Wednesday, June 15, 2011

African Business Guide - African Time?

Working in Africa has given me a first hand look at doing business...on African time. What's African time? Basically, people in Uganda don't live by the clock like Americans do - scheduled events can happen half an hour, and hour after.

Here's some handy translations to help you get around!

Let's meet at 9:00 = Let's meet half an hour to an hour later

I'm ready to go = I'll be ready to go in fifteen minutes after I get distracted by something.

I'll do it today = I'll do it tomorrow.

This is the last question I'll ask = I have to ask about 50 more questions

The biggest lesson I've learned about working in Uganda is being flexible. You can't get bent out of shape because your schedule got messed up. And above all, have a sense of humor!
Posted by Mallory St. Claire at 8:55 AM
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1 comment:

  1. LauraJune 19, 2011 at 12:49 AM

    I so agree that flexibility is key! Just the other day I waited about two hours for a colleague to show up before heading to an hour long meetings.
    The long work day turned productive, with a little blog writing and strategy planning.

    Good times!!

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