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One of the customs that has posed a problem for some international students is being on time. Some people think Americans are always in a hurry; they do not know how to relax. Generally you will find Americans know how to relax; they just want to get the work done first. This allows time for maximum, guilt-free, uninterrupted recreation.
In the United States, time can be your enemy or your friend. Being fashionably late for some things is okay, while being late for other things is, if not rude, at least unseemly. If you make an appointment with someone for a specific time, or you are going on an excursion, you are expected to be there at that time.
People may be early or, in some cases, late. Call if you are running late. In some cultures/countries it is acceptable to plan a meeting for 12:00 noon and not arrive until 3:00PM and you would not be considered late. In the US you will be considered late, extremely rude, and the other party will be gone.
Classes and worship services begin on time. Weddings traditionally begin with the minute hand going up past the half-hour. The importance of being on time cannot be stressed enough.
A guide to timeliness is
Class - On time
Appointments - On time
Job Interviews - Early
Lunch with friends - On time/few minutes late
Dinner at friend's home - Never early unless it is requested/ few minutes late
Dinner at restaurant - On time/few minutes late
Party anywhere - Flexible arrival and departure time
Time Zones
The earth is divided into 24 time zones extending from the north to the south pole. Four of these time zones are located in the United States. They are:
Eastern - eastern states including Georgia and Pennsylvania
Central - central and Midwestern states
Mountain - western and southwestern states
Pacific - west coast states.
Each zone is one hour different from the adjacent zone. If it is 5:00 PM in Atlanta, Georgia, or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the time will be 4:00 PM in Chicago, Illinois, 3:00 PM in Denver, Colorado, and 2:00 PM in Los Angeles, California. If you want to know what time it is before calling home, you can use the International Time Zone Map in this handbook (Chapter 24 - Maps) or you can find the Time Zone Map in the Directory of the telephone books from Bell South.
Daylight Savings Time
The United States follows a Standard/Daylight Savings Time system. We change our time during Spring/Summer, March through mid-October, to gain one hour of additional daylight. This gives you more sunlight in the mornings. This period is referred to as Daylight Savings Time. The remainder of the year, October through mid-April, we switch back to natural or "standard" time. There may be some mornings when you are up before the sun rises. We remember which direction to set our clocks by the phrase, "Spring forward; Fall back". Every year you lose an hour in Spring and gain an hour in Fall.
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DID YOU KNOW...
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