The Meaning of Time...

Sometimes I wish I was more laid back and lax about time. Some people (not everyone and not all Arabs or Egyptians) value time in a different way. It's not like time as in minutes passing by, hurrying to get things done, rushing to meet deadlines or making sure to arrive 10 minutes early or not being more than 10 minutes late. Instead, it seems like it's more about the quality of time and maybe even the quantity. When doesn't seem to matter as much? It seems like what really matters is making time to spend together. It's nice to enjoy time with friends and not having to rush anywhere, just chilling and relaxin. In the U.S. (not all Americans), it seems like people fear what they consider to be "wasting time."

It seems like some of the trainees have adopted to the Egyptian view on time or maybe they were never apart of the American majority to begin with. I've had both my American and Egyptian moments. I hate people having to wait for me or having to wait for me to finish something. I feel bad about it like I'm wasting their time.

At work my boss is not like the Arab majority and he is very time oriented. I have deadlines to meet and I like having deadlines because I can I feel like I can use my time more efficiently. The NGO, I'm interning with has a mix of NGO and corporate culture as well as both Egyptian/Arab and American culture. My organization leans more towards being both corporate and American. Everyone works so hard here and most work 8.5 hour days and some don't even take a lunch break. I love the people I work with and my internship is absolutely amazing.

Thanks Chris, Tamer, Aly, and to anyone I may have forgotten for raising my magnificient traineeship and to Aiesec Egypt (If I mentioned everyone this post would never end. It would go on for eternity) for contributing to my wonderful experience here so far. I most definitely cannot forget to thank AMIDEAST, an amazing organization that has given me so much already and it's truely a great organization to be a part of.