Home for Halloween

Madame Manji told her girls, “When we touched this soil, we won the lottery of life.” She thinks that they won the lottery of life because they arrived to the United States on Halloween of 1972. They arrived to a free part of the refuges to a free part of the world. She is so grateful for their immigration officer that to let them come to the United States. They were going to go to Canada first but always dreamed about coming to America. When that day happened they couldn’t be more thankful. I believe this is a story that everyone should hear about. This is a positive article on immigration and we mostly hear about the negative ones. This tells us a story about a family dreaming on coming to the greatest country in the world. When they arrive here in the United States they really can’t believe it. This also tells us of a story about how badly a family wants to come over to the United States to make their children have a better life. There are so many opportunities for immigrants. Some people believe immigration is bad, but honestly that is what makes our world so diverse.

By IRSHAD MANJI
Published: November 3, 2008

“Spain Expels Son of bin Laden Who Sought Asylum”

“Their lives are in grave danger in any Arab country,” according to Ms. Bianca Sharma and an interior ministry spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as is customary. The Article, “Spain Expels Son of bin Laden Who Sought Asylum” that was published on Sunday, November 9, 2008 shows us, the reader, that this woman’s statement is an accurate one. The article discusses how son of Osama bin Laden who was seeking asylum in Spain has been deported after his final appeal failed, the Spanish authorities and one of his lawyers said Saturday. Omar Osama bin Laden, age twenty-seven, one of nineteen children of Osama bin Laden, the founder of Al Qaeda, applied for asylum last week after arriving at Barajas International Airport in Madrid on a flight from Cairo. Mr. bin Laden argued that his life was in danger, his lawyer in Spain, Bianca Sharma, said Saturday. However, the government denied Mr. bin Laden’s initial petition and his appeal, so he and his British wife, Jane Felix-Browne, flew back to Cairo on Saturday afternoon. Mr. bin Laden had been denied a visa to Britain and as a result of this Ms. Jane Felix-Browne, fifty-two, who also goes by the name Zaina al-Sabah, added that “Spain is our only chance of surviving, our only chance of living.” According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Spain receives about five thousand asylum petitions a year and accepts about eight percent of them.

My opinion of the article, “Spain Expels Son of bin Laden Who Sought Asylum” is that it sad that Omar Osama bin Laden has to pay for his father, Osama bin Laden, terrorist attacks against the western world. I know that it hard to defend Omar Osama bin Laden due to the fact that he doesn't criticize his father and has said that Osama bin Laden is just trying to defend the Islamic world. Omar Osama bin Laden also believes that his father is not a terrorist and in an interview with A.B.C. News he said, "My father is very kind man. And he very sorry when he do something like 11th September." Osama ordered the attacks "Because he believes if he put two buildings down, maybe some people little will die, but millions other will (be) save (d). He believes that. ... I believe he did it the wrong.” But Omar Osama bin Laden had nothing to do with his father, Osama bin Laden, terrorist attacks against the western world, so why is he being treated as if he did.

Article written by: Victoria Burnett

The New York Times

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Article on page A13 of the New York edition

The Lost Boys of Sudan

Movie: The Lost Boys of Sudan

Documentary by: Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk

In the documentary, The Lost Boys of Sudan, camera crews follow two young Sudanese boys named Santino and Peter. They both are selected to go to America to study and work to send money home to Sudan. They arrive in the United States and are given residency in Houston, Texas. Both Santino and Peter become the leaders of the group living together in their apartment, but Peter soon leaves for Kansas to be on his own, leaving Santino in charge of the others. Both continue to work hard. Peter graduates from high school with high academic honors, and Santino becomes an electrician through correspondence classes. The movie follows their different hardships in adapting to the new culture and gives insight to the views the Sudanese boys have on living in America. I thought that it was interesting how the goals of the "lost boys" changed throughout the movie. After being in the United States for a short period of time, they lost interest in continuing customs that would be considered normal in Sudan. The situation arose out of something as simple as a man holding another man's hand, something commonplace in Sudan. The displayed a blatant shift in mindset by saying, "We are in America. We will act like Americans." I also thought it was interesting to see how self-centered Peter became throughout the documentary. The reason he was sent to America was to be educated and to send money back home. He left Santino in charge of the rest of their group in order to better his own life. Instead of worrying about sending money back home, he worried about making the basketball team. In a conversation with his sister, he lied saying he was unable to send money to help, and that it was too difficult to call because he spent all his time studying, all while laying around watching television. Another aspect I found interesting is the slight degree of racism towards African-Americans from the Sudanese. Early in the film, an elder warns the boys not to act like the black people in America, who are the cause of a lot of trouble in the United States. In another instance, one of the boys berates blacks and says that they are all violent, bad people. I think that this is a direct result of American media, and the glorification of life like rap and hip hop stars. It portrays blacks as thugs, drug dealers, and criminals; It even gives Africans a sense that they will be discriminated against not only for being immigrants, but because blacks in general are discriminated against because of their lifestyles. It was also interesting to see the boys dissatisfaction with the system put in place for their education. Santino talked about how difficult it was to do well with education because the system he was involved with seemed to put more emphasis on working to boost the US economy than it did to educate immigrants. I think that if the United States is putting the effort to educate immigrants so that they can become productive members of their own society and help their home nation, rather than just be a brain drain. 

The Lost Boys of Sudan

The "Lost Boys of Sudan" is a documentary of a group of boys who went through troubles in Sudan and moved to America to seek greater opportunities. The documentary started with a boy telling the story of his past childhood. His village was pillaged by the Sudan government and militia groups. The parents of all the children in the village were killed. A group in Sudan took all the boys and put them in a refugee camp. Each year there is a group of boys that are taken out of the camp and sent to first world countries to have a chance to make a living and escape poverty. Over the span of the documentary, it shows the process of a small group of Sudanese boys who get the chance to come to America. The main characters are Peter and Santino. Before Peter and Santino come to America they tell everyone in the refugee camp that they are going to America to live the “high life”. But they do not know what types of obstacles they are in for. When the boys reach America they are helped by the U.S. government and different organizations like the YMCA. For four months they are given everything they need: an apartment, food, spending money, transportation and they are set up with interviews to find a job.
Peter obtains a job very quickly and shortly after so does Santino. But they have trouble interacting with people because of their lack of communication skills. Peter wants to enroll himself in school so he will be able to find a better job and make a decent living. The only trouble is he has to pay for half the rent; he doesn’t have time to go to school. Peter ends up leaving Texas where he was given an apartment and where his friends from Sudan are. He ends up finding a place to live in Kansas. He believes that he will find better opportunities in Kansas. He leaves Santino out to dry with paying the rent. Peter finds a high school to enroll himself into and graduates close to the top of his class.
I believe that if the United States government is going to allow refugees from other countries to come and live in America then they should set up better programs to properly train them in an occupation and put them in schooling. These boys were thrown into America with no idea how the culture worked and they only had a basic understanding of the English language. More money needs to be sent over to third world countries to better education and stop the genocides from happening.
Movie Title: "The Lost Boys"
Documentary By: Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk

"Lost Boys of Sudan"

The documentary "Lost Boys of Sudan" portrays the journey of two African men to the United States.  These young men are leaving their homeland of Sudan to venture out into what they had thought to be the land of opportunity.  Peter Dut and Santino Chuor are the two Sudanese men followed in this life altering adventure.  The two men have had so much happen to them in their young lives.  During the long Civil War of Sudan, the village of the Dinkas was attacked and all of the villagers had to flee for their lives.  During this violent attack thousands of children were left without parents.  It was a vicious and brutal attack and was a topic that was a hard to discuss for these two men.  They were forced to flee into the desert and had to support themselves from a very early age.  I could not imagine how difficult this would have been.  I feel like it would have prepared them for anything, and it definitely made a difference in how they lived in America. 

Peter and Santino are picked by a YMCA group to fly to America and live for a while.  To them they are given the chance to go to the land of opportunity and freedom, so of course they are ecstatic about their journey.  They arrive in Houston, Texas, and are taken to their new home.  It is a quaint one bedroom apartment, but for the lost boys it is a fresh start.  They begin to find jobs and take a few basic education/language courses.  They also have to learn how to adjust to all the new things that a person comes in contact with during a typical day. Little things that one may never think about, such as how to use an oven and how to use a garbage disposal.  It is a lot of new information for the two men, but the seem to do alright.  One thing they wish for is more education.  They want to be taught so they can share their knowledge with the village back in Sudan.  To seek this knowledge, Peter heads to Kansas.  He hears that the opportunities are greater there, and he does not regret his decision.  He gets the chance to become a high school student and makes the most of his opportunity.  Peter tries very hard in school and does very well.  He even attends tryouts for his high school basketball team.  Even though he is cut from the team it was a chance to do something that gave him joy back in Sudan.  Santino on the other hand is busy at work.  He works as much as he can, but wishes he could become a little more educated as well.  Near the end of the documentary, Santino is looking into taking classes on how to become a journey-man.  He wants to be the one who brings electricity back to his village.  

Both of these men are so giving.  They are given this opportunity and they just do things that they know will help out the village back in Sudan.  They put themselves through hardships just so that they can help out back home, and they complain that they aren't given the opportunity to do more.  This just shows their generosity and hard working attitude.  Santino and Peter are some what shocked in how different America is compared to what they were told.  They realize that it is tough to live here too.  It is a journey that these lost boys will never forget. 

Lost Boys of Sudan

There are over 15 million refugees around the world today. The Lost Boys of Sudan is a documentary film created by Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk. The documentary follows two Sudanese refugees in a journey from Africa to the United States. Peter Dut and Santino Chuor fled to Kenya after they narrowly escaping the dangerous militia that was fighting against the government in a civil war. Their parents were unable to escape the rage of militia gunfire and were killed. At this refugee camp in Kenya, thousands of other orphaned children came in sight of protection and shelter. Remarkably, Peter Dut, Santino Chuor, and many other orphaned children at the refugee camp were chosen to come and live in America. For the very first times in their young lives these boys were safe from inevitable danger and hunger. They were now offered the opportunity to prosper in a nation that holds a vast array of economic opportunities and a chance to create a more comfortable life. This film illustrates how although these boys were taken from danger and provided with new opportunities, other struggles such as prejudice and alienation became new obstacles for them to confront. Lost Boys of Sudan has won many critically acclaimed awards from “Emmy Nominee National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences” to the winner of the “Independent Spirit Award.”
The most telling took from this film was how the boys felt towards the dangers and hunger they faced in Africa compared to the prejudice and alienation in America. When Peter was asked this question between the obstacles faced in Africa compared to America, he had to think long and hard for what he thought was the most appropriate response. After his lengthy deliberation, he explained to her that in America there are many more opportunities in comparison to Africa because he could make a better life for himself in order to help everyone back home. I thought it was very interesting that he had to deliberate for so long about the question. Before coming to America his answer to that question would have been an immediate decision in favor of America for the obvious economic reasons. This fascinates me because it is evident that the prejudice and alienation Peter faces in America holds a similar fear like the danger and hunger in Africa. This illustrates how Peter has for the first time in his life, experienced prejudice and alienation and responds very passionately against it. He tells her stories about how even the blacks in America treat him as an alien and that he feels like he is not wanted. Santino felt the same way in which he believed the blacks in America treated him with even less respect. I believe this film illustrates some of the problems many immigrants face when they come to America. Many immigrants are prejudiced and alienated against simply because they are not American citizens. In my opinion, the United States shouldn’t be dubbed the “melting pot” nation until immigrants are treated with more respect. It’s one thing to encompass many different immigrants, however, it’s another to respect and accept them.

The Lost Boys of Sudan

Gun shots are heard in the distance. Your heart is beating quicker and quicker and you palms are becoming increasingly wet. All you can do is pray to god that you manage to get away. There is a high possibility that your mother, father and even your siblings are dead. You are finally taken into a refugee camp where you see unfamiliar faces. Food is scarce and the living conditions aren’t much better. All you do is hope that you will escape this hardship in Sudan and move to America or any other first world country to live the good life. You have very little knowledge of America but you believe it must be better than the hardship experienced in Sudan. This portrays exactly what happens in the documentary Lost Boys of Sudan. The documentary follows two Sudanese refugees Peter and Santino. These two individuals imagine America as a place where everything is possible. To earn money, to get an education, live in a house, eat food and most importantly help their people of Sudan. Knowing what these two men have experienced, it baffles me how positive they still remain throughout the course of the documentary. When the Lost boys arrive in Houston, Texas, they are taken in by the YMCA organization. This organization does some good for the boys by providing them with a place to stay, basic English training, and a chance at a job. While it may seem like the organization has done a lot for the boys, I feel as though they did not do nearly enough for them. Let me explain why. Firstly, it was quite evident that the boys had a very basic level of English proficiency but it merely was not enough for them to interact with employees or children in school. Why did they not help them get registered for school and put them into English classes? Secondly, it was impossible for the boys to attend school because they had to pay their rent and bills. You have to take the consideration of buying food, transportation, and the time it takes to get to the job. It really is time consuming for people in a new environment. Thirdly, neither the organization nor the government of America did little to help the boy integrate into the American society. They did not teach them the basic things in American society. Take for example when the Sudan boys figure out that it is inappropriate for men to touch other men. They were shock to find out that Americans view it as homosexuality. These organizations need to do more to help them adjust into the American society.
Overall the only person to accomplish something in America was Peter who left Houston to live in Kansas. I personally feel that Peter betrayed Santino and the rest of the boys back in Houston. He simply just vanished and left without saying goodbye or even paying the half of the rent. Now I don’t blame him that much because he obviously saw an opportunity to live better in Kansas where he obviously gets an education and eventually becomes an honour roll student. The only thing I did not like about him was the way he left Houston without telling anybody. I sympathise towards Santino because he was the only one paying the bills in Houston. I could tell on his face that he wasn’t having such a great time in Houston. He was finding it extremely hard because he was supporting everybody in the house. The only thing he had money for was food. But, yet again this brings up the point that the organization and the government do very little to help refugees settle into America. I think Santino and the rest of the people who have no job skill, experience as much of a hardship as they did in Sudan, maybe not necessarily the violence aspect but the quality of life. Organizations and governments need to plan a strategy in order to help immigrants settle into life in America. It does no good for the refugees if they are barely scrapping by with their bills. They need to get them educated and integrated into society. Once this is completed can the government feel comfortable to let them lose into the American society and into the job world.