Lost Boys

When someone first mentioned the lost boys to me, I pictured in my head the lost boys from Disney's "Peter Pan"; a rag tag group of boys that never wanted to grow up and didn't want parents to tell them what to do. 

Now imagine, if you will, a different type of lost boy. This lost boy was driven out of his home, chased into the wilderness without his parents, any sort of food or shelter, and only kids his own age to count on. Unlike Peter Pan's lost boys, these boys didn't run and leave their parents by choice, they were driven out, "...when government troops and government-sponsored militias systematically attacked villages in southern Sudan, killing many of the inhabitants." Most of these boys became orphans.

We watched a video about some of these lost boys and their integration into American society to begin earning a living there and to establish themselves. It was culture shock to the max. One thing that I found particularly interesting about what I saw was how poorly they were desensitized to the fast paced, highly technilogical American life, and how quickly some of them picked up on everything. Another thing that was interesting was how after a few months living here, their families back home were pressuring them to send back money and to support their families that were still in Sudan, but what their families didn't understand was how the money they earned was just barely enough to support themselves.

The different values and norms of Sudanese society versus American society also played a role for the boys. In one scene we hear that one boy is paying the rent for his friends because they lost their jobs. He doesn't think twice about whether or not he is going to be repaid or how long he will have to pay for them, he just does it because helping your family and friends are highly valued by them. Unlike us who if faced with the same situation would have been more wary, making sure they would pay us back maybe even adding on soem interest, or even just flat out saying no because it is an opportunity to learn a lesson.

Over all I was incredibly inspired by the lost boys of Sudan. The fact that they lived through such an ordeal as what they did and then picking up their lives and taking them to a completely different country is amazing. That they had so much hope and so much perserverance moved me. I don't think I would have been able to go through what they went through and come out with my head held high.

To the lost boys, I wish you all the best of luck and much success in your futures :)