Brazilian Time

In Brazil it is diffucult to know when a pre-arranged meeting time is meant as a guidleline or a strict rule. For us American here, who are used to arrived on the point or just before, 20-30 minute waits can be pretty frustrating. "Why not just say the time you are really going to come?" is a common gripe among us punctual types.

After waiting for 20 or so minutes you may be tempted to make a complimentary call to see what is up, just to be sure they are on their way and didn't get held up. You know, so you can grap a bite to eat or find a comfortable place to sit. But when you call you will inevitably here that all is well and to expect them shortly, say in 5 minutes. Surely they can make a fairly accurate estimate if they are only about 5 minutes away. Do not be fooled. Find that comfy chair and the purchase the Habib's "x-burguer" (say: sheeshburger). You have at least 20 minutes to go!