Before meeting with my friend Leticia from Honduras, Central America, I would ask her if she was arriving according to North American time or Latin American time. Smiling, she would answer, "Latin American time, of course." This meant that she would be1. The concept(概念)of time is very different for Latin Americans and North Americans.
Life in the United States is fast-paced. Americans2"The Carly bird gets the worm" and" First come, first served". North Americans even have their meals in an efficient(有效率的)way, Microwaves help heat up their early breakfasts, noon lunches, and five o'clock dinners.
Time is money for big businesses. Everyone follows schedules(时創表), Minutes are taken at meetings that are planned. North Americans are proud of carrying out 3work and still finding time to spend with family and friends.
Latin Americans enjoy a slow life. In the cafes, the service is slow. Outside on street, people walk by, not to lose weight, but to somewhere. Buses arrive and leave on their own schedule, sometimes sooner or later than the scheduled time. And if you 4the bus, just wait. One will come along finally. Mid-morning breakfasts are homemade. Lunch is around three in the afternoon and dinner could be anytime. No-body really follows a schedule. You seldom hear the question, "What time is it?"
If you don't know the cultural5, you may feel angry sometimes. In my opinion, people in the United States need to live less by the clock and enjoy more of their days, Although Latin Americans can sometimes be very frustrating(令人沮丧的), they tell us it's good to be6and one should slow down enough to enjoy simple pleasure in life.
