Getting Used to Mexico
Warning: This post may be politically incorrect. 
I seem to be a fast learner and am learning some Mexican habits pretty fast. At the beginning, I always arrived on time or even a little early, fearing to miss something important. I then usually waited at least half an hour for the next early-comer to arrive and even more until anything actually got going. For example, I have class at 7:00am two days a week. For the first class, I got there at 6:50am — fearing not to find the room and therefore taking some more time to get there. However, our teacher never comes before 7:20am. Nowadays, its a wonder if I leave the house before seven — usually getting me to class right on time. It’s even worse with “unofficial” meetings like “we’ll leave for our hike at 7:00am.” Since we never leave before 7:30am anyhow, well — you get the picture. By now, I am probably worse than most Mexicans.
Now, you know, I do not want to say that Mexicans are lazy (and they are not, ehem, necessarily). However, things do move a lot slower over here than they do in Germany — probably the most ridiculously efficient country in the world. What’s more, I hardly have anything to do over here. This combination is dangerous and makes me very lazy. I can already see myself coming back from five months in Mexico and kind of struggling in my consulting internship. Because, compared to a consulting company in Germany, Mexico is definitely sloooow.
October 8, 2005 at 04:05
It sounds like you are attending a public university. There is a lot of bureaucracy involved in public universities and professors don’t get paid well, so sometimes they don’t even show up to classes because they won’t get fired anyway. It is quite common to see things moving slow in any government related organization in Mexico. I do agree that for social events it is even rude sometimes to show up early or on time. But in general for a job meeting or a class things might start just a little late but not by half an hour though. However if you are organizing a party it is normal for people to show up 1 hour late.
October 8, 2005 at 18:08
Well, that is the funny thing: I am actually going to a private university, Tec de Monterrey. On the other hand, I do have to admit that in most classes the teachers are very punctual. This is only one professor who also seems to be an external lecturer (he’s holding a job with a consulting firm as well). Basically, he just has a very hard time getting up in time for a 7am class — like all us students as well.
What I really mean is private life and there, as you noted, it is indeed quite usual to arrive late. You get used to it though and start showing up “on time” yourself. The only complicated thing is meeting other internationals. Then, you have to ask “Mexican time or Western time?”
And regarding Mexican slowness: you know, I just don’t have anything much to do. Probably that is a big part of it.