Abroad Taught Me the Value of Time—A Lesson I Wish I Learned Sooner

Tom Faleri Muthoni in Sweden as a student

This photo was taken back in 2016 in Stockholm, Sweden. I was an exchange student at the prestigious Karolinska Institutet. It was my first time abroad, and let me tell you—everything I experienced felt new and unfamiliar.

The food tasted different, the people were different, and the lifestyle was unlike anything I was used to. But through it all, I learned valuable lessons that continue to shape my life to this day.
One of the most important lessons I learned was about time.

I came to realize that in Kenya, we often take timekeeping too lightly. How do you agree to meet someone for lunch at 1 p.m. and then show up at 4 p.m., smiling as if nothing happened? Time should be respected. As for me, if you’re late, I’ll respectfully leave. Period.

It was a Monday morning in Stockholm—not the first day of school, but still early in the semester. I hadn’t yet figured out how the public transport system worked.

I rushed through breakfast—tea, hard-boiled eggs, and some bread (which actually tasted quite good). I threw on a heavy jacket that had been donated to me, as I still hadn’t acclimated to the cold like the locals had.

I called my friend, who was also heading to class, and we briskly walked to the bus stop. We took the bus to the Södra train station, where we planned to catch the next train.

What we didn’t realize was that we had already missed the train that would’ve gotten us to school on time. As a result, we arrived a few minutes late.

When we entered the classroom, the lecture had already started. The lecturer, who had previously visited and worked in Kenya, joked loudly, “Look at those two Africans—everyone in Kenya is always late,” and smiled. Of course, she meant it in jest, having lived in Kenya herself.

But as we walked in, all eyes on us while we tried to find seats, I felt embarrassed—not because of the joke itself, but because I hadn’t respected their time, something they clearly valued deeply.

After that class, I made a decision that I still follow to this day: I will respect time, no matter where I am.

Time could very well be your ticket to sealing that important deal, or opening doors you didn’t know existed.

Article courtesy of Tom Faleri Muthoni