Igama lam ndingu-Agnes Molope. Ndineminyaka elishumi elinesixhenxe. Izinto endizithandayo zezi: ukufunda, izilwanyana, iintsuku ezinethayo, ukubukela uGenerations, kwakunye nesandweji eqhotsiweyo yetshizi.
Enye into, ndiyi-albino.
Eli bali alikho malunga nokuba yi-albino, kodwa ukuba yi-albino yinxalenye yalo. Libali lesikhumba sam, isikhumba endiphila kuso. Libali elingam. Libali elingendlela endikhangeleka ngayo, kwanendlela oko kuchaphazela ngayo ubomi bam.
Kodwa isikhumba sam ayindim lowo. Mna ndindim. Isikhumba sam … sisikhumba nje
kuphela.
Phambi kokuba ndiqale ngebali lam, ndicinga ukuba mandithi gqaba-gqaba
ndikufundise malunga ne-albinism.
Ii-albino ngabantu abanolusu olungenantsobi yabala. Oku kubangelwa kukuba ulusu lwabo alukwazi ukuvelisa imelanin, eyiyinto ekwenza ube ntsundu, mhlophe, mnyama, njalo-njalo. Ngoko ke, thina simhlophe ngokugqithisileyo kangangokuba kufuneka singahlangani nelanga. Awunakuze uthande ukubona i-albino etshiswe lilanga. Ndikholelwe xa ndisitsho. Ayikho ntle tu kwaphela.
Amehlo ethu abuthathaka kakhulu xa edibene nelanga. Ndizinxiba kakhulu iindondo ezindikhusela elangeni, ngamanye amaxesha ndide ndizinxibe naphakathi endlwini, ukuba amehlo am ayaqaqamba. Oku kundenza ndikhangeleke ngathi ndiyivempire esikolweni, kodwa loo nto andinakuyinceda.
Esikolweni ndinengqokelela yamagama amaninzi endibizwa ngawo: uSnowy, uSnowball, uBleach, uGlow-worm, uSpooky, uGhost kwakunye noWhitey. Phambi kokuba ndihambe isikolweni ndandizihlalela ekhaya kunye noMama wam, owayengazange andiphathe ngathi ndingumntu owahlukile kwabanye. Wayesithi ndilihlwantsi lekhephu eliwiswe nguThixo.
Ndive iinkolelo ezininzi zobutyhifili ngee-albino. Ezokuba sinamandla abanye abantu abangenawo, singambulala umntu ngokumjonga nje, siqalekisiwe, okanye ukwabelana ngesondo ne-albino kungazinyanga izifo. Ndikholelwe xa ndisithi – akukho nanye eyinyaniso kwezo zinto.
Njengoko benditshilo, eli bali asilobali le-albino. Eli bali lingam. Kukhulu ukusemntwini
kunembonakalo yakhe. Akwaba wonke ubani ehlabathini ebenokuyiqonda loo nto.
Mhlawumbi emva kokufunda ibali lam, kukho umntu omnye nababini abaza kukuqonda
oko. Oko kungayinto entle kakhulu.
Ndifunda kwisikolo saseRosemont High, esikwisitalato iHope esisemantla edolophu apho kuhlala abantu ababufuma noko. Ndicinga ukuba sisikolo esiMNGCA noko. Asikho esinye isikolo endinokusithelekisa naso kuba okokoko ndafunda kwesi kuphela. Imibhobho ehamba amanzi noko ibubola kwaye ngamanye amaxesha kufuneka ulinde umzuzwana xa uvula itepu ukuze amanzi acwenge, kodwa ke ngaphandle koko, ndicinga ukuba silungile.
Ayisosikolo ngokwaso endinengxaki naso. Ngabantu abahamba isikolo endinengxaki nabo. Kukho malunga nama-540 abafundi esikolweni sethu kwaye ndingatsho, phantse ndiqiniseke, ukuba malunga namashumi alithoba eepesenti kubo bageza kakhulu.