Take your time
Recently, my husband and I were taking some new colleagues through a set of orientation materials, including some culture "Do's and Don'ts". Many of the items we could rate as True or False, some of them, as with many other parts of life, were distinct gray areas. Don't talk while in the bathroom: true Avoid religious conversations except with close friends: false (good luck trying to avoid that!) But one of the items always makes me laugh a bit: Don't expect events to start late or take a long time. FALSE One key to happiness is accurate expectations. And if residents of this island expect things to start on time and end quickly, well, that's a recipe for unhappiness! For example: we were invited for a ceremony celebrating the end of an English class in a nearby village. They said it would start after the evening prayer. So... if prayer is at 7:15... then we'll start at 7:30? Our little delegation didn't even bother coming until after 8pm, and...