By Mohammed Takiyudin

Coming from Ghana in West Africa all the way to Arizona Western College was a long trip. I have learned a lot of things and had interesting experiences, both good and bad.

I came from a big, busy city in Ghana to the small town of Yuma. As a freshman, I had trouble adapting to the weather, the food and the culture. As a soccer player, I had mixed experiences, from the food to the way soccer is played here in the U.S.

Wrestling with the Heat

I arrived just six days before the start of Ramadan, so as a Muslim it wasn't easy for me in the first two weeks because I had to fast and train in the hottest weather I have ever seen.. My first practice was a 12 minute lap with the whole soccer team at Gila Ridge High School. It was also just a day after my arrival from Ghana, so I was really tired. My first practice didn't turn out very well. I had a muscle cramp and was stretched off the field. My first lesson in Yuma, said my coaches, was "drink a lot of water."

Also the food was very different from where I came from, so I had problems even knowing what to eat. I don't eat pork, including ham, pepperoni and bacon, so I had to ask before I ate anything.

I started enjoying my stay about four days in when I made a couple of friends on the team. A scrimmage game was organized against SOKA University in California. It was my first game for the school; I was happy coming off the bench and scoring from the penalty spot.

A different game

The conference games started and I scored the first goal of the season for the Matadors in a game we won 2-1. What really surprised me about was the way substitutions are handled in Junior College soccer here in the States. I am used to seeing only three substitutions in a soccer game anywhere around the globe. But, here I am seeing unlimited substitution and re-entry of players and also a water break, which I have never seen before.

Playing with bigger and stronger guys was okay with me because that's what I've been doing since I started playing. But, penalties are different here from everywhere else in the world. To see someone leaving the game after being shown the yellow card and then returning was very odd to me. I know a player only leaves the game after being shown the red card, not the yellow one, and he doesn't return until after two games. Also, he doesn't get to play again for the whole season when being show the red card twice. Very strange!

A cloud over the season

Just as I was doing really well for the Matadors and taking them to new heights this season, some anonymous call was made to the NJCAA head office claiming that I am a professional player. This false accusation made me feel very bad, but the school stood by me. I provided all the necessary documents to the school to be forwarded to the NJCAA to prove my innocence. The NJCAA cleared me and I was allowed to continue.

But people kept making false accusations about me to the point that some coaches refused to vote for me when I was nominated for a place on the First Team All Conference, believing I was a professional player. This led to me being selected for the Second Team All Conference. All these led to so much frustration and stress for me that I went back to Ghana, leaving the team after we qualified to play in the semifinals Regional for the first time and on home ground.

With all these experiences both on and off the soccer field, my stay at Arizona Western College has been a mixed bag, but I will never forget the many cultural lessons and the many friends I made. My memorable stay at AWC