The Lost Boys of Sudan

The Lost Boys of Sudan, is a documentary that follows two young men, Peter and Santino, who are from Sudan on finding the best way to transition from Africa to America. They get off their plane in Houston, Texas. At first, they are so excited to come to America because of the stories they have heard. Stories such as how America is so great, how easy it is to get by, and how easy it is for an education. For Santino, he sees the hardship that America can bring on a person. The first hardship that hits Santino is how hard it is to get a driver’s licenses, but he drives anyway. The next hardship is rent. He is the only person in his apartment that pays the rent. One instance, Santino is talking with another friend from Sudan that came with him, and Santino says he doesn’t like American. He said people need to stop lying about how America really is and how hard it is to get by.

The other young man who came from Sudan is Peter. Peter and Santino were from the same village and where suppose to live together after they got enough money to get their own place. One day, Peter decided to go to Kansas because he heard there were better jobs than in Houston. When Peter arrives in Kansas he decides to sign up for high school. Since most kids in Africa aren’t born in hospitals their ages are basically guessed, so when Peter signed up for school the principal said that he was 17 and was going to be a senior. At first, it was hard for him to make friends because he was different and seemed to be at a predominantly white school. While Peter attends school he is excited to try out for the schools’ basketball team. He goes to camp for a week or two and then tryouts roll around. He tries out for the team but gets cut. He really didn’t have the basic fundamentals that the team was looking for. Keep in mind that Peter learned the game a basketball through pictures in a sports book. Now he is planning on taking the ACT to attend a four year college.

Both of these young men saw two different sides of American. Santino saw the side of America through hardships people face every day. On the other hand, Peter saw the side of America that people talk about all around the world. He saw the side of American through education and how you can move up in the world if you have an education. Also, Peter made many friends at the high school he attended and is now planning on going to college. Either way I believe that these two young men have a better life in America because if they were still in Africa they wouldn’t have an education and they would still be living in huts.