IS IT MAÑANA YET?
Mexico is sometimes referred to as “the land of mañana.” Those of us who
tried to look
up the word in dictionaries before coming here, could not find it in the
Spanish to English
section. Believing that it meant “tomorrow,” we then looked in the English
to Spanish section.
There it was, “tomorrow.”
Reassured, we headed for south of the border. Never even wondered why we
didn’t find
the word when we first tried to look it up. It should have been a warning to
us. Like many
things in Mexico, it just isn’t that simple. It was only after we lived here
for a while that we
began to understand the word.
It certainly does mean tomorrow when saying goodbye but at other times, who
knows?
We found out the true meaning of the word when a plumber, electrician,
carpenter, auto
mechanic or other tradesman told us he will take care of our problem mañana.
He didn’t mean tomorrow at all, just, “not today.” By now, we know the word
also means,
“in the morning.” When the man we’re waiting for doesn’t show up we start to
wonder. Did he
mean mañana, tomorrow, or en la mañana, some morning of some mañana? We’re
learning
that Mexican society operates within its own time-frame. It leaves time for
socializing and
attending to personal affairs. It gives priority to living rather than
working. It also produces a
word, momentito. The accompanying hand signal given with the first finger
and thumb,
indicates a small delay. The actual wait can stretch almost to infinity.
Always carry a good
book. Maybe a biggie, like “Gone with the Wind.” A friend of mine swears he
read the whole
bible, during momentitos. He sure can quote scripture.
This elastic time system may make Mexicans sound like liars. T’aint
necessarily so. They
are just trying to eliminate angry confrontations. They tell us that all
will be well. We leave,
happy, enjoy the rest of the day. Would it be better to know in advance that
it might be days
before the craftsman shows up? They’re teaching us another Spanish word,
espero. It means
to hope and to wait. It’s made to order for those who live in Mexico. As we
wait, we hope, as
we hope, we wait. That tradesman is offering us hope. Besides, even though
he’s got four
other jobs scheduled before ours, who knows what tomorrow will bring. The
other jobs might
fall through or, he might wake up feeling that our problem is just the one
he feels like working
on today. It’s sort of like playing blackjack. Nobody knows what the next
card will be.
Attempting to understand the origins of what an unkind observer might call
a pattern of
deception, deliberate or otherwise, is difficult. One possible reason is
that Mexicans are a
very kind and polite people. They seek to please. Thus, the tradesman who
can’t supply a
service promptly, seeks to reassure rather than upset us by a fiat out “it’s
not possible until--”
Don’t worry. The job will get done.
Perhaps another reason for less than candid communications can be traced to
the history
of the country. Their ancestors were enslaved and robbed of their land.
Politicians who
promise everything and do nothing have betrayed them. At least two
presidents of the
country and three governors of Jalisco have vowed to solve the problems of
pollution here at
Lake Chapala. Don’t hold your breath. Mexicans have learned to bury their
anger and
impatience. They laugh, sing and smile, hiding their frustrations. They live
for today. Let
others worry about manana.
The secret of living here happily is to adopt the Mexican time-frame. When
you do, you
will find yourself free from deadlines, unafraid to postpone things or be
late for appointments.
Take the time to talk with friends, smell the flowers. Retire from the
stress that the clock and
calendar have imposed and continue to plague many of us. We are not going
to change the
habits of our Mexican hosts.
Therefore, relax, be patient. When that tradesman does finally show up,
extend a hand in
friendship and greet him with a smile. Now, you know. Mañana has finally
arrived. But if he
doesn’t finish the job and leaves, saying hasta mañana, remember, it’s only
a polite phrase.
Hasta Luego.
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