The typical Carioca delay: how to deal with it
Everybody knows Cariocas have a really relaxed way of living and are always smiling – maybe because of their closeness to the beach. If you are planning to travel to Rio, you may also have heard about their receptiveness of tourists.
So, yes, Cariocas are great! But they are not perfect.One thing some foreigners usually criticize is their lack of punctuality. And this is our post subject for today: the typical carioca delay – and how best to deal with it.
First of all, just relax, especially if you are on vacation in Rio. The best thing is to incorporate a little bit of the carioca vibe and understand the cultural differences that naturally will exist – the punctuality issue is definitely one of them. Just for you to have an idea, for a Rio resident, a 15 minute delay is not really a delay, it is just part of the social protocol – which means that, most times, arriving on time at some social events may even be considered rude. Of course there are important appointments one just can be late to, like an exam or a job interview for example.
[caption id="attachment_7759" align="aligncenter" width="540"]What we mean by that is that delaying is just part of the carioca relaxed way of life. On a trip to Rio you will have to get used to it. And here you'll find some tips to help you with that.
Touristic activities
When you book tours in Rio, the pick-up service may have up to an hour delay. This is very normal in town, so don't worry! And, in this specific case, the relaxed Carioca way of life is not the only factor to blame. Traffic can get really busy during rush hour, especially in downtown and the South Zone of the city (the touristic one). Since this is kind of new for Rio (traffic was typically a “São Paulo thing” until recently), it looks like Cariocas are not really used to traffic jams and – maybe because of their typical optimism – are reluctant to leave much earlier than needed, to avoid the traffic jams. So, yes, you may have to wait up to an hour for the pick-up service, but again, don't worry: it is just the Carioca way, try to get into that frame of mind.
Parties
If you're invited to a party or any other social event by a Carioca, don't ever arrive on time. Nobody expects people will get there at the time set and things are never ready by then. Actually, it may even be considered kind of notion-less. If the general rule is that 15 minutes is a “polite delay”, for a party, you can calculate people will start arriving at least one hour late– the hosts know it and usually schedule the party an hour earlier than they actually expect it to start.
Public Transportation
We've already talked about traffic when it comes to transfer services for touristic activities in Rio, so you know what to expect here: public transport doesn't respect a timetable either. It is not that much of a problem if you are staying in the South Zone since there are lots of buses to take you anywhere. But don't expect the public transportation to have a fixed schedule or anything similar. For example, the subway, which is one of the most efficient transport systems, has a regular frequency, but it may take more (or less) to arrive than the time expected.
[caption id="attachment_7761" align="aligncenter" width="540"]Schools and universities
Maybe one of the few places Cariocas arrive early is the school. Most start at 7am and there is usually little tolerance for delays. But it all changes when they get to university. If you are planning to study in Rio or do an exchange program at a Brazilian college, be ready for some delays of professors and colleagues. It happens mostly in the public universities – which in Brazil are, in general, better than the private ones. Also, it is very common in fields like social sciences, arts and humanities (that have a more relaxed vibe in classes than in engineering, for example) that, if the campus is near the beach, you see people who just came from it (with sand on their feet and all!) or are ready to head there afterwards. Of course it is most likely to happen when people are in their first year of college and not working yet.
Business
If you are traveling to Rio on a business trip, you may have lots of professional appointments. As a foreigner, you will probably arrive on time (and it is better this way, since you never know what to expect), but try to understand if the other part doesn't. Like we've said, a 15-minute delay is not even considered a delay in Rio. Also know that Brazilians are used to spending quite some time small talking before actually starting a meeting – even if it is a really important one. So, don't worry, it is their way and that is one of the many things that makes them great – actually, they managed to be the sixth biggest economy in the world by being that way, so it must work.
[caption id="attachment_7763" align="aligncenter" width="540"]So now you know to what to expect with the typical Carioca delay, so you can sit back and relax and enjoy your time in Rio de Janeiro without stressing about the time!
For information about tours and activities in Rio, have a look at RdJ4U online catalogue.
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