A Lesson in Culture

Last night was my first Ecuadorian Church of Christ planning meeting.  I knew going in that these kinds of things function on "Ecuadorian Time," but I didn't know just how that worked until I experienced it.  We arrived at the church building for the 7 pm start time.  Travis told me that we were "on-time" because Bolo, on of the Ecuadorian leaders, has worked with North American missionaries for years and has adjusted to our time orientation.  However, the other 6 men have no made such an adjustment.  We stood outside for half an hour and talked as the others arrived "on-time" in their own way.  Finally we went inside and continued to talk.  The last of the leadership team arrived at 7:45 and the meeting began 7:50, right on schedule!  Had I not done some reading on time orientation in different cultures and not talked about it wiht Travis beforehand, I think I might have been a wee bit frustrated at how "inconsiderate" these guys were to each others' schedules.  I now know, by experience (and reading), that schedules are not the main priority, people are.  And if people are late, the others understand and spend the time bonding while they wait.

The meeting was great once it started; however I noticed another difference between my culture and theirs: there was no written agenda handed out.  Evidently, in an oral culture agendas are spoken about when the meeting is scheduled and there is no need to follow something on paper.  One elder chaired the meeting and the others entered the discussion as they saw fit.  There was a relaxed flow about the meeting--perhaps because they didn't feel the time pressure that we do in North America.  One thing Travis noted was that the agenda changed on the fly.  The previously discussed purpose of the meeting was to set the preaching, teaching, and youth schedule for 2012.  By the end of the meeting, schedules were set until the end of February and it was agreed that they would meet again on Monday night to pick up where they left off!  From this Western's perspective, it all seems so inefficient.  This is because of a difference task versus people orientation.  My focus would definitely have been on accomplishing the goal of setting the schedule.  Their focus was on making sure that everyone had input in the decision-making and was comfortable and on board with the plan.  I am learning to think, "It's not wrong.  It's just different and that's okay."

It is amazing to ponder how cultural diversity reflects the creativity and immensity of God's love!