Day With John

Today I got to meet John Bul Dau. He came to Santa Barbara just to see me! When he walked into the airport, he was the first person I saw, because it looked like he was at least seven feet tall! I walked up to him and asked if he was John. He replied yes, surprised to see that I was only a teenager. I only came up to his waist, but that didn't stop us from talking as we walked to the bus stop!

He had so much to say! He told me all about his and the lost boys' life, and in intricate detail too! The first part of it was when he was with his family. That was the happiest part, because he had a good life. But then he talked about the war, and how he had to walk 1,000 miles with 27,000 other boys, of which over 15,000 died on the way. I was almost in tears when he said that, but we were walking on a public sidewalk, and I didn't want to make a fool of myself.

Later, he was chosen to be one person that would go to America to make a life for themselves. When he told me about when he had first come to America, I had to act like I had a coughing attack so as to not laugh to hard. He said that he did not know how to use a shower, and did not understand many of the holidays. He asked me how Santa was related to the birth of Jesus Christ, as he still did not understand it, and I couldn't explain it no matter how hard I tried. It's odd to think how a fat, jolly man in a red suit that delivered toys to kids through their fireplaces could in any way relate to the birth of the child of God. Later, I looked it up, and found this website.

When we got back to my house after a 20 minute bus ride, I really wanted John to meet my parents. I wanted a chance to tell my parents about this extraordinary man. When they finished talking, I took him back into Santa Barbara to meet my social studies teacher John. John was the one who first showed me the lost boys and what they had to do to survive. John said that after the filmmakers had finished the film, people actually did remember him!

I will always remember John Bul Dau's visit. Even though he didn't say it directly, I picked up the fact that he didn't care if anyone saw him cry or laugh. He probably looked crazy to a lot of people. In this way, I've learned not to be self conscious; we are who we are, and we can't change that.