On punctuality

Anyone that’s spent much time with me, or even spent much time with my parents knows that one of my greatest faults is punctuality. When I was growing up, my parents were known to occasionally quip, “Where we will spend eternity…waiting for Kenny.” I wish I could say that I outgrew it. I didn’t. I inherited, from my father, a tendency to always try to do one more thing, read one more paragraph, have one more beer, before I head off to do what I need to do. Being late is super disrespectful to other people, and that was not how I was brought up, but somehow it happened. Luckily for me, my parents did a much better job with my younger brother, and when we were working and hanging out last summer, he inspired me to try to get better. So, starting my new job with the Peace Corps, I tried to simultaneously start a new habit, being on time. I even, for the first time since fifth grade, bought a watch and am wearing it!

Well, apparently the Peace Corps placement office wasn’t really keen on helping me achieve my new personal goal. They sent me to Costa Rica. One day, concurrently exasperated and amused, I sent a text to Barton R., a fellow TEFL volunteer. I think my text fairly succinctly explained the state of affairs in Costa Rica, with regards to punctuality that is. “I love how in Costa Rica I can be ten minutes late to class and still be 15 minutes early,” I texted. He said he showed it to his host mom and she was rolling with laughter. And that’s one of the really cool things about Costa Ricans, they are quite self-aware of their problems with keeping a schedule, and they seldom get defensive, they just kind of laugh it off. They often joke around about ‘la hora tica’ (Costa Rican Time) which I’d translate for meaning as ‘things start whenever we get around to them.’ And nobody seems to get very upset; nobody seems to really mind. Amongst themselves, Costa Ricans don’t have high (or any) expectations for punctuality, which helps avoid big disappointments or frustration. Note-things start late here-they don’t end late. At least in my corner of the country-shops close earlier than posted, classes dismiss early,

Which is all fine and dandy, except it’s making it really hard for me to achieve my goal, oh, and, here’s the big whammy, the relaxed schedule is even too much for me. Yes, even with years and years of showing up late-the unpunctuality here is too unpunctual for me, too late. I’m still an American, you know. Here’s the second exception, I’m getting paid to share American culture, as well as learn about and share Costa Rican culture with Americans. Hence a huge amount of tension-sharing a very punctual, schedule oriented culture and adapting to a culture where being late is as ingrained as rice, beans, and empanadas.

Water fountains, single file lines, driving in one lane at a time, planning/scheduling/giving advance notice, using turn signals, sitcoms, and Ke$ha are some of the things I love about America, and some of the most important things I would like to share with Costa Ricans (and much of the world). Yes, the perennial late guy, I mentioned planning and scheduling. I’m all about adventures and spur of the moment decisions, but in general, I really like our system of setting an appointment in advance, reminding someone about it, and then carrying through (at the arranged time). Multiple times here, I have texted students or teachers, asking if they’d decided not to come. No, they reply, they haven’t canceled, they’re on their way-just 15, 25, 35 minutes late. Every time I think I’ve set a new limit for how late someone can show up it gets shattered. Overachievers at being late, these Ticos.

So, as my previous text shows, the whole situation is mostly amusing. As I recently explained to my mom, I just always remember to bring my Kindle or iPod, that way waiting becomes productive learning/entertainment time for me. I’m very aware that the Costa Ricans are rubbing off on me, and I’m constantly showing up late. But, whenever I have the opportunity and am going to be meeting up with another volunteer in the area, I always make a point of saying I’ve got to go, got to be on time because I’m meeting up with an American. But man, this culture is such an enabler to showing up late that I’ve even started showing up late when I’m getting together with compatriots. There are millions of people with bigger problems, bigger disappointments, and probably a few Americans or Northern Europeans that would love the little punctuality vacation that living in Costa Rica provides. Costa Ricans tend to pride themselves on their pacific, relaxed attitude towards enjoying life. Which tends to be true, they just aren’t in any hurry getting to it. Or school, or work, or back from lunch, or paving highways, or finishing dams, or …