Americans have a culture of timeliness; when we agree on a time to meet, we either meet a few minutes before hand or precisely at that time. All aspects of our lives depend on it - work (of course), meetings, classes, reunions, gatherings, deadlines, etc. In the Dominican Republic, however, one has to be very patient and be open to a stark contrast in culture.
Ask any Dominican and they'll agree, especially those that live in the campos (countryside): when you plan something for a certain time, don't expect it to happen until maybe an hour later (sometimes more). A mix of a relaxed concept of time, hot weather, and very poor cellular signal to communicate I think influence this phenomenon.
This concept of time doesn't just show itself when making plans with friends and family in the campo, but also during travel and work in the hospital and clinics. Several times I had plans to leave my home at 7 AM so that, by the time I would get to the bottom of la loma (the hill) on motorcycle and catch a guagua (bus) to Cabrera, I would arrive at the hospital by 8 AM. However, 7 AM turned into 7:15 AM (and the first time I had made plans turned into leaving an hour later), so I began walking down the hill to where my friend lives to see if he was still able to bring me (since calling doesn't work because of the very poor signal). By 7:45 AM, we left to the bottom of the hill, and a guagua shortly arrived to bring me to Cabrera. It ended up working out well, since the hospital director himself didn't end up coming in until about 8:30 AM.
Although plans are more difficult to arrange and execute here, everything ends up working out. Go with the flow, and things will fall into place accordingly.
Ask any Dominican and they'll agree, especially those that live in the campos (countryside): when you plan something for a certain time, don't expect it to happen until maybe an hour later (sometimes more). A mix of a relaxed concept of time, hot weather, and very poor cellular signal to communicate I think influence this phenomenon.
This concept of time doesn't just show itself when making plans with friends and family in the campo, but also during travel and work in the hospital and clinics. Several times I had plans to leave my home at 7 AM so that, by the time I would get to the bottom of la loma (the hill) on motorcycle and catch a guagua (bus) to Cabrera, I would arrive at the hospital by 8 AM. However, 7 AM turned into 7:15 AM (and the first time I had made plans turned into leaving an hour later), so I began walking down the hill to where my friend lives to see if he was still able to bring me (since calling doesn't work because of the very poor signal). By 7:45 AM, we left to the bottom of the hill, and a guagua shortly arrived to bring me to Cabrera. It ended up working out well, since the hospital director himself didn't end up coming in until about 8:30 AM.
Although plans are more difficult to arrange and execute here, everything ends up working out. Go with the flow, and things will fall into place accordingly.