I learned how to read time, especially on a wall clock, at a pretty early age. I spent most of my childhood with my grandfathers in the village, and he had this not so big but a fancy classic clock on the wall. I found it fascinating. Around the age of six, I would spend hours just staring at it, though I didn’t know how to use it. I enjoyed listening to it, tic toc…..tic toc…..
My grandfather noticed my interest in the clock and so one day, as I stood watching it, he stood before me pointing at it and said: “This is twelve, this is three, this is six, and this is nine. Once you know that, the next thing is to understand the hands: the short one tells you the hour, the long one tells you the minutes, and the longest one keeps moving it tells you the seconds.” At 6 years, I didn’t fully understand it, but I was really happy about it. I spent the next few days telling out loud the time. And every time I got it wrong my grandfather could correct me and say no it’s half past seven not seven half. Hahaha 😂 I was learning. And within a few months I was able to use terms like, “quarter to”, “half past” “few minutes to”, and I didn’t look back anymore.
My interest was practical as well. We had schedules to follow— 7:00a.m to go to the farm, 5:00p.m to the posho mill. Sometimes we would take maize to the millers to make flour for the night’s maize meal. On some days I would wake up in the morning, check the clock, and figure out how much time we had before getting the goats needed to be out to the field. The clock was always important.
My grandfather was extremely disciplined. He loved being punctual and had specific times for everything: eating, stepping out to church, sitting down for night prayers, and going to bed. Watching his routines fascinated me. I’ve always been curious about people and their habits, and my grandfather provided a perfect example.
On my mother’s side, my other grandfather had a different but equally strict routine. He worked at the Mombasa port after the colonial period, and his life had a very military character. He would iron his clothes sharply, polish his shoes meticulously, and follow a strict schedule for every part of his day. People born before the 1960s often lived like this—disciplined, organized, and routine-driven.
Both grandfathers taught me the importance of time. I saw the same precision repeated daily: meals at fixed hours, waking and sleeping at exact times, and strict adherence to routines. Through them, I learned to read a clock and understand time in a way that many adults today still struggle with.
Even now, seeing a wall clock reminds me of my childhood of curiosity, discipline, and the simple lessons my grandfathers taught me. What memories do you have of your grandfather ? How did you learn to read the wall clock especially the 12 hour clock ?
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