Always Late; Living on Jamaica Time

If you go to Jamaica you’ll hear an expression;   “Soon come…”   It is a bit puzzling for non-yardies as to its meaning.

Does it mean; “I will soon arrive”   which seems the direct translation?

No.

As with many Jamaican expressions it is something one says to ‘get over’.   It is politer than saying; “I’ll be back whenever I come back…”   or  “I have other things more important to me so will go and do them and return when I’m done…”

However, ‘Soon Come’ is more a motto of Jamaica than ‘Out of Many, One’ because one thing you’ll find; Jamaicans are always late.

This is not the ten, thirty minutes late, this is often the one hour, ninety minutes late.  This is setting a function for 9 pm and not expecting the first guest until 10.

Jamaicans are always late.  When they say they’ll pick you up at 9, that’s the time you take the shower, then you get dressed, and about 9:45 they’ll call to say they are on their way.

Of course, you can use the lateness against them.

We had booked a premises for one hour; that’s all we could get, all we could afford.  This was for an awards ceremony.

I said, ‘”Look, we come early and bang on six we start.  A lot of the awardees won’t be there, so we’ll move quickly.  Any are there, they come up and the photo is taken, and we move on.  Things should go fast.”

So said, so done.

At Six I took the platform, made the opening remarks and called upon this one to present the awards for that…(no one was there to receive the awards).

We developed a protocol, “We want to announce that the award for  “Best Organisational Skills”  is given to Sonia.”  And as Sonia wasn’t there, the speaker would go on to say, “And the award for Highest fund raiser goes to Yvette.”

We were able to get through most of the ceremony and that by 9:45 we were on the last award, which was received by someone who was present, and made a little speech.

That wasn’t the only time.   A trip was planned for the class.  At the last minute the bus cancelled.  I loaded up the car with all the kids who had arrived on time, and we drove off.  Those kids who were late, were left.

Maybe they learned a lesson.

Maybe not.

Trust me, in Jamaica, nothing starts on time.  Depends on where you are, how long you have to wait.