During my internship I had a very wondeful experience at a metro station in Mumbai. I was coming back from the office. I used to travel by the local train and then take a metro which was nearby my place of stay.
As I was walking down towards the exit I saw a bunch of Musicians performing. There were three of them, One had the Guitar and the other two were singing.
I was very tired and thought of this as an opportunity to listen to the live music and do away with my stress. So I stood there and listened to their songs. They were singing linkin park, eminem and other old songs. It was a treat to the ears.
After their songs got over I wanted to thank them so I started clapping loudly for them. I applauded them with words of encouragement to them like how wonderful they all performed. I told them that they are doing an amazing job. So any people gathered around me. I told the people also to give them a huge round of applause.
The guy(singer) thanked me for the words of encouragement that I spoke to him.
During my summer internship I had stayed in a dormitory in Mumbai. The dormitory had 20 beds. A lot of people who travel very frequently used to come and stay there. I met so many people during my two months of stay at this place.
One day I got very lucky and I met an international football player. He is currently playing in a Malaysian football club. It was an amazing feeling to spend time with him.
So it was a normal day. I came back from the office at around 8pm. A tall and strong person laying next to my bed caught my eye. I assumed him to be a person from Africa who would have come to India on a trip. He had long dreadlock hair. He was 6ft 3 inch tall. He looked very fit and young in his late 20’s. He looked decent, experienced, handsome and gentle.
My dormitory friend who was curious to know who he was started a conversation with him. I was not interested initially in the conversation but I joined them later. Then we had a long conversation with him till late night.
My Friend: Where are you from? He: I am Briama Pepito Sanusie from Sierra Leone. I play for the national team of Sierra Leone. I am currently playing for a Malaysian football club.
My friend and I: Oh great! So we are sitting with a star. Amazing! He(laughing): haha! (Then he showed us his videos on the Youtube)
My friend: So what work do you have in India? He: I had come here to play a football tournament in Kerala. It was very good, I enjoyed playing the tournament in Kerala. My friend: Oh great! Me: Amazing!
He: What do you guys do? My friend: Searching for a job. Me: Doing my internship. He(Appreciatively): Oh nice!
Me: So tell us your story. Were you always interested in football? He: Yes football was my passion. I did my graduation and then I had to choose between a job and my passion. All my sisters had studied really well and were doing jobs. It was a difficult decision to make because football couldn’t pay more money. Then I decided to take football as my career option. I played for the country’s national team. I became quiet famous in the area. I started looking for outside opportunities to improve myself. So I went to Vietnam and joined a club there. After a couple of years playing there, I went to Malaysia and since then, from the past 7-8 years I am playing for a Malaysian football club. Me: Great! That’s an amazing story.
Me: What were the difficulties you faced? He(laughing): You always face difficulties but when you know that your passion lies in something then the difficulties don’t matter. People(audience at the stadium) shouted at me if I had put some kind of black color on my body when I was playing for the Vietnam club.
Me: So how did you get married? He: In Sierra Leone. I had organized a party at my home after I had won an important match. A lot people had come to my home including my fans. One of them was a girl whom I liked after seeing her. I proposed her and told her that I liked her. And asked her to marry me. And she said yes. Me: Wow! Amazing! He: Yes my family lives back at home. I have a daughter who is studying in a school and she is also a sports enthusiast.
Me: Wow! That’s great! So in your opinion what does a person should take care about while he is pursuing his dreams? I mean you have achieved so many things in life. Can you give us some tips of success that you followed personaly. He: Haha! There are no tips. But you should always maintain the discipline. I am disciplined towards my sports. I have seen big players who fail because they become very indisciplined once they start becoming known and famous. I don’t party too much because I know that the next day I have to practice and wake up early. I rather spend my time in a café by reading a good book. So I think discipline is very important in life to pursue your dreams.
Me: Yes correct! I agree with you. What are your future goals? He: I want to start my own coaching centre in my hometown. I want to train the kids in football.
Me: Oh that’s wonderful. So where will you go now from here? He: I am going to Sierra Leone to meet my family and then I will go to Malaysia again and join my club.
Pepito was a very graceful and gentle person. Meeting him that day gave me a lot of energy and inspiration.
I took his autograph in my diary.
Below are some of the links where you can check out his videos on youtube:
Life experiences 