My name is Ali Kassem. I was a Syrian refugee in Lebanon.
I left Syria in 2012 after losing my older brother in the war. He was my whole world, and after he was gone, everything changed.
I left my country as a child, not knowing where I was going or what would happen to me.
When I arrived in Lebanon, I was just a kid.
I had no school to return to and no normal childhood like other children. I was far from my home, my friends, and everything I had ever known.
The only place where I felt at peace was the sea. It was the first time I had ever seen the ocean.
I would spend hours sitting on the shore, watching the waves. It felt like the only place that could ease what I was carrying inside.
In 2015, I was sitting on a hill overlooking the beach on a cold day when I saw people riding the waves.
I became curious about what they were doing, so I started researching it and discovered a sport called surfing.
Cutting foam into the shape of a surfboard
One day, I spotted a piece of floating foam in the water. I had the idea to cut it into the shape of a surfboard and try to ride it.
I couldn't afford a real board, and I knew nothing about surfing, but I had curiosity and determination.
I cut the foam into a board and took it into the water. I fell over again and again, but every time I got back up and tried once more.
After a while, a group of surfers noticed me and asked, "What are you doing? Aren't you afraid of drowning?" I told them, "No. I just want to see what you're doing."
They were surprised that I was trying to learn on a piece of foam.
They talked with me, encouraged me, and after they finished their training sessions, they began lending me their boards and teaching me little by little.
At first, I helped them with anything they needed at the surf school just so I could earn a chance to use one of the boards and practice.
After some time, they offered me a job. To me, it wasn't just work - it was the first time I truly felt I had found something I loved.
I earned about $200 a month, which wasn't enough to cover my living expenses, but I stayed because surfing had become part of my life, and I was determined to improve every day.
Becoming a surf coach
Later, I met Roman Calvari, a French diplomat working in Lebanon who used a wheelchair. I became his para surfing coach, and over time we became close friends.
He later invited me to France to attend a para surfing training program with the French Surfing Federation. There, I earned a coaching certification from the federation.
Afterward, Roman and I competed together in a championship, where we won first place.
I eventually returned to Lebanon, but life became even more difficult.
As I got older, my legal residency became tied to my employer, which meant I could no longer legally work anywhere else.
I stayed because I had no other choice, but in the end, I lost my job.
At that point, it felt like everything I had worked for over the years had disappeared in an instant.
I went through a very difficult period of depression and hopelessness, and I could no longer see any future ahead of me.
When the war ended in my part of Syria, hope returned to my life.
For the first time in years, I felt I finally had a reason to go back home and start over.
Roman encouraged me to return to Syria and open the country's first surf school.
I decided to go back, but before returning, I wanted to prepare myself properly so I could build Syria's first surf school.
I earned a coaching certification from the International Surfing Association (ISA) as well as an international water rescue certification, so I would be fully prepared to teach surfing professionally and safely.
After that, Roman, his family, his wife's family, and their friends supported me so I could begin my project in Syria.
Syria's first surf school
Today, I am back in Syria, working to establish the first surf school in the country's history. We started with almost nothing - just a few basic boards and a big dream.
I don't just want to teach people how to surf.
My goal is to build this sport in Syria and give young Syrians the chance to experience the same feeling that changed my life.
I dream of seeing a Syrian national surfing team compete in Asian and world championships, and one day reach the Olympic Games.
Today, there is already a group of Syrian surfers living outside Syria who are ready to represent their country whenever they are given the opportunity.
Years ago, I was a refugee child trying to ride a wave on a piece of foam.
Today, I stand on the shore of my homeland, building the first surf school in Syria.
The war took my brother from me. It took years of my life. But it never took away my dream.
And today, that dream is no longer mine alone.
My dream is to see the young people of Syria ride the waves and raise their country's flag on the world stage.
Words by Ali Kassem | Surfer and Founder of Surf Syria Surf School
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