Becoming Someone New

Growing up with the faces of war, I had been taught to be afraid of those who entered my village. Guns were shot, and people were bleeding; dying. As a kid, I had lost my parents, and I was abandoned. I didn't know how to live on my own, so I fled, to find shelter, to find education, and that's how I became a Lost Boy. They offered shelter and food, something that was rare back in my homeland Sudan. For ten years, I lived with other boys who were left in the war; whose parents died. Together, we created a bond that could be called a brotherhood. After being with them for so long, it was time to move on. Moving to America was one of the hugest events that had to happen to me; it was like living in another lifetime! Food was scattered everywhere on streets, there were electronics I didn't know how to use, and the Church group sung soft songs about God and their thankfulness to Him! All these new concepts were unfamiliar to me; it made me miss home, where everyone respected you. When it came to sports, watching the other kids play basketball with the right rules made me feel like an outcast. Like I didn't belong. I had no idea how to play the game right. 


I knew I had to move on from my homesickness, and fit into this new American culture, but how? Watching the other kids exceed in their classes gave me this burning sensation to do my best, too. I made new friends; they were all nice. I hunted for jobs so I could pay off rent, so that I could feel that moving to America really wasn't a regretful choice. I still became homesick on certain days, but I learned that moving from home was for the good of everyone else. Going to Church with my friends certainly helped; it made me feel like they wanted me there. Even if the songs were different, I was still with other people. Given this, the route I took to success was the correct one; I was given the opportunity to graduate, and to get into a great college. I was determined to survive in America, when I first migrated, and I have ended up here. Though I was exposed to the American culture, my Sudanese ways have never disappeared, even 'til today. From the day I was just another refugee, and to today, where I am a graduate, I have become someone completely new; someone that was educated.