Peter, the Lost Boy

The Lost Boys of Sudan are a group of over 20,000 refugee boys and girls, age range of 7 to 17. They have lost their parents during the civil war, and on their journey to Ethiopia many have died due to starvation, sleeplessness and diseases. The few that have survived are now currently in refugee camps in Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. And among the 20,000 refugees, only 4000 of them has been chosen to experience a 'civilized' life in America. Peter is one of the 4000 boys that were selected. He was an open-minded figure who was willing to adapt the culture of America which was new to him. However, it wasn't that easy.

Even though the world claims that everyone has equal human rights regardless of their race and skin colour, there are still those who refuse to accept people who are different from them. And Peter was one of those who were treated differently because of his skin colour. At his working place, he was assumed by his boss that he would endure the hot sun better than the white people since he is black. Even the his school counsellor who is supposed to be in charge of helping the student to his satisfaction underestimated him because he's a refugee and he's black and chosen all of his classes even before Peter had a chance to talk to him. Not only racism, but Peter also faced some financial problems too. His relatives back in Sudan kept on acquiring money from him even though he didn't have enough money to survive himself in America. He needed to pay for his rent, food and everything else. But the worst case for Peter was his sudden low self-esteem. Compared to the rich whites who had parents and proper education, he felt so weak and poor compared to them. He was a refugee, his parents were killed during war, he earned his own money, and lastly, he didn't have proper education as them. He felt that he was different from the people in the civilized world, and felt that he does not fit into this group.

The situations above naturally leads to cultural shock. Peter came from an uncivilized refugee camp, and America is one of the most civilized countries in the world. With such a big cultural difference, one cannot adapt the new condition there in unless they receive help or guides from others who are used to this culture. However, Peter was rejected by the whites because of his race and was left to adapt the new world alone.