Today was a busy day. There was a naming ceremony for a little baby in the community. Okay, so I promised myself I wouldn't use this as a complaining spot, but I know if I expressed my displeasure at this out loud vocally I would be a whiner. I understand that I'm in the Caribbean. I understand that people here are more easygoing, and I also consider myself easygoing. But, this baby naming thing was supposed to start at 10 a.m. I was playing the violin so I needed to be there a bit early to set up. I got mad at my parents for running late. I'm trying really hard not to get mad at them so much but it just seems to happen. But I only got mad at them in my head, not out loud, so that's an improvement right? So we find the place, arriving at about 10:05. There's one car outside. 15 minutes later my mom calls the mother of the baby being named. "sorry, can you let everyone there know we're running late?" ok so here's the deal. it's 10:22. you live 45 minutes from the place the thing is at, and you have the keys. you're still at home 22 minutes after the thing is supposed to start?????????? ARGH!!!! They arrived at 11:40. THe house had to be opened and aired, the chairs set up, the room prepared... readings had been chosen, but all the readers weren't there, a couple of performers who had committed to the event had also done the no-show. it started at about 11:58.
Does easygoing and laid back have to mean that everyone else's time is less valuable than yours? Am I being uptight because I don't want to sit doing nothing and waste 2 hours waiting for something to start??? is it a double standard if i say it's okay to be, say 15 minutes late, but not okay for half an hour, one hour, 2 hours?
This is one of the may reasons I can't live here. I can't deal wit hthe fact that although it started 2 hours late, everyone who was there at 10 was still there at the start, many people actually showed up between 11 and 12, not expecting it to have started yet, or maybe expecting to come in time for the ceremony to be over and lunch to be served.... i dunno. i can't handle it.