A Long Walk to Water: Chapter 15 Summary & Analysis

In 2009, a well has just been completed in Nya’s village. Although the water is brown and murky, some of the younger children try to drink it right away—but their parents prevent them. Nya’s older brother, Dep, explains that the water is muddy because the men need to drill deeper, down to where the water runs clear.

The three thousand boys being brought to the United States are known as the Lost Boys. Salva will be traveling to New York with eight other boys. They ride from the refugee camp into Nairobi in Kenya. Their photographs are taken and they’re given thorough medical examinations. Salva receives new clothes—more clothing than he’s ever owned in his life.

The flight from Africa to the U.S. is unlike anything Salva has ever experienced. He enjoys tasting Coca-Cola on the plane, and staring down at the earth from the window by his seat. In Rochester, Salva sees more white people than he’s ever seen before. His hosts in the U.S. are a couple named Chris and Louise. As he meets his family for the first time, Salva begins to weep. He feels as if he’s leaving his old life, and his old family, forever.