Some of the perks of being married across borders are interacting with rich history and gaining beautiful families. I was recently in Kenya, my lovely new home, and I went through rich experiences as usual. As a girl who grew up without grandparents, it is fascinating that I now have two Gukas. For the non-Kikuyu speakers in the back, Guka means grandfather. One is 95, firm as a stone, and wears a full suit in his village daily. He was present and even participated in the Mau-Mau uprising in the 1950s, which led Kenya to her independence. When I was introduced to him as the soon-to-be granddaughter who hailed from another village, he looked up from his newspaper and remarked, We are all Africans. There's no difference between Rwanda and Kenya if we work together. I still marvel at this statement. I'm convinced there is no better group of people to speak about the significance of the African Common Free-Trade Agreement because they have seen what Africans can achieve if they come together. He then blessed us at the end of the visit with a powerful prayer. A day that I'll never forget. The other guka is a lovely 85-year-old who is chatty and funny, especially while speaking Kikuyu. His most fascinating record is that he once beat up a fully grown Maasai man and broke his jaw. Why? His son (the Maasai) harassed my now mum in love, and his father could not handle it as an adult. So my grandfather got out his only tool, the fist, leading to the broken jaw. Why is this a big deal? For Maasai boys to transition into men, they are left in the wilderness for several days, and they only become men if they fight and kill a lion. Now, to break their jaw in a small fight, one must have extreme strength. That is why this story is Bible material. Can you imagine how humiliating for a man once so powerful to now be bedridden due to illness? Someone whose body knew no disease now survives at the mercy of medics and caretakers because he is too old and frail to care for himself. While I visited recently, I battled my own illness, but when I saw how vulnerable and needy this once-a-giant had become, I realised that bodies could betray human beings any time they wanted to. It is ferocious when life forces us to watch some of the strongest people we know come tumbling down due to illnesses. Where am I going with this? We only have one body. We must learn to take care of and listen to the bodies frequently. Listen to it when your body begs you to rest or attend to discomfort. I have learned this the hard way. And I am sure this is not an isolated case because our society is filled with young, ambitious minds trying to build careers for themselves, and they often ignore the needs of their bodies. May we be reminded that to build that career we dream of, we must always keep our health in check. Many of you need this reminder: take time off and rest before your body forces you to. I wish you a long, healthy and WEALTHY life ahead! The writer is Rwanda's first female saxophonist.
