When the lost boys of Sudan arrived in the States they had some unusual experiences and faced difficult situations. The most surprising thing to the lost boys was the house; they felt that it was so huge that it could fall over them. Comparing to the mud huts in Africa this house was humungous to them. There were some difficulties with daily living for example not knowing how to switch on the electricity, to do indoor plumbing, to pay bills and to cross a grocery store.
The difficulties they faced were their skin color, they were complaining by saying, “Most white people are scared, they think you’ll beat them up, just because you are black.” Peter was also feeling left out of the American society when he was getting on the bus and said, “When I come nearby people, people just look at me. I look odd, I feel shame and I don’t like them”. This made him more discouraged and frustrated. They were also kept in lower positions in jobs, for example when Peter was working in a market as a boy rolling trolleys, he was asked by his boss to work outside just because he was an African and could endure the heat, this was very prejudice and an unfair way to treat people.
It can be very difficult to understand and adopt a different culture to the Dinka boys. However, they tried to overcome by acting and dressing like the Americans such as wearing bragged pants, jerseys and bini hats. They also went to school and learnt English and other classes, Peter had to lie about his age so that he could go to high school and not directly to college. He had worked hard during his high school years and finally graduated from high school. They played basketball and became familiar to American sports that led them to make more friends. Working in the part-time jobs helped them to earn money and gradually pay their bills. Hopefully, if they get selected in good jobs and earn enough money for their living, they will go back to Africa and help and educate the people.
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ReplyDeleteHi HyeRan =)
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your blog entry, I thought that it's quite thoughful, and is showing a critical use of material. All of your ideas and evidences are relevant and is well thought out and laid out well. You have used some quotes from the movie to even more accurately describe the conflicts that the Lost Boys have faced. None of the facts were exaggerated and therefore, the posting was believable. Also, your writing style of giving many different examples to the starter of a sentence really helps the reason to understand what she meant. :D
The part 'working in a market as a boy rolling trolleys' really caught my eyes, because it clearly shows how the boys were treated like- a low position in the society. I agree with this, but I wonder if the boss was just giving an excuse for making the ‘black’ people do hard jobs because he thought lowly of them, or did he actually think that people ‘adapt’ so that they don’t feel heat??? Why did many Sudanese continue to go to America if other lost boys that went there to re-start their life didn’t have a good experience and it’s the most likely that the boys would have told the boys back in Sudan that they didn’t really gain anything from living in there?
Lastly, did the workers of the US refugee program actually thought that it would benefit the Sudanese if they live in America? If yes, then why didn’t they support the boys when they were having a trouble financially and socially? Did they not think about the consequences?
The only thing I want to know more about the conflicts that the boys have faced, because besides the example that you’ve given, which is racism, I believe that there are many more.
Overall, a good blog entry HyeRan! ><
-JaeWon