Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Part Five: Refuge

by John Bul Dau, Martha Arual Akech
In this memoir, Jon Bul Dau and Martha Arual Akech describe growing up during the civil war in Sudan and their eventual journey to America.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part One: Peace,Part Two: War, Part Three: Refuge, Part Four: War, Part Five: Refuge, Part Six: Peace
25 words 19 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. jolt
    move or cause to move with a sudden jerky motion
    The truck bounced and jolted us along some very bad roads, but we arrived safely at Kakuma.
  2. widowed
    single because of death of one's spouse
    That is a Dinka custom, for a widowed woman to live with her brother-in-law.
  3. absorb
    take up mentally
    They learn the value of education by absorbing the laws and traditions of the tribe.
  4. initiation
    a formal entry into an organization or position or office
    Dinka boys of fifteen or sixteen must go through an intense ritual of initiation.
  5. fend
    try to manage without help
    They fend for themselves and kill and cook their own food.
  6. privilege
    a special advantage or benefit not enjoyed by all
    That means they can fight lions, go to war, and have all of the privileges of adulthood except marriage, which Dinka men traditionally put off until they are about age thirty.
  7. kindle
    cause to start burning
    Kakuma was pitch black at night on those days because nobody bothered to kindle a cooking fire.
  8. synagogue
    the place of worship for a Jewish congregation
    We called it “synagogue,” and we modeled it on the Jews of the Old Testament.
  9. easel
    an upright tripod for displaying something
    We had no blackboard or chalk or desks or chairs or pencils or paper. All we had was an easel made out of sticks and nails, topped with a sheet of cardboard.
  10. dignity
    the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
    Every adult must be given great dignity.
  11. brink
    the limit beyond which something happens or changes
    Now I was on the brink of learning all of the letters and how to put them together to form words.
  12. civics
    the study of the duties and rights of citizenship
    I sat on the library floor and hand-copied books on history, geography, civics, agriculture, and other subjects.
  13. negotiate
    discuss the terms of an arrangement
    I called him my “uncle,” and by custom he was allowed to negotiate with any man who wanted to marry me, asking for cows in exchange for his consent.
  14. consent
    permission to do something
    I called him my “uncle,” and by custom he was allowed to negotiate with any man who wanted to marry me, asking for cows in exchange for his consent.
  15. persistent
    never-ceasing
    Dinka tradition said she could not encourage me—or, at least, not right away. I would have to be persistent.
  16. emigrate
    leave one's country of residence for a new one
    So her mother ran away from the camp with her children. She took them to a secure place the UN had, and they took her and her kids to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. After that, they were able to emigrate to Canada.
  17. overwhelming
    very intense
    Nairobi was overwhelming to me, bigger than any place I had ever seen.
  18. foster
    providing nurture though not related by blood or legal ties
    I bought clothes for myself and my sister and even some for other members of our foster family.
  19. orientation
    a course introducing a new situation or environment
    Once we were accepted, we had cultural orientation courses, with movies and books that had pictures of America.
  20. represent
    be a delegate or spokesperson for
    Interviewers from the outside world began coming to Kakuma. They represented social service agencies in the United States and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
  21. eligible
    qualified for or allowed or worthy of being chosen
    They began screening Lost Boys to see whether they had living relatives in Africa, and whether they had fought in the war. In either of these cases, you were not eligible for their program.
  22. conflict
    be in opposition
    They asked me lots of questions, trying to see if they could catch me saying something that conflicted with my written autobiography.
  23. immigration
    movement of people into a country or area
    All the doctor could find, besides my being extremely thin, was a case of malaria. That could be kept in check with medicine, so the doctor sent me on my way to a final interview with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
  24. naturalization
    the proceeding whereby a foreigner is granted citizenship
    All the doctor could find, besides my being extremely thin, was a case of malaria. That could be kept in check with medicine, so the doctor sent me on my way to a final interview with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.
  25. utility
    something provided by a company performing a public service
    I learned that if I went to America, the government would take care of me for ninety days. My apartment, groceries, and utilities would all be free. After that, I would have to get a job and pay for everything.
Created on Tue Jun 18 15:33:44 EDT 2019 (updated Wed Jul 17 11:53:44 EDT 2019)

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