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Lost Boys of Sudan Part Two: Out of Africa, In to Boston
Written by Stephanie
Kriner , Staff Writer, redcross.org
August 14, 2001 — On February 14, 2001, James
boarded a plane for the first time in his life and watched
his world disappear: his tiny grass hut, the dusty, hot refugee
camp and the friends who replaced a family he no longer remembers.
He arrived in Boston in February without a jacket or winter
boots, shocked by the unfamiliar pang of cold that slashed
his bare face and hands.
In Boston, the International Rescue Committee, one of the
organizations charged with helping the boys settle in the
United States, matched him with four other Lost Boys —
two of whom were strangers to James — as roommates. They
were placed in a two-bedroom basement apartment in Arlington,
a Boston suburb of mostly white young professionals. Younger
boys are placed with foster families, but older ones like
James are housed with other Lost Boys in apartments and are
expected to support themselves within three months of their
arrival.
James and his new roommates were terrified by the unfamiliar
environment, unaccustomed to the cold and snow. "I was
wearing very light clothes, and we'd never seen snow before,"
James says excitedly. "We were very terrified by this
snow. … When we went outside, we couldn't feel our hands
and our ears."
During their first few weeks in America, they huddled in the
cramped quarters of their apartment. They had trouble regulating
their sleep schedules in the dark basement — in Kenya,
the sun shone brightly into their huts to wake them. They
were hungry and did not know how to cook because in Africa
the women prepared all the meals. Besides, they had never
seen a stove or microwave before.
The five boys spent their days playing games they had learned
at camp, such as Dominoes and chess, and talking about Africa.
They had been overjoyed to be chosen among the few to come
to America, but now they were wondering if they had made a
mistake.
Neighbors brought them winter clothes from their own closets
and offered to drive them to the grocery store where they
learned to buy pre-cooked chicken and bread. Church groups
and the International Rescue Committee offered help. But James
and his roommates still felt homesick and disoriented.
The Lost Boys of Sudan
Part One | Part
Three | Part Four
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