Grade 11 today’s topic, self construction

God Grew Tired Of Us. Sudan. Lost Boys.

God Grew Tired Of Us
Some notes from the first 38 minutes

“It is in my mind that you should be proud of who you are, where you come from. I am proud of being Sudanese, but I can not go to Sudan.”

1987 – government to kill all male children in the south, regardless of age

“my uncle was 11 then, he was the oldest. He took care of the 3 of us.”
.
How long was the walk to Ethiopia? I wonder.

After 5 yrs 27000 boys, reduced to 12000

all boys – NO girls or women. How did this impact the boys?

leaving the group they escaped with, they survived with for 15 yrs, to start a new life.

Friends waving from behind the barbed wire as they leave.

“I would like to suffer this hardship with my friends, but if I get a chance I have to take it, I can not deny.”

Do you remember the expressions on their faces as they entered the US?

“I have to do what is expected of me. That is my duty, they have hope in me”

“I thought god got tired of us and he wanted to finish us”

Notes from Day 2

cultural differences

“we are sleeping well, eating well, but even now we do not feel comfortable. “

3 months of federal assistance before they must work and start repaying the government for their travel fare.

A person without a culture is like a human being without land. We must keep our tradition.

They try to search for meaning in American symbols (santa and tree)

Comparing Dinka Christmas and American Christmas

The way that John prepares for work – his work ethic

Having purpose – “anything that generates money, income is good, so I can help my people back home”

people don’t trust them – boys not allowed to travel in groups in Pittsburgh

loneliness

“little by little we,re learning the culture over here”

John in school -”an important, crucial day for me today”

Most of his family is alive, living in Uganda! But then he finds out they are suffering and some have died

decided not to go to school so he can work more (3 jobs) to help his family in Uganda, his friends (2nd family) in Kenya

growing unhappiness, feeling helpless

1 of the lost boys admitted to a psychiatric hospital for observation

“god does not create me as a very tall person for nothing. I have a role to play, a duty to do”

teaching others about what happens in Sudan

meeting together to plan for a better future

worried about the young guys who are giving up. What if they forget their culture. What will happen?

National lost boys conference in Phoenix, Arizona

looking for support from the US to help in Sudan so that there are no more lost boys, no more lost girls.

“It is a shame to have people that don’t take care of their own people”

scared to see his family after 17 yrs of separation

runs to meet his family st the airport, mother loses control

another boy travels back to Africa, remembers it like a fairy tale. I wonder, will it be the same?

Sudanese Child Soldier Trades Guns for Beats

Sudan on Wikipedia

Darfur is Dying – interactive game to help learn more about the struggles in Darfur, Sudan.

“God grew tired of us” Response

This documentary was an incredible learning experience. Before watching this movie, I never knew just how bad the living situation was for these people. I never knew about the war in Sudan, or a country of Sudan for that matter. It was painful to watch the men. It hurt to see how skinny their bodies were. You could almost feel their pain while watching.

The part of the movie that was most overwhelming for me was watching the men being brought to America. It was overwhelming to watch a human be mesmerized by things that others a so a custom too. It was also nice to watch the men finally enter a life of food, shelter and education. I enjoyed watching them learn how to use everyday items. It gave me a sense of satisfaction.

The hardest part for me to see was when john was telling the story of how at 13 years old, he was the leader of 1,200+ people. The fact that he had to burry dead bodies killed me. I can only imagine how traumatizing that is for a person of any age. It scares me to think how mentally disturbed these people are and how it’s not even their fault. I pity these people because they never asked for any of this to happen, there never deserved that life.

I feel selfish in a way because I’m not American but I too take things for granted as do the Americans. We’ve never gone through such hardships or such trauma to realize all the good things we have in life. It’s sad that one must experience pain and suffering in order to really appreciate and love what they have. I personally know what I have in life. I know that I’m more than fortunate for the things I have. I just don’t always remember to think that way.

My conclusion: The documentary was very touching and a real eye opener. It makes you really think and it makes you want to be a different person, a better person. I know that I never want to be in the situation these people were in. This documentary reminded me to be more thankful more often. I appreciate watching this video.

[Reply]

Tracy Reply:
November 13th, 2008 at 11:01 pm

“I know that I’m more than fortunate for the things in my life, I just don’t always remember to think that way.”

I think we are all guilty of that, Jaime. Good observation.

This reflection is thoughtful. At the end you wrote that it makes you want to be a different person. How so?

[Reply]

i don’t get the video..

[Reply]

Tracy Reply:
November 15th, 2008 at 5:35 pm

What do you mean? You don’t understand it or you can not view it? It is a youtube video, so if you tried to watch it at school you’d be out of luck for sure!

Here’s the direct link to the youtube page.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekigsvTDJXo

[Reply]