A Different View of Time

Anyone who knows me knows that planning is in my blood. I just can't help it. I think its genetic. Being in China, however, has given me a very different view of time. When I first arrived in September, I kept trying to plan ahead for meetings and schedule things in advance, but I was continually faced with the response, "I don't know what my schedule will be that far in advance." Eventually, I got it, the Chinese (at least in Beijing), schedule "as they go." For example, I once asked a colleague of mine if she could contact someone at a local company and schedule a meeting. She agreed, but only if I was prepared to meet with that person this week. If not, it made no sense to make contact yet, e.g. until I was actually ready to meet. I was told that as long as people didn't schedule meetings in advance, their schedules were open for meetings that needed to happen. As long as schedules are open, why plan ahead? I had a similar experience with a class field trip that I'd set up 3 months ahead. Three days before the field trip, our host contacted me and asked if we could postpone it for a week. Fortunately, by this time, I (and the students) had learned to "go with the flow" and we just juggled things around and all worked out fine.

The cost of airline tickets supports this view of time. Instead of costing less to book your flights early, it costs more! I tried once to book a flight a month in advance and was told that I'd pay full fare, but if I waited a few weeks, I could get a discounted rate. In fact, they won't even confirm tickets on domestic flights until two months ahead.

Although it challenges my natural tendencies to plan ahead, I'm kind of enjoying this new way of operating. My calendar is open so that I have more flexibility and its less stressful. If, after I get home, you request a meeting or are planning a social engagement and I say "I just don't know what I'll be doing then," you'll know where it came from! Let's see how long I can last before the planning gene reasserts itself.