One of the things that really excited me about doing a term of MCC service was the exposure to different cultural norms. I thought that exposure to one of these might end up being especially beneficial to me. I was excited about a non-North American view of time.
In the last few years, I have been fortunate enough to be able to keep a lot of things on my plate at one time. The excitement of having to hurry to finish one task so I could get to my next one really kept me going. And things moved at about the right pace most of the time. However, there were significant drawbacks to always hurrying. When things did not go as planned, I became frustrated rather quickly. I also spent a significant amount of time being very tired. I was very excited to go to a place where schedules were not so important.
In Ukraine, it is oftentimes a bit more difficult to get from point "A" to point "B." The public transportation system does not pride itself in its timeliness. Things almost never start on time. In general, it seems that people are not as animate about being punctual. I can't tell you how many quizzical looks I have already received as I was almost running to get to my language lesson or some other appointment on time.
The weather also slows things down greatly. It has snowed around 2' in the last week, yet many roads and sidewalks have not seen a snowplow or even a shovel in that time period. People just walk and drive where they think they can make it through.
The intent of this entry is not only to complain (or inform), but it is also an attempt to predict. In the next 3 years, I might learn from the people here and adjust to their lifestyle. At this point in time I may be getting frustrated frequently, but I am working at taking things as they come.
-Dave
