20 years ago today, I graduated from Makerere University. So after almost half my lifetime being away, I jogged the dial and literally walked down memory lane. I went to both my halls of residence – Northcote and University Hall. And of course, my beloved room, M4, where one moon-lit evening I first set eyes on the love of my life. She had come to attend a meeting. Apparently. 21 years on, we are still meeting! I chuckled when I remembered the chap whose room was next door to mine. I don’t remember his name but I remember for lack of a “Z” in his enunciation, he called me “Sik,” to the utter amusement of my roommate, Mulungi Sseruwo. Among others, mine was the honor of introducing Mulungi to the ABC Series. Africa, Box, Complex, that is. And I remembered meeting the men who over the last two decades have become closer than brothers to me: Ian Mugarura (“Rev,” for having a full catalogue of ancient Anglican hymns) and Patrick Mugenyi, who frequented my room to read Time and Newsweek magazines, and of course sip endless cups of coffee. Titus F. Bitebekezi, our “Guild President” despite having gone to “Taiwan,” Jack Barlow, whose high decibel (noise) levels (Heb, heb, heb…and strong;-) more than compensated for his then sycamore tree-demanding stature; the two perfect gentlemen – Vincent Mugisha and Vincent Langariti (I can’t presently say that of the latter;-) and the other brother (he’ll go unnamed) who gave us all so much grief for among other things “claiming” we were “Christians” while at the same time being the noisiest lot in the hall. A grinch and a killjoy, that one. In his smallness, he failed to reconcile the two and when his grand one-man committee got to sit, roundly decided we were all a batch of uncouth heathen in much need of prayer. And, on the other side of the “Great North Road,” the ones I had walked even much longer with – Matthew Kasujja, my best man, Michael Katende and Arthur Muteesasira – Northcote’s illustrious drum major. Not forgetting our “roving ambassador,” Joseph Muyeti. Oh, and the two fine ladies – Pendo Galukande, née Kisakye and Gloria Bitebekezi, née Kirabo, who together, regularly visited me on Saturday mornings, much to the envy of the brothers, to the extent that one of them did something about it. Precious memories, how they linger! They say hindsight is 20/20 vision and looking back now, it mostly adds up. The circumstances that led me to this hill were, to say the least, very depressing. Apart from observing the nuances of human behavior, there is very little I learned in Makerere’s lecture theaters. All the knowledge I gleaned, I could have self taught in six months. But I’ve since learned that many times when we are searching for answers, God leads us to very unlikely places and then sends along a friend. For me, one wasn’t enough. He sent me many life-long friends. And a wife. Beat that.