The Social Setting 103your subconscious will still nag you to arrive on time,
and again you will arrive and wait. Sooner or later, the
psychological clock will get the message and begin ticking to a
different rhythm.
Six weeks later, I had learned my lesson. Proudly I showed
up a half hour late to the signing ceremony for a trade
agreement between Bolivia and France at the Radisson Hotel.
Some 45 minutes later, then Vice President Cárdenas arrived
and the ceremony began.
Words of Wisdom
“Careful before you jump to conclusions about Bolivia,” I am reminded
by a Bolivian friend, “your ex-president Clinton was late all the time,
and the Pope leaves throngs of people waiting in public squares for
hours until he arrives.”I once reminded my wife that she was late for her tea
invitation. Her answer: it’s a social faux-pas to arrive early
(meaning to arrive on time).
This Salvador Dali melting-clock solution is neither unique
nor original to Bolivia. Evidence suggests that Bolivia’s
indigenous cultures were quite precise in matters of time.
But in Bolivia today, this elasticity of time extends even to
television programmes, which sometimes begin later than
the hour they are scheduled. One particular news programme
sometimes began at 7:35 pm as scheduled, sometimes
at 7:41 pm or 7:43 pm. They must have been waiting for
a scoop.
Attending a Social Function
Now let’s assume that you’ve learned to mould time like a
piece of clay, and know when to reach your destination. What
do you do when you get there?
When you arrive at a social event, you don’t just say ‘Hi’
to everyone. If you already know the guests, you go around
the room, shaking hands with each man, and kissing each
woman on the left cheek while shaking her hand.
If these people are close friends or family, you shake hands,