Salva Dut Quotes

“Eh, Nephew! . . . We are together now, so I will look after you!”

“It was as if Salva’s family were helping him, even though they were not there.”

“The Nile: the longest river in the world, the mother of all life in Sudan.”

“Uncle had helped him get through the desert that way, bit by bit, one step at a time. Perhaps . . . perhaps Salva could get through life at the camp in the same way.”

“Salva pressed his face tightly to his father’s as they hugged goodbye, their tears flowing and blending together.”

“Tears came to his eyes, perhaps from the cold air blowing in through the open doors. His new family was already outside; they turned and looked back at him. Salva blinked away the tears and took his first step into a new life in America.”

“Each time, Salva would think of his family and his village, and he was somehow able to keep his wounded feet moving forward, one painful step at a time.”

“He had to slow down, and for the first rime on the long journey, he began to lag behind the group. Stumbling about blindly, he did not notice the group drawing farther and farther ahead of him. As if by magic, Uncle was suddenly at his side.”

“The tears were hot in Salva’s eyes. Where had everyone gone? Why had they left without waking him? He knew the answer: because he was a child . . . who might tire easily and slow them down, and complain about being hungry, and cause trouble somehow.”

“Salva looked at the hollow eyes and the cracked lips of the men . . . and his own mouth felt so dry that he nearly choked when he tried to swallow.”

“He knows it will be hard for me, Salva realized. He does not want to leave me there, but he has to go back and fight for our people.”

“I mustn’t act like a bay—I must try to be strong.”

“Salva stood still inside the terminal doors for a few moments. Leaving the airport felt like leaving his old life forever-Sudan, his village, his family.”

“And with each sip, he remembered his family passing the bottles from hand to hand, laughing at the tickly bubbles, sharing and laughing together.”

“But how can I not go on? They would want me to survive. . . to grow up and make something of my life, . . . to honor their memories.”

“Do you see that group of bushes? You need only to walk as far as those bushes.”

“Salva made up his mind. He would walk south, to Kenya. He did not know what he would find once he got there, but it seemed to be his best choice.”

“Whatever food or water they found was shared equally among all of them. When the smaller boys grew too tired to walk, the older boys took turns carrying them on their backs.”

“A step at as time . . . One problem at a time—just figure out this one problem.”