Almasi Ni Bonge la Makaa Ambalo Halikukataa Tamaa

Diana Nyad found swimming at age 10

[Scroll down for the English]

KISWAHILI

"Haikupita muda mrefu sana baada ya Aris [baba wa kambo wa Diana] kunionyesha jina langu katika kamusi [kwamba Nyad, katika hekaya za Kigiriki na matumizi ya mazungumzo, inamaanisha muogeleaji bingwa wa kike] kwamba mwalimu wangu wa jiografia wa shule ya msingi, muogeleaji wa zamani wa Olimpiki, aliahidi kwamba mtoto yeyote atakayejitokeza kwa timu ya kuogelea atapata ‘A’ katika jiografia.

"Nilikuwa kando ya bwawa la kuogelea siku iliyofuata. Alituambia sote tuogelee chini na kurudi kwa dakika chache, ili apate wazo la kile anacho. Baada ya mizunguko kadhaa, nilisimama na kumkuta amesimama juu ya njia yangu. "Eti, mtoto, jina lako ni nani tena?"

“NYAD!” Nilitangaza.

"Nyad, utakuwa muogeleaji bora zaidi duniani."

"Kweli, kocha huyu alifanana sana na Aris, kwa suala la utiaji chumvi na hasira. Baada ya Aris, labda kocha alikuwa mhusika wa pili mwenye uvutano [au kikarisma] ambaye ungewahi kukutanaye. Siyo kwamba alitambua kipaji kubwa fulani ndani yangu. Lakini alihisi mtoto ambaye alikuwa na kiu ya kujitolea. Kuanzia siku hizo za utotoni—siku ile ya kwanza kwenye bwawa nikiwa na umri wa miaka kumi, hadi shule ya sekondari—nilikuwa na bango nyuma ya mlango wangu lililosomeka 'Almasi ni bonge la makaa ambalo halikukataa tamaa.' Ustahimilivu ulikuwa jambo ambalo nilithamini zaidi sikuzote.”

- Diana Nyad, mwandishi wa Find a Way, ambapo anasimulia safari ya maisha yake iliyopelekea kuvunja rekodi yake ya kuogelea kwa umbali mrefu 2013 kutoka Cuba hadi Florida. Tazama TED Talk yake anaposhiriki hadithi kuu ya kuogelea kwa kina kwa maili 110, saa 53 kutoka Cuba hadi Florida hapa.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

“It wasn’t too long after Aris [Diana’s step-father] showed me my name in the dictionary [that Nyad, in Greek mythology and colloquial usage, means woman champion swimmer] that my elementary school geography teacher, a former Olympic swimmer, promised that any kid who came out for the swim team would get an A in geography.

“I was poolside the next day. He told us all to swim up and down for a few minutes, so he could get an idea of just what he had to work with. After several laps, I stopped and found him standing above my lane. “Hey, kid, what’s your name again?”

“NYAD!” I proclaimed.

“Nyad, you’re going to be the best swimmer in the world.”

“Well, this coach turned out to be very similar to Aris, in terms of hyperbole and fire. After Aris, he was likely the second most charismatic character you’d ever meet. It’s not that he recognized some premier talent in me. But he did sense a kid who was thirsty for commitment. From those early childhood days—that first day in the pool at age ten, all the way through high school—I had a blowup poster on the back of my door that read ‘A diamond is a lump of coal that stuck with it.’ Perseverance was always what I valued most.”

- Diana Nyad, author of Find a Way, where she recounts her life’s journey which led to her 2013 record-breaking, long-distance swim from Cuba to Florida. See her TED Talk sharing the epic 110-mile, 53-hour swim from Cuba to Florida here.

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Kuhusu (About):

KISWAHILI

Diana Nyad ni mwandishi wa Marekani, mwandishi wa habari, mwogeleaji wa umbali mrefu, na mzungumzaji wa motisha.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Diana Nyad is an American author, journalist, long-distance swimmer, and motivational speaker.

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KISWAHILI: Asante na tutaonana tena,

Mmerikani

ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Thank you and may we see each other again,

Mmerikani

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Chanzo (source): Nyad, Diana. Find a Way. New York: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2015, pages 43. Kindle Edition.