Karie Mykleby
COMM 5451W
9/9/2014
God Grew Tired of Us
God Grew Tired of Us is an award-winning documentary that shadows the struggle of young Sudanese men who have been misplaced due to war. Toward the beginning of the film the viewer gets an inside look at the situation in Sudan. In the late 80s Sudan was involved in its second civil war. When soldiers or rebels attacked the villages, families were separated as they tried to flee, or worse raped, captured, or murdered in cold blood. Boys at the young age of eleven were forced to take roles as fathers. The boys in the film narrated their own stories, which made this film have a great emotional connection to the audience. After traveling over one thousand miles over five years, the men were placed into a camp called “Kakuma” in Kenya. One of the “lost boys” describes Kakuma as places that you live while you are waiting for your grave. There was no running water or electricity in Kakuma, which is something I cannot imagine living without. The men discuss what life in America will be like, and how they will adjust to it. One man is concerned about how to turn on a light switch. The lost boys are experiencing the conscious incompetence stage within the staircase model of intercultural communication. They have some idea of what life is like in the United States, but do not have the skills to operate within American society yet. Another vast cultural difference that struck me was when the men were discussing the meaning of Christmas in Africa compared to the way the holiday is celebrated in the United States. The men describe Christmas in Africa as being centered on the birth of Jesus Christ, singing, dancing, and spending time with their families. They observed Christmas in the United States as more of a commercial holiday. They wondered what the meaning of Santa Claus and the Christmas tree. The opinion of the lost boys on Christmas in America is actually not too far off. It has become a commercially celebrated holiday based upon buying and exchanging gifts. It was very interesting that these men could see that from only being in the States a short amount of time. It makes the viewer wonder how the rest of the world views the United States. The work ethic of these men after being through so much truly surprised and inspired me. Every one of them dreamed of a better life and discussed how hard they would work to achieve happiness and their own American dream. One of the men was discussing his jobs and was working a full shift at a factory in the morning, and working a full shift at McDonalds in the evening. His ride to the factory dropped him off two hours before it opened, and he sat or slept outside without complaint. In this section of the movie, the men discuss the fast paced lifestyle in America. Working sixteen hours a day and going home on public transit makes it nearly impossible for the young man to ever have fun or even get an adequate amount of sleep. Compared to other cultures, it seems like this is the case within the Western world and some Eastern Asian countries as well. However, in Africa, South America, and some European countries the way of life is much more relaxed. People may often have dinners lasting up to three hours, or even take naps during the day. Coming from any of these places would ensure the newcomer to the states to feel an overwhelming sense of culture shock. Another hardship the men endured was being told not to travel in groups. In Sudan, the men traveled together across vast deserts in the thousands. They were not accustom to being alone, or even in small groups for that matter. In Kakuma, the men also lived as one large community, and were always with each other.