Refugee Resettlement - A blessing?

I just finished watching the documentary: "God Grew Tired of Us" The doc features a group of Sudanese refugees popularly known as the "Lost Boys." Having run away from the civil war between North and South Sudan in their thousands (26,000) at one point, the boys dwindle in number as they walk thousands of miles into neighboring Ethiopia and then Kenya. Now the life of a refugee is never easy. At the Kakuma camp they were based at in Kenya they had days when they had no food. They managed to build a community, even in these difficult conditions. They all shared the difficulty a situation where they had no idea what their futures held, where their families were or how they would be eating the next day. There are millions of refugees worldwide, mos living in squalid conditions. It is a truly dire situation that requires more urgency than what has been shown.

Refugee Resettlement is a privilege that has been extended to a small number of refugees worldwide. Resettlement to the US is particularly difficult and some of the "Lost Boys" made it to the land of Ab Lincoln and McDonald's. Their journey is chronicled by the film makers in this documentary. Their struggles with escalators, showers, fridges, shopping, winter and other "day to day" activities draws a chuckle as I marvel at their complete obliviousness to "modernity" It highlights the imbalances that exist in our world. How can we be so different?

As the film ends one feels the disconnection the refugees feel after a while in the United States. The initial excitement has disappeared, and now they really long to be back with their own community in Sudan. I can certainly relate to this feeling, having lived away from home for 3 years. They realize the superficiality of American society. They lament the lack of community in the United States, but the plight of their relatives back home helps them realize the necessity of their presence in the United States. So what may seem like a curse may ultimately be a blessing!