Dr. Jedidiah's Diary Episode #95: Adil from the Horn of Africa

Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary

Dr. Jedidiah is a psychiatrist who loves traveling, meeting new people, and exploring different cultures. As a single father who lost his wife to drug overdose 10 years ago, he has not been his old perky self for the last decade. During those hard years, he has met hundreds of, thousands of people from various walks of life around all over the world. Meeting new people and listening to their stories outside his office have given him different feelings from the ones through the formal encounter groups or being truly honest with himself. Here is Dr. Jedidiah’s monologue that has left him with some food for thoughts in life….. or a fodder to justify his own mistakes in the past.

 

Episode # 95. Adil from the Horn of Africa

“Are you sure you want to file a suit against your track team coach, Adil?” When I asked this promising young athlete immigrated from Tanzania, I was full of mixed feelings; concerns about his future as an elite runner and the downside of bringing up the issue that will have a big impact on my friendship with his track team coach Sam. Adil gave me a stern look and said, “Yes, I do. Coach Sam is as mad as a hatter. I’m ready to split up with this nutty coach that destroys and shatters me and my fellow runners.” I felt deeply ashamed of myself at the moment, looking for the right way to discouraging this young man with nerves of steel to rock the boat. In that moment, I was like a crisis negotiator who might be more like pushing a suicidal person to the limit rather than saving his life by saying that I was down with his decision.

 

Adil had never failed to show up at this local running club for mentoring kids who love running from low-income families. As a national elite runner, he did not have enough time or energy left. However, whenever he came for the children, he brought with a great big smile that instantly gingered up the kids who were not as happy as most other young ones in town. These children felt truly grateful for Adil’s presence, which was way more wonderful than many of those spurious presents underneath a Christmas tree for well-healed friends of theirs. Adil had always let these kids believe in their own potentials and passion for running by saying and showing that when their stamina ran out, their spirits kick in. The children in this weekend track team learned about the meaning of their Tanzanian coach’s name ‘Adil’ in Swahili language: “JUST and HONEST”. I was there to watch and join their weekly logging meets as a shrink who listened to their problems at home and school. After each and every weekend running meet, Adil and I took the children to our favorite local park to enjoy healthy and delicious lunch made by Adil’s girlfriend. She would bring her grandma’s signature dish called Kreplach along with her favorite side dish Succotash. All the veggies and the hearty, cheesy dumplings in the soup warmed up not only the kids but me and Adil as well as the perfect post-run carb load to the inexplicable level of mind. 

Our peaceful and healthy weekend meet-up for running and mentoring had been smooth until I saw one day Adil’s frazzled face with not much high spirit in his eyes. Adil kept silent all along the trail run that day. When we called it a day and got ready to leave for home, he swizzled his soda and looked me in the eye and said “I guess it’s time for me to take action, Dr. J. I’ll report this to USADA.” That was the day when I came to learn about his track team coach Sam’s abusive drug recommendation to the athletes for the purpose of enhancing race day performances. The coach also taught the runners how to evade doping tests as the race day came along. While I was becoming mad and devastated by Adil’s confession or report, I felt stabbing pain inside of me because his abusive coach is none other than my good old buddy Sam. 

 

 Adil followed what he believed in as his name manifests itself. He made up his mind to seek after “just and honest” virtues that he was born with from his root country. Adil was not only a mentor for the kids from poverty-stricken area, but also much-needed conscience that raised the voice of justice in this relentlessly competitive society. He was the cleanest and shiniest gemstone of strength from the most fragile Horn of Africa.

 

 

 

Expressions

1.  as mad as a hatter: totally crazy and insane

2.  to split up with someone: to end the relationship with someone and leave that person

3.   nerves of steel: an impressive ability to remain calm in dangerous or difficult situations

4.   crisis negotiator: the experts who de-escalates volatile life and death incidents

5.  to be down with …: to agree with… / to see eye to eye with…

6.  to ginger up …: to jazz up/ to spice up/ to juice up

7.  spurious: not being what it purports to be; false or fake

8.   Kreplach: (in Jewish cooking) triangular noodles filled with chopped meat or cheese and served with soup

9.   Succotash: an American dish of corn and lima beans cooked together

10.              to swizzle: to drink especially to excess = to guzzle

11.              USADA: United States Anti-Dope Agency