The 2010s

I woke up feeling a bit nostalgic. Of those days. Something was pushing me to play Buhoro Buhoro, Kigoma, Next to You… songs from the days when my routine meant catching a Nyamirambo minibus at 7 a.m., the ones with graffiti of celebrities splashed across the sides. My favorite was the bus with T-Bag from Prison Break. That show was a hit back then, and those were exactly my kind of movies.

Every evening after school I’d rush home, change out of my uniform into a T-shirt and jogging pants, and head out to exchange a movie CD with my neighbor friends. Other times I’d visit the neighborhood DJ to load new songs onto my memory card or iPod. Those tiny iPods amazed me, how could something that small hold more than a thousand songs? I kept everything on there: R&B, hip hop, gospel… hip hop was my favorite genre at the time, especially Eminem. Speaking of that, I’d love to own an iPod again. There was a quiet beauty in listening to music from a device that didn’t offer a single distraction.

Life then felt simple. All I cared about was respecting my parents, revising my notes, keeping up with the newest songs, and watching the latest action movies. I had three close friends who shared my love for good young adult fiction. We didn’t always like the same movies, but we competed for the highest marks in class. I was obsessed with basketball, too. I played on the school team and used to wake up at night just to watch the NBA, a passion I somehow misplaced along the way.

And then there was economics. My other obsession. I could explain the hardest concepts in a way that made sense even to someone who had never heard the terms before. Like, I’d tell you that inflation is simply about what your money can no longer buy, it’s the erosion of value, not just higher numbers on price tags. And I’d tell you about how a country can have a high GDP yet still offer a poor quality of life, because GDP rises even when money is spent on accidents, pollution cleanup, or healthcare crises. I could go on and on, but let me stop there.

So this morning, all of that washed over me. That carefree feeling. Those small rituals and passions that shaped who I am today. I don’t know why, but whenever I’m down or feeling empty, my mind returns to that particular season of my life. I reread Harry Potter. I listen to Riderman’s Amateka, King James’ Ganyobwe, or Eminem’s Not Afraid. I even rewatch Prison Break II.

And honestly, I don’t think anything will ever match the creative pieces from the 2010s. I don’t think friendships will ever be like the ones we had back then, when you could visit a friend unannounced, and their mother would welcome you with joy and treat you like her own. I don’t think there will ever be sweeter street chapati than the ones cooked in 2007s ku musigiti. Yes, there are better things today, but to me, they just don’t compare.

Anyway… let me get back to work.