For her second stay as a professional soccer player, Joëlle Gosselin expected a change of scenery, but the Beauportoise got her money’s worth, being in Israel in the midst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A situation that she is happy despite everything to have lived.
“Let’s say that I appreciate more the great security that we have in Quebec. It sure gives you another perspective on the war. I’m sure it’s the only way in my life that my eyes will be able to see an armed conflict, ”said the man who donned the Maccabi Kishronot Hadera WFC team uniform.
She is happy to have returned to the country, but the conflict extended the stay of the Quebecer by a fortnight before she could be repatriated.
“All league activities were suspended during the conflict. I never felt unsafe during my entire stay. My parents were really more worried than I was. I lived in the town of Hadera which is about an hour by car from Tel Aviv. This is where there was the most action. “
“The country is equipped with a sophisticated system for stopping missiles, which they call the iron dome. The missiles mostly arrive in the evening from Palestine. We can see them coming and we also see Israel’s anti-missile reaction blowing them up in the sky. You can describe it as a style of fireworks, it’s quite special, ”explains the soccer player.
Photo courtesy, Instagram
Joëlle Gosselin played the last soccer season in Israel.
Lifestyle
The biggest surprise according to the athlete is how war is part of everyday life. A situation that you have to see with your own eyes to believe, according to her.
“It’s really something that is part of everyday life. This is what is a little shocking. They explain this to you as if it was normal. All the houses have a bunker. If the alarm, which announces the imminent arrival of a missile is sounded, the entire population must take refuge there. Fortunately, this did not happen during my stay in Hadera, but you can see that Tel Aviv was under constant missile fire. “
Photo courtesy, Instagram
She also visited Mitzpe Ramon, a locality in Israel located in the central Negev Desert, about 85 km south of Beersheba.
A truce that feels good
Following strong international pressure, a ceasefire entered into force on May 21 between Hamas and Israel. A window of opportunity that the athlete seized to return to the country.
“There was no flight to Canada during the conflict. International flights were able to resume immediately after the ceasefire. I did not stay there forever and returned to Quebec at the end of May. I don’t want to take sides in this conflict, but now I know the stress of the constant fear of being the target of a missile, and it’s not pleasant. “
Positive results
Despite her slight mishap at the end of the trip, Joëlle Gosselin assures us that she loved her stay. “The people are very welcoming, the food is excellent and the weather is always good. I was able to visit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as well. On the pitch we had a good season, but the top three was unattainable for us. “
A slightly lower caliber of play than it has seen in Finland.
“It’s still a very strong league and I loved their vision of a professional athlete. We were treated lightly. We wanted for nothing and I had a good personal season. Another factor that I appreciated was that no one was wearing the mask there because there was simply no case of the coronavirus in the country. I had to resume this habit when I got back, ”she laughs.
