I used to have a bad habit of being late. Luckily Stuart is (possibly) the world’s most patient person. When we started dating, he once waited for me for over an hour in a restaurant where we were supposed to meet. The waiter already gave him a sympathetic ‘I don’t think she is coming, mate’… But already then, Stuart knew me well. I did come.

In recent years, I have found myself to become more and more punctual (although Stuart might disagree). What makes this weird is that South Africa as a culture is highly un-punctual (depending, naturally, on the subculture) – I remember once arriving to a house party 45 min later than the invite indicated, just to surprise the host who had just gotten out of shower. Whereas in Finland, if you arrive 5 minutes late for a dinner, you are late. And should apologise.

I guess I just always have to be different.