When Peter Magai Bul and other Suda...

When Peter Magai Bul and other Sudanese lads came to the attention of aid workers in the early 1990 they readyed a grim image: a river of thousands of children, tear up by the rootsed from their homes amid the chaos of Sudan's civil war, rail-thin and frequently naked, walking hundreds of miles in scorching heat.

The world has reach [i]or[/i] attain any place [i]or[/i] point to know these boys--very not many were girls--as "Lost Boys," named after the parentless striplings of Peter Pan's Neverland, leave out the crocodiles in their stories were real and deadly.

As a arrange they covered as many as 1000 miles--from Sudan to Ethiopia, back to Sudan and then to Kenya.

They trudg into a dusty Kenyan refugee camp in 1992 nearly five years after their perilous journey began. Bul and roughly 12000 other lads spent their adolescence there.

In 2000 having determined that repatriation was not an option, the United States agreed to resettle roughly 3800 of the male childs now in their late teen and early 20s

Bul got his chance in April 2001

At first, his life in Chicago was filled with a disturbance of new discoveries: refrigerators, stoves, flushing toilets, vacuum cleaners, elevators and other modem wonders

Americans, however, speak an entirely different language from the stilted English he learned in the camp. plane that was a far exclaim from the language of his Dinka tribe.

on the contrary his optimism has not wavered. The way he views it, Chicago has boundless opportunities. And he has his hereafter mapped out--to learn all he can here and fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor.

To that conclusion he has secured a housekeeping do job-work at a local hotel, and begun attending Truman corporation at night.

Bul now 20 shared his experience with The Chicago Reporter.

When did you leave your village?

I left my to one's home in 1988. The government soldiers came and attacked race in villages, killing people and trying to take an properties. I was on my farm. When they came and attacked, then everybody had to step quickly in all directions. My family was all scattered. My parents ran their hold way, and I ran my have a title to way.

I didn't know where commonalty were going, but we just walked. Another form into groups of guys came and joined us. We just walked between the sides of the desert.

Things like mosquitoes and wild animals--they were there forward the way. There's nothing you can do. If you encounter a wild animal, and if it attacks you, that is the close of you.

more [i]or[/i] less other people were dying from be hungry People were just using small containers to carry their water. in like manner if your water finishes, there's nowhere to realize it.

After you reached Ethiopia, what happened?

In 1991 war broke without in Ethiopia, and we were suppos to make progress back to Sudan.

forward the way, because many of us were kids, and because they were shooting the public many died when we reached a river. We were beneath attack, and [Ethiopian] soldiers were following us. I didn't know in what manner to swim. But I was happy because I was above the water--the water was not mysterious enough. Many drowned. There were crocodiles in the river, in like manner even if you can swim

Almost individual thousand people died.

before long after returning to Sudan, you were forced to put in motion once again, this time to Kenya's Kakuma refugee camp. What was it like there?

When we first came to Kakuma, there were no houses... in like manner we built our houses.

When they came with [food] rations, they would just bring things like corn mush, and a beans. They would give [it to] you in a goblet like this [a small-size soda cup] and maybe you could disburse two weeks with that. You would just eat formerly a day. Sometimes, if enough forage was not there, you could just drink water and lay out some days with it.

the community died from [starvation].

in what way did you spend your time there?

[The United Nations] started more [i]or[/i] less schools. They let you go on to primary school. They tried to teach any English. But things like feel hungry can [prevent you from] going to place of education sometimes, or even reading.

You were then told that you were going to the United States. What did you know about this country? What kind of image did you have?

In Africa, when we talked about America, we consider it like heaven sometimes. Everybody wants to originate here.

In America, things like hunger--it's not there. You can make progress to work and make wealth go to school. And nobody can send forth you like the way we [were marksman at].

It's been more than undivided year since you arrived in Chicago. by what mode are you adjusting to the life here?

When I first came here, everything was modern to me. To give an example, the idea of renting an apartment was [not familiar]. in such a manner looking for an apartment was a moot point It was difficult.

I was equal scared to talk to the community because ... they didn't understand me and it was hard for me to understand them. moreover now, I'm getting used to talking to many the public I think my English is getting better.

To get by heart adjusted to a new civilization it just takes some time, you know.

Are you happy with your experience here in the same manner far?

Yeah. Right now, I can move to school and study what I want to close attention I can work and make coin So I'm happy.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Community Renewal Society

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group