Sept. 21, 1999

COLLEGE PARk, Md.- - When Sumed Ibrahim (Louisville, Ky.) came to America, he moved in with his guardian family, the Schmieds, who had a house full of children by American standards. Not for Mohammed though, the nine inhabitants of his Louisville, Ky., home were about one-fifth the number he lived with in his native country of Ghana.

That was one of the first differences Ibrahim noticed about America- the space in his new room. "In Ghana, we live with extended family," explains Ibrahim. "Everybody, grandparents, step-brothers and aunts. So many people just live in the same house. In my father's house, my father has four wives and each of his wives has six or seven children. So in a family we have about 50, 60 people who live in a house. We were just crowded. In a little room like the size of a dorm room you can find six or seven people sleeping in that kind of room. We had a house, but it was too crowded"

Ibrahim and fellow Ghanian Siba Mohammed (Louisville, Ky.) found their way to America through a Sister-City Tournament that included such countries as China, India, and Tamale where the pair is from. Ghana couldn't afford to send an entire team to the tournament, so they sent two representatives instead to play as guests on another team. Ibrahim and Mohammed were chosen to represent their country, and they accepted the task.

Despite being opponents in Ghana more often than teammates, Ibrahim and Mohammed knew each other well and welcomed the opportunity to come to the United States together. "When you're in Ghana and you hear the name America you think that it is like a heaven and when we came over it was different. I looked around everywhere, and I see white people everywhere walking around. That was the only reason that I think that I am in America. I wasn't sure (what it would be like) because I was kind of innocent, just sort of walking around, but I like it here. There's a lot of opportunities."

After the tournament Ibrahim and Mohammed decided to stay. That's when the Schmied family said they would take care of the pair for a year. After two or three months, the couple decided they would let Ibrahim and Mohammed stay as long as they wanted. "They are really nice people. It's hard. They have a lot of kids, too. It is always hard to adopt new people and to blend all this family together," conveys Ibrahim. "The father has two children and the mother has children from before and they're trying to adopt Siba and I to live with them. I think that was really, really nice. We (Ibrahim and Mohammed) were having problems. People wouldn't accept us to be with them and they were the only people who would accept us."

After two years with the Schmieds, Ibrahim is starting his first season at the University of Maryland. A regular in the starting line-up, Ibrahim thinks he made an excellent choice. "I like the players, I like the students. Everyone seems to be helpful. If you have problems, you can approach any of them and they're willing to help you," says Ibrahim about his impression so far. "I like it so much. I think I make a good choice. It was a really good choice. I like Sasho (Cirovski) and I like Jeff (Rohrman). I like the (other) coaches and I like the players. I like everybody. It's making my stay here so enjoyable."

Ibrahim hasn't been back to Ghana since Christmas of 1997, and the transition has been a rough one at times. "I call my mom on the telephone, but she can't hear very well," explains Ibrahim of how he communicates with his family on the other side of the globe. "It's pointless for me to call her on the phone, so I started writing them. I can write two letters every month and they write me back, too. That's how we keep in touch."

Having gone to Arabic School to learn more about his Muslim religion, Ibrahim did not even learn English until just four years before he moved to America. "It was hard for me never speaking any English... I was having problems when we first came here because it was hard for me to understand what people were saying and it was hard for me to read and write," recalls Ibrahim of the transition to America. "Siba also has problems with writing sometimes, but we are learning everyday.

"Sometimes if I have a problem, he (Siba) is bilingual. We speak the same languages. If I have problems with English homework or math homework I can just go to him or he can come to me and we can talk about it. If we can't figure out, we can find someone to help."

With Ibrahim and Mohammed at Maryland, the Schmied's house is considerably more quiet. "There are five dogs, and a cat. We have so many animals living in the house that the house is like a zoo," jokes Ibrahim about his home in Kentucky. "Now there's nobody in the house. They were like 'We miss you guys, the house is quiet now because there's only two people living in the house.' It used to be eight or nine people."

That's not the only things that's changed, either. Ibrahim's room got smaller again, too. "In Kentucky, the room we're living in is too big. It's just me and Siba- it's really big. To compare my room in Kentucky to (my room) here, I can say that this room is really small, but I like small rooms because you can decorate it and you can put so much stuff in it and make it look good. A big room you can't decorate it, it's still just big."

Maybe Maryland and Ghana just got a little closer.

Ibrahim Unplugged

Person you most admire: My mother.

Athlete you most admire: Michael Jordan.

What CD is in your stereo right now? Bob Marley.

If I were given free tickets to see any athletic event I wanted, what event would it be? Soccer.

The famous athlete you would most like to meet: Michael Jordan.

One thing people may not know about me is that... Hard worker.

If you were given round trip tickets to anywhere in the world, where would you go and why? Ghana, to see my family.

If you could travel back in time and meet any famous person, who would it be and why? The Prophet Mohammed, to see what he looks like.

What do you most enjoy about playing soccer at Maryland?Being with the players.

What do you respect most about Sasho? His ability to make you a good soccer player.

Why did you choose to come to Maryland? Because of good academics and a good soccer program.

The best piece of advice anyone ever gave you is...Never put your head down when things are going bad on you.

The one word the best describes you is... Happy.

If I could change on thing in the world, it would be... To improve the socio-economic standing of his homeland.

If I lost all my possessions except for one, I'd want to keep... Music.

My favorite TV show ever is... My television.

My favorite movie is... Braveheart.

Outside of soccer, I enjoy... Playing basketball and reading books.

If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it? Put it in the bank.

My craziest ambition is to... To get married.

Since coming to Maryland, I have learned to... Always go to class and do your homework and work hard.