Jan 12 2010 / My Soccer and Ramadhan
by Ikhlas, Indonesia 09-10
hosted in Minnesota
hi. I’m Ikhlas from Indonesia. I have been here about 4 months. well, this is my first time to share about my greatest experience so far.
I have been playing soccer since 3rd grade. I love soccer very much. I was playing with boys because mostly girls in my school didn’t really like to play. Although I was the only girl in the field, it didn’t bother me as long as I could play soccer. My dream is to be a soccer player and go international. Well if you think it is silly you don’t have to worry because you are not the only one who thinks that.
I haven’t reached my dream yet but maybe I’ll get it someday who knows. The opportunity came when I was here. After I got accepted for the YES program to be hosted in USA, I decided I would join a soccer club here and if I’m lucky maybe someone will be interested to help me reach my dream.
shortly, i joined girls soccer club at school (that I found after I joined cross country club but then I quit cross country because my host Mom discovered that there was a girls soccer club). it was wonderful. I was really happy to play soccer with girls although girls here are as strong as boys in my town (maybe?). That was my first girls soccer club ever! the practise was even harder than I expected.
We especially hate conditioning, because we have to run a lot. At first, I felt the practices were hard but soon I got used to it and enjoyed it.
After 2 weeks of practices, Ramadhan, the fasting month, came. I have to fast from sunrise to sundown every day in that month. meanwhile I also had practices everyday for about 2 or 3 hours. I couldn’t eat or drink. Practices were so hard at first for the first few fasting days, but alhamdulillah, I kept myself fasting until the end. I didn’t want to break my fasting day because of soccer, and I wanted to prove to people that sport doesn’t bother our fasting, but it was healthy. sport makes us feel happy and fasting makes us feel calm, and when we are happy, time goes fast, so it was perfect.
One day when we had a game in another city for the first time, i was fasting that day. as usual, after the game we all had supper. but because it wasn’t time to break my fasting day yet I couldn’t eat with them. I decided to wait outside rather than watch them eating because I thought in that time it would be hard for me.
And then my friend asked me why didn’t I eat and I told her about the fasting. she misunderstood at first, she expected that I was fasting a whole day. so I was explaining again and then she understood. I didn’t eat or drink in scrimmage, and practices and I am still alive and healthy! i didn’t eat and drink in games but I could dribble the ball on the field and even scored a goal. So for anyone who thought that fasting means no sweats you have to think again, because fasting isn’t supposed to be lazy and unspirited. I hope what I talked about is useful.
