“We’ll pick you up from the hotel at 9:30-ish in the morning.”
“The ladies Bible study starts at 4-ish this afternoon.”
“Most of the stores close at 8-ish at night.”
As one might expect, time in Bacolod, Philippines exists in a slightly altered state compared to the United States. There are few hard-and-fast appointment times. There are much lower expectations about when events begin and end.
This, of course, can be frustrating. You may have a lot to do in a short time and find that the store you need an item from hasn’t quite opened yet. You may have prepared a large presentation and find that everyone arrives to the meeting thirty minutes late.
But “ish” seems so ingrained in the local culture that these frustrations seem very infrequent. What I’ve found in our brief visit here is that “ish” is more of a blessing than a curse. Running late? No worries. The next event won’t start without you. Stuck in traffic. No problem. The appointment can wait. People in Bacolod seem less rushed, less harried, and less stressed.
Perhaps we should all learn to add some “ish” to our schedules.
