In many respects, South Korea is a very ordered society. The influence of Confucian principle runs through every aspect of day-to-day living. Well, in theory, at least. Central to this is Kibun, the concept of saving face. As a result, confrontation(冲突) is to be avoided at all costs and one way to avoid any unpleasantness is to be on time, all the time. And to be lax(松懈的) in this regard is to mark oneself out as a rude man.

In the case of Germany, being on-time is a risky enough tactic(策略) as your hosts will probably already be there waiting, wondering how on earth you could be so foolish as to allow the possibility of some unforeseen circumstance(无法预料的情况) to delay you by so much as a second.

It has been said that in Brazil there is a widespread tolerance(容忍) for delays. For example, it is considered impolite to arrive on time for a social occasion. That is probably due to the fact that it is unlikely that the hosts would even be ready to receive their guests! However, if you are a visitor to the country and have an important business meeting, it’s probably best not to do as they do because, not being Brazilian, you haven’t earned the right to be on anything other than “English time”.

Ghanaians are a very relaxed and helpful people who think that if everyone is late then no one is late. After all, what can’t be done today can get done tomorrow. If you find that kind of attitude difficult to deal with, prepare to be a little angry. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the ride.