring every aspect of what to him, is a whole new world. “We were leaving everything we knew, or thought we knew; each of us had only one small bag of possessions, and no money at all, no family where we were going. (1)” Valentino Achak Deng, a Lost Boy of Sudan couldn’t have hoped or dreamed of anything more than escaping the civil war which tormented his home country of Sudan for over 20 years. He was left bewildered with the idea that he was in the United States, over 10’000 kilometers away from the land he left only days ago. It didn’t take long before the cold started to frighten him as he began longing for the warmth of his home which he said goodbye to indefinitely. He could sense stares upon him and he already felt misplaced in his vast surroundings. His confidence began draining out of him but the worry which replaced it hid behind his enthusiastic smile. Even holding on to nothing more than hope, he took the opportunity of a lifetime by being resettled in America. He had the chance to create a future for himself and he was not going to let anything bring him down. Ever since he was forced to flee his home when attacked by government troops when he was only a child, he became one of the 20’000 Lost Boys of Sudan with no safe refuge until 4000 of them became the largest resettled group of unaccompanied refugee children in history. The U.S. office of refugee resettlement began bringing boys aged 16 and older over from 2001. Leaving Africa and the afflicted land behind them was truly a dream come true but stepping off the plane in the big Western country was the biggest step the fortunate Boys had ever taken. The stumbles which began to shatter their determination came hard as “The Lost Boys' of Sudan escaped civil war and came to America, with challenges less brutal but no less real.”
Peter Dut, a lost boy who arrived in Minneapolis was one of the many of the Lost Boys were shocked upon arrival in America as only a few days earlier he had been first exposed to simple features from light switches to a toilet flush. Even water running from taps and simple everyday household appliances were new wonders. Supermarkets stocked with more food than he had ever even seen in his lifetime fascinated him greatly as the simple food shopping experience was astonishing. Passing through it all, gazing at the wondrous objects which he dared not to touch, watching as people casually filled their trolleys with anything they wanted. He walked dazzled at everything from packaging to brands, repeatedly whispering names he saw to himself as each aisle brought more curiosity. Dog food and soap had never been seen through his eyes so when told the functions, he would nod almost with disbelief. Adapting and understanding all of these new concepts would take him time for Sudan was an estimated a few hundred years behind civilized countries; countries such as America. For the Lost Boys though, excited and full of ambitions, they imagined their bright future which lay ahead. “The words describing America had piled up without real meaning: freedom, democracy, a safe place, a land with food enough for everyone” Little did the Boys think that it would be far from that and their expectations were very high. "America wasn't paradise and it wasn't as easy as they told you in the camps”.
In the UN Kakuma refugee camp from 1992, the Boys stayed cramped together for over 10 years not knowing what their fate would be. They were coming from the refugee camp, where they were given food, owned their homes and got free education then suddenly to America, where they had to get their own food, pay rent and find themselves education. After using the first three months of rent and food cards they had been given, the Boys were forced to set out into the big cities to support themselves. Many of them even believed that they would be in school already after the first day of arrival but this wasn’t the case. They realised that they would have to save up for college with any job they could get hold of. A large majority are working in very low paying jobs earning no more than $10-20 dollars per hour. This money needed to pay for the essentials and then they could never let down their family back in the camp. Peter said "I came here to the United States. I thought I was coming to get education. I thought I was coming to try and gain something to help my people. But we don't get. We're just working for nothing." They have difficulty to find time for school whilst struggling to earn enough for the necessities. In 2002, 65% percent of the Lost Boys worked full time meaning that they did not attend school and 90% of those who did not work said it was because of their limited english. Loneliness and frustration haunt a large number of Lost Boys who could no longer recognize what had given them so much optimism. Valentino reveals “I pretend that I know who I am but I simply don’t.” Once full of dreams, going to America was all that anyone could think about as the first Boys began to leave the Kakuma camp. Celebrations took place throughout the camp as everyone anticipated news of their success. “Come back a successful man” was what Valentino’s father had said to him on departure. That is the reason why all of the resettled Sudanese feel obliged to send money back to their families, to help those who once helped them. They were not going to let their people down.
Already being lost in the big cities, not every American welcomed the Lost Boys with open arms. “It is hard to describe what others feel; when I pass by them they call me black and make racist remarks.” There were those who looked down on them and made them feel like they didn't belong. With the large adjustment the Boys had to face, Americans were not all very optimistic about how it would work out. There were of course Americans who volunteered to help them adjust and some families even fostered. The Boys whose ages were estimated under 18 by the UN, - as they did not know their ages on arrival, became the luckier ones who could attend High School but they were only a small 26%. Most of them have adjusted well to their new lives in comparison to the others. They did not need to worry about supporting themselves yet and were not thrown directly into the deep end as they had a family to take care of them. They could begin school whereas many Universities are not accepting the older Lost Boys because they are too old. Even the youths had difficulty adapting in different ways. “The youths do experience nightmares, homesickness, anxiety and depression. They miss their parents and friends” It is just as hard for Americans to understand them because the Lost Boys still feel lonely and do are not comfortable expressing themselves. Journalist Scott Peterson described them to be “among the most badly war-traumatized children ever examined.” When forced to run away from their villages, the Lost Boys set off together in groups to find safety from the violence everywhere they turned but had to walk over 1000 miles across Sudan without food or water, facing unbelievable dangers along the way. They may be safe now but they are still very lost.
"Imagine yourself landing in America with no financial resources and no support network. Strip away your parents, your family, education, money, housing, friends, neighbors who know you, all worldly possessions, language -- take all that away and what have you got left? How do you go about surviving?” These are the questions that really seem like mysteries. Realistically, these struggles could completely bring the Lost Boys down but although they have barriers to overcome which still remain to be fought, despite all, they realise that America has also brought light. It has brought them the countless opportunities to become new people, independent citizens and to be able to build a future. There are many who have become lost but there are more who are trying to think beyond the difficulties. They pulled through the loss of their loved ones, they walked through the country full of danger suffering severe starvation and dehydration, they witnessed deaths and more but still they are here in America, throughout all they survived. They persevere because they know there is suffering but they never stop having faith. Admitting that America is far from perfect: “This is a miserable place, of course, a miserable and glorious place that I love dearly and of which I could have seen far more than I could have expected”, it has become their home. Even as hard as it is, they know how fortunate they are to be in the big western country because there are still boys left in the Kakuma refugee camp. They know that America didn’t turn out to be their “forever after” but the resettled Lost Boys of Sudan still fight head high to find peace and happiness that they have been long awaiting.
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