I had some things planned. I was going to go to class and then right afterwards go with Sophia to finish up the jewelry shoot. 15 minutes before I went to class, my teacher called and told me that we were going to go to lunch instead with a bunch of other students and teachers. I absentmindedly said OK, but on the way I realized that it may go past the time I was due to meet Sophia and the rest of the people. I explained to the host that I needed to be back at the school by 3 O’clock. His response was that I should put whatever it was off till tomorrow because the lunch will go on much further than that. I was not pleased, and he was not pleased to find out that I was considering turning him down just because I had already made other plans with some other people. I wasn’t feeling great, so I was ready to start arguing. Do not get upset because I decline an invitation that is given to me 15 minutes in advance. Just because you have nothing to do with your time does not mean that I have nothing to do with my time. Do not expect me to stiff my friends so that I can go to lunch at a person’s house that I don’t even know… Luckily, my teacher saw that I was in no mood to take Yemeni guilt and offered to drive me back in time. I went, but I was still pissed that this guy thought so little of my time and so much of his. Unfortunately, I see this as a symptom of a larger, cultural problem of respecting other people’s time and lives. The blowing of horns in the middle of the night, the wedding parties (complete with firecrackers) starting at 11pm, the litter and trash everywhere, it all points back to them simply not thinking of how their actions affect other people. It can be really frustrating to an American.
Categories