Lost Boys of Sudan

Sudan is in crisis due to the 21 years civil war and the conflict that Sudan faced. As a result, many young Dinka boys have to escape from their country. They were suffering under unfavorable conditions while they were escaping. After spend years fighting with these conditions, they finally make to reach Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Few years later, some of the boys are chosen to migrate to America where they think like a heaven and get better life. Peter was one of the boys who get to chance to go to America

and achieve his ‘American Dream’. However, life in America was not easy as he thought. He faced difficulties while assimilating into the American culture and had a culture shock about the country that they had never been.

When lost boys were first came to America, they experienced a culture shock, as Africa and America were totally different country. Lost boys were living in the refugee camp, they lived in their traditional way to survive therefore, they were very uncivilized. However, America was different. It was a country with full of things that they never experience, heard or look. First, they shock at abundance of food such as supermarket since they were suffering with hunger in Africa. Furthermore, they learn how to use transportation and new laws or rules in order to live easier life. Because of huge gap in their culture, Peter had a problem with adapting to the culture of America. In addition, these leads Peter to faced difficulties when he assimilating into America.

People in America seem to understand the situation of lost boys and accept them; they still have some stereotypes just because they have different color skin and background. These stereotypes naturally lead them to racism. As Peter has darker color skin than everyone else, people judge Peter as they want and just one to have artificial relationship with him. When he was working in Wal Market, his boss command him to work in outside because he thought Peter can endure heat more than others because he is from Africa and his skin is darker. In addition, even the school counselor who supposes to encourage students to study, looked down on Peter as he thought he is from refugee and ‘black’ who never had a chance to get proper education. However, by showing the letter from National Honor Society, he proved that even though person like Peter can be smart and can achieve their goal.

After he graduated high school, he went to university and gets the scholarship. This shows that Peter achieve his dream and successfully adapt to new culture even though he had to suffered and had with a lot of problem as he living in America.