Time is
such a strange thing. It’s an abstract
noun. It’s something we pretend to
understand. We build clocks. We wear watches. We write on calendars. We say, “at three o’clock…at nine o’clock.” The European mentality of times is
linear. Hence the phrases: wasting time, time is money, or time is not
on our side. According to previous civilizations in Peru,
time is not linear, but rather circular.
What doesn’t get done today can be done tomorrow. This helps explain some of the cultural
differences throughout the world, right?
We’re
all living on the same planet, and scientists are always trying to prove the
impossible: the origins of man and our planet.
Why don’t they try to prove a different impossible: the origins of “time”
and what happens to it?
I’ve
lived with the Germans and their Pünktlichkeit. I’ve seen the Koreans and their
busyness. I’ve waited and waited and
waited on African time and I learned patience time and time again. Now that I’m down here in Peru and time is
flying, I just accept it not knowing from where it comes or to where it goes,
nor the speeds at which it travels. Some
days go by quickly and others go by slowly.
That I’ve already been here 3 months is a bit surprising to me, yet at
other times, I feel like I’ve been here much longer. Throughout these past few months, I’ve
experienced many things, including brief moments that will last much longer
outside of the realm of time in my memories and my manner of thought for the ways
that they have impacted me:
One
sunny day, I scrambled down a rocky dock in my jeans, a t-shirt, and my tennis
shoes across the wet sand to scoop up a murmui (a little sea critter) whose
hiding spot had been betrayed by the bubbles in the sand as the water
retreated. Having been enjoying the
beauty of the crashing waves, I lost focus of the water as I tried to capture
the little guy and got drenched by a new wave, getting to spend the rest of the
day in wet socks and shoes. I had a
lovely time at the beach and also got a good reminder that it’s difficult to
focus on more than one things at a time.
Prioritizing is essential.
I got
news a few weeks ago that a very happy playful little girl who was often in our
house in Kenya dided a few weeks ago.
Saddened to receive that news, it got me thinking about how we need to enjoy
the time we have (that is, if time is indeed linear) as we never know in what
situations we will find ourselves.
While
in Ciudad Eten, as I wanted to cross a street, a Combi rumbled by and I heard
the voice of a child call out, “Chiclayo! Chiclayo! S./2.40!”
I looked at the vehicle and say a boy who appeared to be about 7 years
old, standing inside with the door open trying to collect passengers to earn
something for the day. Disturbed, I
asked some people nearby why the boy wasn’t in school. They shrugged apathetically and said it’s
normal. There are too many children like
him who need to help feed their families.
My heart broke for all the children being robbed of their lives by such
injustices. They’re not only missing out
on their childhoods, but their futures are also slipping through their fingers.
I
bought two mandarins from a fruit peddler on my way home from work one
day. A few minutes later, two
malnourished little girls with a reddish tint to what should have been
dark-chocolate colored hair appeared out of nowhere. They grabbed at the plastic sack, pleading
for the fruit. Before I had a chance to
open it and hand them each a mandarin, they’d ripped it and bit into the fruit
peel and all, disappearing just as rapidly as they’d appeared.
Just
the other night, I went out with a Canadian friend who is working at an NGO
that I did translations for. We went out
for ice cream and had a great conversation in English where we could speak
normally without the other person being confused. :) We
bid one another good-bye with a hug. I
was reminded of the comforts of a warm North-American hug after months of
Peruvian kisses for greetings and farewells.
We all
have seemingly insignificant moments like these, but moments that are important
to our personal experiences.
