From Dinkaland to America

Assimilation into a new culture is always difficult for everybody. Peter Nyarol Dut was only four years old when his village was attacked by the militia of the Northern Sudanese Government He was separated from his mother and siblings but remained with his father however his father died on him a few days into their long arduous adventure to asylum. Peter demonstrated strength by pushing on and reaching a refugee camp in Ethiopia. After living at the refugee camp for 11 years Peter was fortunate enough to be arbitrarily selected to go to make a new life for himself in America. While in Africa Peter thought going to America would be like living in heaven however when Peter arrived in America he found himself feeling despondent because the first place he lived in Houston, Texas was not helping him enough so he moved to Kansas in the hopes of more help and maybe an education. When Peter arrived in Kansas he did find a more generous community and find a school he could attend; however there was still many forms of racial discrimination that made assimilation into the American society difficult. Some of these factors include language barriers stereotyping, racial discrimination, and culture shock . In Sudan the lost boys probably spoke their own languages but in America, if you don't speak English only a select group of people can understand you and you are at a disadvantage because if you cannot communicate you can not find work, make friends or buy some things. All countries have their stereotypes and in America a common stereotype of African Americans is that they are dumb and use brute force to make a living; however meanwhile Peter may play basketball, but he works hard to survive in America and is getting educated in the hopes that one day he will be able to have a better life. When Peter first enrolled in his school his counselor thought that he would be stupid and fail all his classes however Peter surprised him by receiving a letter from the National Honor Society. There are also many differences between cultures, the best example of racial discrimination is when they are talking amongst themselves, they say, "the white people think just because we are black we want to hurt them" it is true many crimes have been committed by African Americans but the Lost Boys of Sudan work hard for their living and do not resort to crime; also at Peter's part time job at Wal Mart his boss said they were from Africa so they could take the heat. Anybody can take the heat but most people would prefer to work out of it, i was flabbergasted that anybody could show such cultural ignorance. Meanwhile some people are ignorant of cultures some people, like Peter, are confused or shocked by cultures. Culture shock is a condition of disorientation affecting someone who is suddenly exposed to an unfamiliar culture or way of life or set of attitudes. In Sudan Peter religion of choice was Christianity and he thought that all Christian Churches would be the same as his, however when he arrived in America and started attending some bible meetings he found that the American way of worship was superlatively different from the African way. Peter got over this shock by tuning out a little and watching what the other children did, then by following their examples he could blend in more and become more like the people around him. Peter also realized the difference in social class between him and his friends Peter feels he is poor because all the children he hangs out with have parents who provide for them however he only has himself therefore he feels different and in this case different means poor. Peter is now a student at Green Mountain College in Vermont with a full scholarship.