32

I turned 32!!! (I remember using this exact line on my 2021 post when I turned 28, haha!) And to celebrate, I took myself to Diani, which has been on my bucket list since 2018.

Blisffuly floating in the Indian Ocean - Diani, Kenya

Thankfully, because I live in Kenya now, it was much easier to plan the trip, and all I took was a 5-hour luxurious local train instead of booking a whole international flight.

I also did things unconventionally (for me)! I threw a party AND took a trip. I usually just do one or the other since 2020. I just had to throw a party because I wanted gifts 🤣🤣 and what better way to receive multiple gifts at once than to invite folks to a party? Haha!! Apart from that, I just had to celebrate the awesomeness that is my friend group. In fact, it’s not even a friend group per se, it’s just me going around collecting an individual here, a twosome there and then forcing them to interact 🤣. I’m glad to say that some amazing friendships have blossomed from these forced interactions. I may also try to belong to a group, I admire that my about my darling friend, the Nairobian Latina, she is an avid runner and has formed a lot of connections from her run club, We Run Nairobi. Although I have signed up for two races this year, 2025, I’m not a runner, so maybe my group could come from language classes, or if it were possible, a community of people who enjoy sleeping until 12 noon on weekends.

Scenes from my 32nd birthday pool party

This year, I keenly observed how people take pity upon someone who wants to celebrate a big milestone on their own. As an extroverted introvert or ambivert or bubbly introvert, I’m now okay with the fact that while I genuinely love human interaction, that’s not how my “battery” gets charged, I find rest and rejuvenation in solitude and quiet. With no music or podcasts either. Infact, my sister Ndasye and I call it “30 minutes of do-nothing” and it’s a very important part of our lives.

Year 32 also marks TEN years since I read The Secret, and while I have since sworn off self-help/ gratitude/ wake up at 5am if you want to be a millionaire type of books, I will ALWAYS credit that book for giving me hope in what was one of the worst years of my life. I turned my thinking and mindset around, and I’m living 22-year-old Tuba’s dream life. Deep down, I knew I couldn’t (just) affirm my way to a better life, but I could put in the work, practice gratitude for the wins and give myself a pep talk by way of affirmations. I still practice many of the “rituals” I learnt in that time, like keeping a gratitude jar, journaling and focusing on my goals.

Speaking of goals and groups and the like, this year, my boss cum friend shared something called a life compass. I have found it’s a handy tool for checking in with myself, and I hope to use it all throughout the year, not just as a New Year’s resolution.

I have some pretty generic goals this year that still align with my interests, like reading, traveling, and trying out new things (like signing up for a 5k and a 10k), so I’ll probably write about those in year 33!

As usual, I’m starting the year out with 200 per cent optimism for my new year. Give me all your best things, 2025!

(This blog was written in February and posted in May)