Waiting

Time is viewed in more general terms here than most Westerners are used to, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that more than a few well-meaning development workers have burned out trying to get tasks accomplished according to a rigid timeline. Everything just takes longer than you expect and you spend a lot of your time simply waiting—many times you don’t even know what you’re waiting for.

Personally, I try not to get too worked up about “wasted time” and try to keep myself entertained while I wait Good thing the cell phone I just bought has games on it!

I also came up with a helpful sort of acrostic poem that I could repeat over and over to myself as I wait.

While
Activities
Involve
Tedium
I
Never
Grumble.

I may have to say it through gritted teeth every once in a while, but I shall boldly attempt to stay positive in the face of frequent and interminable waits!