The Story of Mustafa

We had just played our first game of the season which we had lost to a very strong Humber team. Out of all the defeats Ive been a part of, this is one that will stick out simply for the superiority of the opposition. They were a very strong team with a few of their players having played for the Canadian Junior Teams and a few playing semi professional in the Canadian Soccer League. For this reason, the team nor myself were too disheartened by the loss considering it was a respectable 3-1 loss to a considerably stronger team. On the bus back to Mohawk the mood among the players was joyful, everyone was joking around talking and just typical banter you would associate with any team. For me though, this was a ride which would leave me in amazement at the story of one of my team mates with whom I had not had much dialogue with up until that point. The trials and tribulations he has had to endure in his life is something that left me humbled and grateful. For this reason I have decided to blog about the story of Mustafa.

On the way back to Mohawk I sat at the back of the bus alongside Mustafa. We hadnt really talked much yet so this was a good opportunity for fellow Africans to connect. We made small talk but nothing crazy or mind blowing, which would change soon. Eventually we were driving past Mississauga on the highway when we passed these highrise condo's which is when I turned to Mustafa and said, "imagine living in one of those things on day?" He replied, "what do you mean living in one? Im going to own them one day!" It left me taken aback for a second as you dont hear many people say those kind of things with so much assurance. People say those things halfheartedly with a sarcastic undertone to it, but Mustafa said it in a very serious manner and sort of scoffed at me for thinking so small. So I asked Mustafa, "how old are you? You dont hear many young people say stuff like that." And his reply was that he was only 18 which I couldnt believe.

I remember seeing Mustafa at tryouts in August and for sure I thought he would be a mature student such as myself. He had a well developed, athletic build and when he spoke, he spoke with an authority that you would associate with someone more matured as opposed to an 18 year old kid. Based off this I naturally assumed that he was older, maybe mid twenties or so, so when he told me he was only 18 I was very surprised. I told him that to as you dont really meet many 18 year old kids with his presence, confidence and maturity. He replied to me, "well most people in general havent been through what I have. Ive been forced to grow up quickly" I asked him what he meant by he was "forced to grow up quickly," which was when he gave me his incredible life story.

Mustafa was born in the poor West African country of Gambia. His had dad abandoned him and his mom right after he was born. Subsequently, Mustafa was forced to work and attend school in order to help his mom make ends meet. He worked on farms, worked on the street shining shoes, he begged for money or food on some instanced, basically anything that would help him and his mom. The first 12 years of his life were spent this way, hustling to survive and help his mom all the while diligently studying to keep up with his school. Already at a young age he had developed a mentality and work ethic that would take him very far in life, but this was just the beginning.

His life would change drastically at 12 years old when his estranged father got in contact with him again. His dad was now a Canadian citizen and was living in Oakville Canada. He wanted to offer his son a better life so he offered Mustafa the chance to live and study in Canada. Mustafa told me he didnt want to go, but his mother forced him to as it would give him a much better standard of living than the life he had in Gambia. So at 12 years old Mustafa left Gambia to live with his dad, his dads Canadian wife and her two daughters.

He said his initial experience in Canada was a nightmare, his father was a drunk who treated him terribly. His step family wanted nothing to do with him and also treated him like garbage. He was alienated at school because of his appearance and that fact that he was very different from his peers in every way possible. He was living a nightmare and wanted to go back home, but his mom wouldnt let him.The only place he found solace and enjoyment was when he played soccer at the park.

Soccer was something he had played his whole life and It was at that park where he was spotted by one of the coaches at Oakville Soccer Club who offered him the chance to play in their elite development team. The clubs fees were very expensive though which Mustafa couldnt afford to pay, but he was so good that the coach of his team exempt him from paying. This same coach would have a big impact on Mustafa's life later on.

At 14 years old, having now been in Canada for two years, things became unbearable at home. One day Mustafa and his dad got into a big fight in which blows were exchanged. He let out all of his childhood frustrations in one night on the man who abandoned him as a baby and forced him into a life of struggle and desperation. He was kicked out of his house and for the second time in his life he was abandoned by his father. Now 14 years old and living on the streets with no one to reach out to. Mustafa slept in shelters and on park benches for a couple of weeks and went back to living how he did in Gambia, in survival mode.

When his soccer coach found out about Mustafa situation, he did something truly commendable. He found Mustafa an apartment, signed it under his name, paid for his furniture, first 3 months of rent, and got Mustafa a job working at a local McDonalds in order to help him help himself. So at 14 Mustafa was living on his own, working full time, attending school fulltime, all the while finding time to train for high level soccer. And as if that weren't crazy enough for this child, a lot of the money he was making he would send back to Gambia to help his struggling mother.

One winter he had a brilliant idea to help him make even more money. Oakville is a very affluent town, so when winter came along there were massive houses with big drive ways that people didnt want to shovel after a snowstorm. They were more than willing to pay someone to do it though, so Mustafa got to knocking on doors and offering to shovel people's drive way for a fee. He developed a client list and people would contact him regularly to come shovel their snow for a very nice payment. He said he would regularly make $200-$300 for a days worth of shoveling which was more than he could ever make at McDonalds. While other kids were snuggled inside playing video games after a snow storm, Mustafa would be out there with his shovel in hand building his business and making a lot of money while doing so.This side business of his allowed him to make more money in shorter time period than his McDonalds job which gave him more freedom, but it was only seasonal work.

So now here he is a teenager with his own snow shoveling business and doing better for himself than he had ever imagined. He had expendable income and could afford to buy nice things for himself. He had exceptional grades in school which helped him earn a $20 000 grant from the government to help him pay for post secondary education. With this money he is enrolled at Mohawk College, playing for the school soccer team and life now is easier for him than it has ever been during his life.

His story is a testament to his character. When he told me all this, everything about him made sense. His level of maturity, his presence, the confidence and authority he brings on the field, it all started to come together. The life he has been forced to live his made him a stronger person than anybody on the team. He is a leader and fighter with the heart of a lion, someone who you want beside you in battle. There are a lot of lessons he was forced to learn in life that a lot of people will never learn and it is these lessons that will take him very far.

This bus ride back had a big impact on me also. Mustafa would become one of my closest friends on the team and his life is something that made me reflect deeply on myself and what I need to do to get to where I want to be. His story is inspirational and it has only just begun. Its strange for me to say this, but I look up to the kid, even though he is much younger than me. I wont be surprised one day to see this kid has become a wealthy business man because life has given him all the tools he needs to become one.