Posted: Nov 05, 2008
“It was a big change, but the transition was fairly smooth. It certainly helped that we spoke the same language (French),” Cauchy said. After a couple of years in Montreal, the family moved to the Toronto area. With a new language to learn, that posed interesting challenges. “It was an adjustment when we moved to both places, but working to learn a new language took some time,” Henoc said.
After finishing their lunch last Friday afternoon in the Bloomfield Centre cafeteria, the brothers talked about their African home, living in Canada, university life and, of course, football. The student athletes are defensive standouts with the X-Men varsity team.
Memories of home
Congo – located in Central Africa – is the third largest country on the expansive African continent. In the mid-1990s, Congo was in the grip of two civil wars that claimed more than three million lives. Since then, peace agreements and national elections have followed, but there is still fighting and instability in the eastern part of the country. Although young when they left, the brothers have fond memories of their homeland. They lived in Congo’s capital city of Kinshasa.
“We talk to our family from time to time. It is fine where they are,” Cauchy said. “We are glad they are safe, but we still worry about them,” Henoc added. The Muambas have not returned to their native land since immigrating to Canada. “We have some great memories. We miss the rest of our family and would like to see them,” Cauchy said. When the situation is more stable, the brothers would like to return for a visit. They are unsure if returning to Congo permanently is an option.
Even after more than one decade in Canada, the brothers admit they continue to make adjustments. “The snow – and the cold. It’s terrible,” Cauchy said with a frown as his brother laughs. “I have my winter jacket out in October. I hate the cold.”
He added no matter how long he is in Canada he will never adjust. “It’s never going to happen,” Henoc agreed.
On the gridiron
Cauchy may not have adjusted to the weather, but he warmed up to one Canadian tradition – football. “I love it. It’s a tremendous sport and I enjoy the competition.”
The path to the gridiron was not a straight one. The athletes started playing basketball but eventually switched sports. They have only played football since high school – Cauchy in Grade 11 and Henoc in Grade 10. “We started playing late, but I think it has worked out,” Henoc said.
The brothers are key pieces of the puzzle that has the X-Men defense ranked in the CIS top-five. “Our entire defense has had a great season. We are all playing well,” Henoc said.
The Muambas journey continued east three years ago when Cauchy’s high school coach and StFX alumnus Gary Waterman joined the X-Men football staff. The young defender followed and suited up for the blue-and-white. “It was tough to leave all my friends and family in the beginning, but I had Coach and his family to help me make the adjustment,” Cauchy said.
He added his friend – and former X-Men standout Jonathan Hood – was also helpful. “They made it a lot easier.” Cauchy added it did not take long before he had new friends and bonded with his team-mates. When Henoc finished his senior season at Father Michael Goetz Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, he reunited with his older brother. The close bond between the siblings returned on and off the field. “A lot of people think we’re twins,” Cauchy said as the brothers’ laugh. They were actually born 15 months apart, but there is certainly no less of a bond between them. They finish each other’s sentences and like most siblings they quickly correct each other. “We are really close,” Cauchy said.
Following his brother to Antigonish certainly helped Henoc with the transition. “I had him, Coach Waterman and a lot of friends here, so I did not have to make as much of an adjustment.” The brothers share an apartment with X-Men teammates like Kwami Osei, Kwasi Nkansah and Akeem Foster. They are also familiar faces from their football days in Mississauga. “It’s great. We all know each other and get along really well.”
The brothers said they enjoy Antigonish and St. F.X., and how everyone has embraced them. That helps a lot when they miss their Canadian home, including their parents and younger brother Kelvin. “It is small town so it was an adjustment for us from living in a big city, but it has been great,” Cauchy said. “It’s a great atmosphere – especially academically. You can really focus on your work and you get a lot of one-on-one help from your professors.”
Although completing their education is the top priority, they said furthering their football careers is also on the radar screen. “I think about getting to the next level sometimes,” Henoc said.
Cauchy, 21, is completing his third year at X. After beginning in the human kinetics department, the older sibling followed his brother to the information systems program. Nineteen-year-old Henoc is a second-year Xaverian. Cauchy wants to focus on networking and business, while Henoc has an interest in programming.
The family’s move – focussed on better education opportunities – has worked out according to the brothers. “It has been great. We have had tremendous chances,” Henoc said.
Even with their focus on winning an AUS championship, their dedication to academics does not wane. “Our education is the focus. We are students’ first, athletes second,” Cauchy concluded.
Courtesy Corey LeBlanc, the Casket newspaper