The Lost Boys of Sudan

Peter was one of more then 2000 boys who had to leave their home in Sudan because of war and had to go to a refugee camp. These boys and girls were orphans and they are called the 'lost boys'. Peter was also one of 2800 lost boys who got to go to The United States to start a new life. People told the boys that America was going to be like a heaven on earth, but when the boys go there, they realized that they were wrong. Peter faced many difficulties while in America. the culture in America is so much different then the culture in Sudan so it was very hard for him to fit in. He had to balance work, school, his social life, and homework all by himself and he had to deal with stereotypes.

In America Peter had to work so he could pay for food and rent, go to school so he could get into collage and have a better future, do his homework so he could pass high school, and hang out with friends so he could fit into the culture better. Peter did not have a lot of money because he worked a low paying job, and the money he did make he sent most of it back to Sudan to help his friends and family, so he hardly had enough money to pay rent. After he went to school, he had to come home then go to work. He worked at night so by the time he got home he would do his homework (but since he was in high school there was a lot of homework). Peter also had to hang out with his friends so he could learn the culture better and so he could fit in. He had to balance all of this and a social life while he was in America.

Peter also had to deal stereotypes. Since he was from Sudan he had very dark skin color, so people thought that he was going to rob them and things like that because in America people think that people with dark skin are gangsters, and that they will rob people, but this is not true. It is a stereotype that people think of when they see a person with dark skin. Peter had to deal with this stereotype a lot. He also had to deal with the stereotype of people think he was different because he is from Africa. When he was working at a store the manager told him and some other boys from Sudan, that they had to work out side because they are from Africa and they are used to the heat. A lot of people in America thought this about Peter and other ‘lost boys’.

Peter faced a lot of conflicts while in America. He also faced culture shock, and found it hard to fit into the America culture. But he dealt with his culture shock by going out with kids from his school that were American, and he played basketball which helped him get his anger out. But he also embraced the new culture because he new that if he wanted to go far in his new life in America then he would have to learn how to fit in.