Lost Boys of Sudan Part Four: A Bright Future

Written by Stephanie Kriner , Staff Writer, redcross.org

August 14, 2001 — Six months after stepping off the plane into Boston's frigid winter, James contends with more than cold winter weather. He frets about paying the bills and finding a scholarship so he can go to college. He also worries about the 14-year-old brother with whom he was reunited at Kakuma. "I really need help in finding a way to get him here," says James, who sets aside $250 a month from his meager earnings to send to his brother. He has remained in contact with his brother through help from the Red Cross.

Dressed in a donated tie, collared white shirt and dress pants, James bikes from one job as a cashier at a local grocery store to another as a waiter - putting in about 65 hours a week. At first the young refugee - always eager to get ahead — tried to juggle three jobs. "I was working 80 hours a week but when I realized that I was getting tired and didn't have enough sleep, I quit one," he said.

Contrary to what they often envision, many immigrants find that their new lives are a daily struggle, says Margaret Cole, International Services, Massachusetts Bay Chapter. They come here with dreams of an easier life, but many, just like the Lost Boys, end up working minimum wage jobs and living in low-rent apartments at or below the poverty line.

The UN, which helped the boys prepare for the move, foresaw this problem and warned the Lost Boys at their cultural orientations at Kakuma that as the realities of everyday life set in, they could feel depressed, homesick and discouraged. Organizations working with the Lost Boys in the United States have noticed some of these problems among the young immigrants.

Cole has watched James and his roommates closely. However, although James has lost some of his initial enthusiasm over his new life, he remains optimistic about succeeding with his goals in the United States, she said. "When he was first here, everything was so new to him and he was so euphoric. Now he realizes that it's going to be a hard, long haul," Cole said. "He's more somber, but also more realistic when he talks about his future."

Just as he did in the refugee camp James continues to battle hardship by focusing on his studies. He spends his days off at the Arlington library, preparing to take the GED and to go to school by reading books on American history and doing research on Boston colleges.

The young man, who would have led a simple life of raising cattle if he'd never been forced from Sudan, becomes suddenly passionate when he talks about his goals. He says that he "must" get a college degree in accounting and agriculture. "I have a vision that I may be going back to Sudan. …The country depends on agriculture, and I want to make the economy stronger."

While Cole has seen dozens of immigrants fail to acclimate, she sees something else in James' future. "He's a real fighter," she says. "I can see him becoming a real leader in Sudan if he ever goes back."

As war and famine rage on in Sudan, it remains unclear whether James will be able to return home. However, for the first time in his long journey, James knows where he is going. "When I was walking, I didn't have a vision [of my future]. I was walking from problem to trouble and from trouble to problem everywhere. It was very hard for me," he said. "In the United States, you determine who you are, and now I have a vision of my future. I can go to school, I can work and I can do what I want. … You have to live where you feel happy… I can not go to Sudan unless there's peace."

The Lost Boys of Sudan

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Related articles:

• The Lost Boys of Sudan: Main Page

• The Lost Boys of Sudan Part One: The Long Journey
• The Lost Boys of Sudan Part Two:Out of Africa, In to Boston
• The Lost Boys of Sudan Part Three: A Friend in the Storm

• The American Red Cross in Africa