A Lesson in Patience…
The first time I heard someone use the term “island time”, it was while I was applying to UVI. My home coordinator told me, “They operate on island time down there, so it may be a week or so before you get a reply to your email,” For a person who checks her email at least 2 times a day, I thought this was a little strange, but at the time I didn’t mind. I was in no hurry. I liked the idea of everyone moving at their own pace. Taking time to enjoy life. In theory it sounded lovely.
I’ve quickly realized that island time is only great when it best serves you. When you’re trying to get things done, it can be incredibly frustrating. To stock my dorm room with snacks I had to go to a few different stores. Every time I went I felt like the line took forever. Someone needed a price check, or they needed to grab something from the back, it was always something.
I wait for the safari to come pick us up from campus. I wait for someone to grab me a form for school. It’s not uncommon for teachers to start class late, or to not even show up. There are no clocks in the classrooms, so I’ve started wearing my watch so I know how close we are to being done. For islanders time simply passes by, and whatever happens, will happen whenever it’s supposed to.
For students from the states, this attitude toward time is unheard of. Universities have grown to be well oiled, degree granting machines. Productivity is a buzz word among students, and we love talking about how busy we are. We’ve learned how to thrive on caffeine and little sleep. At UVI there are no coffee shops on campus. They will occasionally serve coffee at breakfast. I refill their tiny mugs 2 or 3 times to equal the normal dosage of coffee I would have at home.
Ultimately, island time is a lesson in patience. Waiting is an everyday occurrence, and you can’t expect anything to go according to your time schedule. For me, it’s meant lots of deep breathes, and trusting that everything will work out. It’s one of the many cultural attitudes that I’m learning to adjust to.
Slowing down…
Slowing down has also taught me to appreciate the smaller moments we often miss out on when we hurry through our lives. One day I was waiting at the bus stop to walk down to the beach with a few friends. An older man sat down next to me, holding a bag from the University bookstore. “Good afternoon” I said. He smiled, “How are you today?” This was the beginning of a half hour conversation I had with him. I learned he was taking a music theory class at the UVI, he plays the saxophone. He’s lived on St. Thomas all his life. His family has an estate on the North side of the island right next to a beach.
As we talked, I watched him remove a new purple binder and lined paper from his bag. He carefully unwrapped the plastic around the paper, snapped open the binder rings, and put in the paper. The sweet sound of fresh school supplies. I loved the way he looked as he put his school supplies together, I loved the way he looked me in the eye as we spoke, I loved his raspy voice and thick island accent.
As we sat, there were natural pauses in our conversations. We would both watch the cars pass by as they struggled to get up the steep hill. It was then I realized, this is the island time I was looking for. Instead of realizing I was waiting, I lost myself in time. I didn’t care how long it had been. In the states I would have never been brave enough to have that conversation with someone sitting next to me. The openness of the people here has made all the difference. At home I would have been rushing off to get somewhere. I wouldn’t have had the chance to experience this scene, a moment in time that now stands out to me.
In Other News…
I’ve made it through my first week of classes! I was having some trouble with my schedule, due to a canceled class, but I ended up adding a Spanish class. I’m a little out of practice, but I miss speaking the language. Me encanto la lengua, y quiero hablar y escribir más en español. I most look forward to my intercultural communication class. Our professor has traveled all over the world studying differences in culture, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Our major project for the semester will be interviewing someone from a completely different culture.