Hi Iris,
I woke up today with the feeling of rain in the air. You know the kind? Not quite the Appalachian threat of rain, where the mist is falling with millions of itty-bitty droplets, but this Mediterranean kind, where the fog lingers low and heavy. It feels like being within a cloud, and the breeze off the ocean is slow, as if the weight of the water in the air slows the winds movement.
Even now, mid morning, the clouds over the water are low and stunning. I include a picture here, so you can see it. The fact that the sky and the waters reflect each other becomes apparent; today the sky is not the normal daily Mediterranean blue, but these shades of silver then reflecting in the waters below.
It makes me think of all the apartments with fire places, and how lovely that must be on a slow winter weekend morning. (I’m not even going to think of a fast workday morning)
AAAANNNNDDD
This brings us to why I am writing today. I have decided that not only are we in different time zones, but that this is wholly, a DRTzone (Different Relationship to Time zone)
I know we have discussed it but peoples’ relationships to time is really different here. Let’s be honest, everyone knows that delivery persons will usually be late, and that that has improved over the years, but the only thing going to regularly arrive on time is an Amazon package. Even that, is no longer as “on time” as it used to be.
So, the fact that the cable hook up may be late, or that the delivery of a package may be late – these all seem normal. The methods to schedule and track are not as available as the USA either, but again, it seems fairly easy to adjust. (Except of course when you are waiting, then it sucks.)
But, it’s much bigger than package delivery.
I’m going to give you a meandering tale, that may… hopefully.. explain what I am learning.
Normal Day:
I was communicating with a business, and they wanted to talk to me about potential future work. This isn’t the work we discussed months ago, but a whole different company and role. (Please excuse my being vague! I don’t want to jynx this, but I also feel I must share this! For the sake of being clear, I’ll call the entity “Bob” from here on.)
So, Entity Bob, calls & texts. Entity Bob wants to talk about a role. We agree on the afternoon after my language class. (side note: VM for the Portugal number isn’t working, I am going to have to go to the office to get that fixed.)
2:pm. (14:h). My language class is going for a coffee after class, at 2:pm. It’s the first time we do something social. I was initially going to just stay at the school for the call, but class went late and the call didn’t initiate. I figured if we are just going around the corner, I can step away when the call happens.
We get to the coffee house, I order a galão. (Another side note: a galáo is a Portugal coffee and milk. And I get it even though I know this means I will be up till late.)
Excited for the call, I sit the phone on the table, face up, as my class group sits, chats, and just watch the world walk past. Around 3:pm, I start to realize, the call is not happening. I put my phone in my pocket, and enjoy myself. Around 3:30, I walk home, stopping at the market on the way to get some sundries.
Once home, I did get a call from Entity Bob!
I had a lovely chat, and will be exploring this further in our next call. I have some research to do before that call, but that’s a different tale.
By now you wonder what this has to do with my lovely, lazy, silver sky morning.
As I was waking up this lazy morning, with the low clouds, and the feel of the damp in the air – I realized I think there aren’t just time zones, there are different time realities/relationships.
As I sit here, relaxing, staring at the ocean, and doing nothing but sipping my morning coffee, I just rolled these thoughts around in my head.
I know that in the US – if there is a work call, you better be ready, and it will likely start on the dot. If you are going to be late, even within 5 minutes, you arrive with excuses. Here, it’s an unruffled pace of “I’ll get to it…” or not. (Let’s just shelf the “or not” for a different day, shall we? 😊)
The fact that I didn’t get bent is pretty interesting. Even as I sat with my fellow language students, at one point, I simply said, I guess the call isn’t happening, and put the pone into my pocket. That is a huge step for an American… BUT I would argue, this was not yet a Portuguese way of understanding it. The call was going to happen, just not at any precise time.
I may optimistically hope I have become a dual time resident, or that I am in an open relationship with time. However, I suspect I have only gotten a bit out of the American time zone, & I still am shifting my relationship with time.
I was going to say something about being DRT curious, because I thought it would be flash, funny, cute… but I read it.. and realized it was seriously boomer adjacent! That’s a nope from here.
Any way
I am going to put on some togs, and go out for a morning run – I bet it will be beautiful to get out and view the coast withing the shifting silver skies.
