We are aware that plans and schedules mean different things in different cultures. And yet we realize again and again that it is one thing to be aware of cultural differences and it is another thing entirely to deal with the clashes that the differences create! A commonly used word here is "tranquilo" (calm), used as a reminder or even a command when someone seems overly concerned about a problem. We have received this reminder quite a few times as we've tried to figure out our teaching schedule, most recently regarding the after school classes that we thought would begin several weeks ago.
Certainly there are other factors impacting the scheduling of these classes. The office staff are relatively new to this work. There is a lack of classroom space in which to hold all of the classes which Project Galapagos would like to offer for children and adults. The project is a small operation, in terms of local staff and budget, but hosts and organizes 20-40 international volunteers at a time who spend 2 weeks to 6 months volunteering. That's an awful lot of organizing of host families and work projects!
When we were in Mexico Kent and I read a book about cultural differences, Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot and Cold Climate Cultures. This book utilizes generalizations about hot-climate and cold-climate cultures in order to give an introduction to basic differences. For example: cold-climate cultures tend to be task driven while warm-climate cultures tend to be relationship driven. We in the U.S. are concerned with getting something done and getting it done on time. For those in warm climate cultures the entire event is considered. In some places it is offensive to arrive on time for dinner; it seems you are only arriving for the task and not for the relationship. In other places it is offensive to arrive late for dinner; it seems you are not respecting the other person's schedule.
I've thought about this book often since we've been here. Many of the volunteers with the Project are 18-22 years old and this is their first cross-cultural experience. We were talking to a volunteer who recently arrived from Australia and was very frustrated that she wasn't able to start in her teaching assignment immediately. She had finished work in Australia just in time to make the trip here, and didn't like waiting for her volunteer assignment to begin. She wanted to be busy and efficient. This desire is neither good nor bad, but is certainly cultural, and sounds very familiar to me.
Also recently, Kent has been making plans for a trip to the island of Isabela during the time when his parents will be with us. (Yes, we're excited to have them visit!) So, he's been asking various folks for recommendations regarding modes of travel, accommodations and sight-seeing. Yesterday he was reporting to Pablo, of our host family, that he had bought the plane tickets for our return trip and wished to buy boat tickets soon for the trip to Isabela. Pablo inquired as to when we are making this trip, and when Kent told him that we are planning to go in November 21, Pablo simply smiled. We could easily guess what he was thinking, and he went on to explain, "if we were going to Isabela by boat, I would go the morning of the trip to buy the tickets to Santa Cruz (the island in between ours and Isabela) and then once we arrive in Santa Cruz I would buy the boat tickets to Isabela."
Kent and I would be glad for some of this "tranquilo" to rub off on us, as we are often overly attached to a certain plan or schedule. And actually, as we look back over the past 7 weeks we recognize that we are adjusting. During our first week in Guayaquil, we had a hard time with the constantly evolving schedule. When plans seem unorganized, through our cultural lens, Luisa can get quite upset and threatens to take over the whole show! But, even she is reacting less and going with the flow more. The more we take on this "tranquilo" the more we'll enjoy the moments and the relationships along the way.
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