Nnaakukulembera

Nnasanyukira olunaku olwo ne Don Evans, era emyezi egyaddirira nnamulowoozangako emirundi mingi, nga sirina n’akatono kye nnali mmanyi engeri amakubo gaffe gye gandiddemu okusisinkana.

Nneeyongera n’okusoma kwange mu kubala ne fizikisi, nga nsuubira okuyingira yunivasite mu mwaka ogwaddirira. Okuyingira yunivasite kyali kyetaagisa okulonda amasomero ga koleji ana, okugategeka nga bwe gaakusanyusanga, n’oweereza olukalala olwo eri ekitongole ekikulu. Olwo baalikutegeezezza omutindo gw’obuyivu bwe wandyetaaze okutuukako mu buli somo, buli somero ku ago ag’oku ddaala ery’awaggulu rybe lirinnyeko okukukkiriza ng’omuyizi. Birmingham kyali kitwalibwa ng’ekirina abasomesa abasinga obulungi mu kubala — ekitundu kye nnayivamu ennyo — kyekyo ne kikulembera ku lukalala lwange, nga kiddirirwa Cardiff, Swansea, ne Aberystwyth.

Essaawa nnyingi ez’okwesomesa n’amaanyi ze zaakulembera wiiki bbiri ez’entiisa ez’ebibuuzo eby’oku mutendera ogwa waggulu mu masomo gange asatu: okubala okutuufu (pure mathematics), okubala okukozesebwa (applied mathematics), ne fizikisi. Kyali n’essanyu lingi (era n’okwewuunya katono), bwe nnawulira nga wayiseewo wiiki nti mpisizza mu masomo gonna, era n’amapoyinti agamala okutuukiriza emitindo gyonna egyetaagisa. Okutuusa mu kiseera ekyo nnali sirina kubuusabuusa nti Birmingham ye kigendererwa kyange, naye kaakano ebirowoozo ebirala ne bitandika okuvaayo. Ekifo ekipya kyali kijja mu birowoozo. Birmingham yali “erimu amakolero mangi nnyo,” Cardiff yali “eri kumpi nnyo,” ne Swansea yali efuuka “esinga obulungi.”

Bwe ntyo ne mpandiikira omusumba w’Ekkanisa ya Elim mu Swansea nga mmusaba anyambe okunoonya we nnandisuze ng’omuyizi omuggya mu yunivasite. Nnalowooza mu bujjajja nti omusumba yalina obudde bw’okunoonya amayumba ag’okupangisa, bwe kityo nnali nkyali awatali ndagiriro ng’ebbaluwa etuuka, eyankanya ne nkola amangu.

“Tunakuwala okukutegeeza nti tetujja kusobola kukuweereza nsimbi za buyambi ku bisale by’okusoma, eby’ebitabo, n’eby’okusula mu mwaka ogujja, bw’onooba tosobola kutuwa ndagiriro yo mu Swansea. Ekiseera eky’enkomerero eky’okuwaayo amawulire ago kwe…” Olunaku lwali Lwakusatu olwaddirira, nga zisigadde ennaku ttaano!

Wadde nga Swansea yali mayilo 30 zokka okuva ewaffe, nnali ntuuseeyo omulundi gumu gwokka mu bulamu bwange, nga ndi ne kojjange ku kikya nga tugenze okulaba omuzannyo gwa cricket. Ku lunaku ebbaluwa lwe yatuuka nnali nkyali mu lugendo nate, nga nsuubira okuzuula Ekkanisa ya Elim n’omusumba waayo. Nnava mu bbaasi mu masekkati g’ekibuga ne nnyingira mu kayumba ka ssimu nga nsuubira okuzuula endagiriro n’ennamba ya ssimu ey’ofiisi y’Ekkanisa ya Elim. Newaakubadde nga nnanoonya bulungi mu makubo gonna agaali gasoboka, saazuula Kkanisa ya Elim yonna mu kitabo ky’endagiriro. Abawala babiri abato abaali bayimiridde ebweru w’akayumba baalaba okweraliikirira kwange ne banyisiza obuyambi bwabwe. Nnabuusabuusa nti bandinnyambye bwe nnabategeeza ekizibu kyange; wabula, mu ngeri ey’okwewuunya, tebaamanya bwokka we wali ennyumba y’omusumba n’ebbaasi gye nnandyetaaze okutwala okutuukayo, naye era baasobola n’okunzizaamu amaanyi, kubanga bombi baali bakkiriza! Nnajjukira nga Bayibuli bwe yayogera ku ky’okuyinza ‘okusembeza bamalayika nga tetumanyi.’

Omusumba bwe yategeera ekigendererwa ky’okukyala kwange, yasaba nnyo ekyejo kubanga yali yeerabidde okugoberera okusaba kwange. Ekikombe kya caayi tekyaakendeeza ku kweraliikirira kwe nnali ntandika okuwulira ng’anoonyaanoonya mu mmeeza ye ng’anoonya olukalala lw’abakyala abaali basobola okupangisa. Yali ateeseteese olukalala luno ebbaluwa yange bwe yatuuka wiiki ntono emabega, naye emirimu emingi egy’ofiisi y’obusumba ne gimwetooloola, n’okusaba kwange ne kumuvaako mu birowoozo. Oluvannyuma lw’edakiika ntono, ng’akutte olukalala mu mukono gwe, twayingira mu mmotoka ye ne tusimbula okugenda mu mayumba omunaana omwo mwe yalowooza nti nnandisobodde okusula. Bwe twali tuyita ku Singleton Park, yunivasite w’eri, amangu ago n’assa amabbulo n’akyuka mu kkubo akafunda akaliraanye paaka.

“Wano waliwo omukyala alina abaana abalongo aboobulenzi,” bwe yagamba. “Omu ku bo agenda mu Ttendekero lya Bayibuli, ne munne ajja kutandika yunivasite naawe. Erinnya lye teriri ku lukalala lwange, naye tusobola okutandikira okunoonya kwaffe nga tumubuuza, kubanga tuyita kumpi nnyo n’ennyumba ye.””

Ne ndowooza, “Nga kya busirusiru! Tewali maama anaakkiriza munnaggwanga kudda mu kifo ky’omu ku baana be abalongo!”

Nga nnaddiridde, nnatuula mu mmotoka omusumba ng’ayogera n’omukyala mu nnyumba. Bwe yakomawo teyalabika ng’alina ssuubi lingi. Nze nnawulira nga sirina ssuubi n’okusingawo.

“Yingira. Ayagala kukusisinkana,” bwe yagamba awatali ssanyu linene.

Nnayingira mu nnyumba ne mpuliriza ng’omukyala w’ennyumba ayogera okubuusabuusa kwe nti abaana be tebandikkirizza akkirize munnaggwanga okupangisa ekisenge kyabwe; wabula, yali agenda kubabuuza n’andaga. Mazima ddala, ekyo tekyali kya mugaso munene gye ndi kubanga nnali ntuuse ku lunaku olw’enkomerero olw’okumalirira ekifo kyange eky’okusula nga ndi ku yunivasite. Ng’addamu ekibuuzo ky’omusumba ku baana be gye baali, yagamba nti, “Russell ali ku yunivasite ne Don ali waggulu ku luguudo mu dduuka ery’omu kitundu.”

“Don?” ne ŋŋamba, ebirowoozo byange nga bidda emabega ku muzannyo gwa cricket ogwali gumaze ng’omwaka, “Ogambye Don? Ye yali kapiteeni w’ekibiina kya cricket ekya Swansea Grammar School omwaka oguwedde?”

“Yee!” bwe kwaddibwamu ng’omuntu gwe nnali mmanyi ayingira mu mulyango ogw’omu maaso. Ku lunaku olwo yali tayambadde ngoye nnjeru za cricket, naye ekyenyi kye kyalina akamwenyumwenyu akalungi ke kaakamu ke nnali njjukira.

“Maama, ono ye Gareth. Ye mulenzi gwe nnasisinkana e Cowbridge. Oyo gwe nnakubuulirako. Omukristaayo omuggya!”

Nnamugamba nti nnali nnoonya we nnandisuze mu kiseera kyange e Swansea University, era n’anywegera n’agamba n’obunyiikivu nti, “Maama, asobola okutwala ekisenge kyange!”

Okuyita ku kibegabega kya Don, nnalaba maama we ng’angololera emikono gye, ng’annyaniriza mu maka ago ag’ekitalo. Nnali nzuuze amaka amaggya n’ab’omu maka abaali bagenda okumbeera ab’oku lusegere nga bwe bandibadde ab’oluganda lwennyini.

Ne ntandika okwebuuza nti, “Katonda yali ku muzannyo ogwo ogwa cricket? Yali dda ateekateeka ekifo kino eky’okusula?”

Nkakasa nti yali waali! Nga bwe nnali nteekateeka okuyingira Birmingham University, Ye yali antegekera awaka e Swansea, era kaakano yali ankulembedde okuntuusa ku muntu omu yekka gwe nnali mmanyi mu kibuga ekyo kyonna — ekibuga eky’abantu abasukka mu 100,000!