Cultural Misunderstandings

Ah, where to begin? I’ve been putting off this post in the hope of gaining more clarity into why certain things work the way they do here. But, on the other hand, if I wait too long, I may get used to the status quo and be unable to capture the details as I see them now, two months into our stay in La Paz.

I guess the biggest frustrations I run into on an almost daily basis are 1) la hora Boliviana (Bolivian time); 2) Bolivians’ apparent disregard for scheduled things, whether they be a meeting, a working session, or information they owe you (which I often view as procrastination); and 3) their indirect communication style (or lack of communication, in fact). I don’t mean to come off as condescending or a snob, and I definitely don’t mean any offense. There are many things to love about Bolivians and I am by no means trying to be disrespectful. What I am about to elaborate on are simply things that I personally see as different and somewhat difficult, fully realizing that of course things are bound to be different here. I also realize that I might be making sweeping generalizations (I am sure there are many individuals out there that don’t fit this bill.) But since this blog is (more often than not) my way of noting cultural difference and nuances, I want to capture them while they are still fresh in my mind.

La hora Boliviana – I think I have talked about this before. But basically it boils down to this. You will agree on a certain time with someone (for a meeting, dinner, etc.) and most often than not, the other person (if Bolivian) will show up at least 30 minutes late. Not that big a deal when you get used to it and plan accordingly (after all, often Bulgarians and other Latin Americans function the same way). It becomes a problem, however, when you need to plan your day around a given meeting. With an hour or two delay, it is almost impossible to plan anything with certainty. The other day, our Internet was out. We were told someone would come by at 18:30, so we waited (instead of going out as planned). Well, by 19:30 no-one had showed up. So we left. But in our eyes, we had also just wasted an hour waiting.

Disregard for scheduled things – This is somewhat connected to la hora Boliviana, in the sense that people don’t seem to take appointments of any sort seriously. But there is something else. People here love to put things off for tomorrow, then next week, then next month. So, basically if you are told “tomorrow”… well, it may or may not happen the following week. I had a friend come to do research for two weeks in La Paz. He was supposed to interview several officials in different institutions (both governmental and non-). Several times he showed up at the agreed-upon time and the person simply wasn’t there or didn’t show up. There was no communication whatsoever letting my friend know of the cancellation or delay. At best, I find that disrespectful. But I guess people here don’t view it this way. This also extends to my work…. I am often waiting on people to give me information or look over something. There is only so much gentle prodding I can do (especially given the very hierarchical and political, as I have learned, arrangement at the office). Sigh. Sometimes, with a little bit of guilt, I do yearn for the efficiency of the U.S. private sector (and I never thought I would be saying this, since I left said private sector in 2006).

And we get to the communication style. Well, I already mentioned some things above. People here don’t appear to be great communicators. When they cannot make a meeting, they don’t call or email you to reschedule. They often just simply don’t show up. Or if they do, it is often only to tell you that it will have to wait till tomorrow. Another side of the story is that people (at least in my experience in the office) tend to have a very unclear and round-about way of telling you something. It definitely borders on the proverbial beating around the bush. And then you wonder why things take so long or why there are so many misunderstandings. I have emailed my direct supervisor several times to give her updates on my work. She hasn`t emailed me back once.

I have noticed though that people have a special way of communicating when they want to get their way. I call it the “Bolivian whine”. It is hard to describe in words, but basically to get you to do something, people, and women especially, employ a pleading technique. For example: “Señorita, por favor, señoritaa, pero porque te voy a engañar, señoritaaa” (Miss, please miss, why would I try to cheat you, miss) said one sales lady to me who was trying to convince me the Bolivar (one of the big Bolivian soccer teams) jersey she was showing me was an original. I find it amusing, how quickly the switch from serious, I mean business, to pleading, I am a victim, can happen. But it works! I have heard people employ it at work, when they need something urgently from someone. I should take note and adopt this. May save me some waiting time. I was told on Friday by an acquaintance here that once the other side says “Bueno, bueno” and nods, that means that you will get what you asked for. Good to know.

And finally, thought I would note down, things that people seem to find strange about me.

1)    I am the only one, it seems, to bring my own reusable shopping bag to the supermarket. The boys who pack the groceries at the register gave each other looks in the beginning (after all, am I crazy not to want to augment my collection of plastic bags? more is better, basic economics teaches us), but now they have gotten used to it and just smile.
2)    I don`t eat a huge lunch. Lunch is the most important meal of the day here. If you order a set lunch (almuerzo) outside, you will get an appetizer + soup + main dish + dessert. When I bring a sandwich to work, people often offer to give me some of their food, for fear I will starve.
3)    I can`t eat lunch immediately after eating a huge piece of cake. When it`s someone`s birthday at the office, we celebrate by having cake or salteñas around 11:30. On the days that we do, I usually eat lunch around 2 or sometimes even 3 pm. People don´t understand this and ask me every time why I am not eating lunch at 1, as we usually do. I give the same explanation, every time: I am not hungry yet because of the cake we just had. I guess it is not convincing.
4)    We don`t have any kind of hired help at home. The doorman to our building asked me once, why don`t you hire a maid, when I asked where the nearest laundry place was. We do our own shopping, cooking, cleaning, and laundry and we are foreigners … IMPOSSIBLE.
5)    Why I would ever come to Bolivia. People often ask me how long I have been here or how long I will stay. When I say that I will be here for a year, they often look puzzled and ask me why I decided to come here in the first place. It helps to say you will be here longer than a few months. People tend to take you more seriously. You are not merely passing through. But they still don`t fully understand why you would come here in the first place.