The Lost Boys of Sudan

Discuss the difficulties “Lost Boy,” Peter/Santino experienced while assimilating into the American culture?
Discuss how they dealt with their culture shock ~ what did they do to adjust to the cultural divisions?

Due to the Civil War between the north and south of Sudan it has caused the refugee camps (the Dinka tribe) in Kenya to be formed, southern people moved to the refugee camp for their safety and satisfaction. Forced migration was then set up for selected men to migrate to America, to receive a better education, and to live a life without so many difficulties, so that they could help their tribe with the money benefits that they made. The men that migrated to America were called 'The Lost Boys of Sudan', Peter a man from the Dinka tribe was one of the men to leave Kenya to embrace new lands, which would expanded their knowledge. In this Dinka tribe most of the people said that America is like heaven, but they weren't expecting the hardships that they faced.

Peter's main goal was to receive an education that will help him to provide for the Dinka tribe. When Peter left his friends in Houston he was sacrificing a lot for himself and the Dinka tribe. Leaving his friends would have increased the pay for shelter, which caused both, the group of friends that were living together in Houston, and Peter to work harder, so that they wouldn't get in troublle with the law in America. Leaving Houston would have decreased their relationships with each other since they lived so far apart from each other with little communication. When Peter went to his School he knew that it was not going to be easy for him to fit in. He experienced racial comments from people a lot throughout his education, and since the school that he attended didn't have a lot of students that looked like him, he had to try even harder to be apart of the school. When Peter was at a bible study at a friend's house Peter didn't fit in at all. Peter didn't sing a long when the group was singing bible songs, and the way that they were living was so much nicer than how Peter lived. Peter coped with this cultural shock by isolating himself from the rest of the group, he sat at the back of the room and just observed what everybody else was doing. Peter had a lot of mislabeled first impressions from both his piers, and his teachers from the school. When he was talking to the counselor about applying for a college, the counselor thought that he wasn't a good student, since he was black. So the counselor wanted to take the easy way out of helping him by telling him other options and not doing right away what he had requested. Peter proved the counselor wrong. Peter told the counselor that he was on the National Honors Board this showed that he was prepared for the meeting with the counselor, he already had the essay he needed to take the test that he was requesting. Peter showed his determination by answering all of the questions that were directed to him with boldness and showing that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Peter lived a very difficult life, but he proved to himself and the Dinka tribe that you can do anything, if you keep your mind to it and do not loose track at what really matters at that certain point of your life. Peter is now an inspiration to the younger members of the Dinka tribe, they now have someone reliable to look up to when it comes time for them to leave Kenya and go to America.