Maytal in Rwanda!: The Flexibility of Time

Senior 5 students at Byinza Primary School for Tikkun Olam.

A student peers through the window to listen to the English lesson.

Time is a funny concept in Rwanda. While the Village stresses time management, often time is overlooked. Events start late. Meetings start late. Meals start late. It seems that completing tasks and having meaningful conversations take precedent over time. However, it is during these times that I am able to engage in some of the most rewarding and meaningful dialogues with different students and staff in the Village.

Prosper and I.

Take my final Tikkun Olam as an example. Programmed to leave my house at 3:15 PM each Thursday to meet the bus at 3:30, I received a phone call from Prosper (Senior 5 Grade Coordinator) at 3:05 PM telling me that the bus was already leaving. Twenty five minutes early! Shocked by the timeliness, I raced to the bus and off I went to help with Tikkun Olam.

We arrived at Byinza Primary School and waited for the kids to organize themselves. The ASYV teachers taught their lessons while I assisted them. As 5 PM rolled around, ASYV students asked me what time we would leave since many had obligations back in the Village. When I asked Prosper, he told me that a videographer was coming to film them as they participated in Tikkun Olam. The videographer wouldn’t arrive until 5:20 PM at the earliest. We usually depart Tikkun Olam at 5 PM. Despite the time delay, the students energetically continued teaching English. They were excited about the potential of being taped. At 5:45 PM we were finished and ready to head back to the Village.

A happy teacher.

Just one problem: the van would not be able to pick us up until 6:30 PM at the earliest. I suggested that we start to walk back to the Village. This was a big deal that I suggested this since the Village is many kilometers away from Byinza. Parisien (Program Director) joked that we could walk the whole way to ASYV. I hoped he was joking. Thirty minutes and three kilometers later (the sun had set during our walk and there are no streetlights) a vehicle came to pick us up. Assuming it would be a van or bus, the pick-up pulled in. Prosper and I immediately started laughing. We piled 12 people in finally returned to the Village at 7 PM.

Libya, Patrick, Sandrine and Nepo.

While waiting for class filming to end, I spoke with many different students about the Rwandan school system, where they are from and their dreams. During the walk Prosper and I talked about sustainability in the Village, his family life, security in Rwanda and the future of Senior 5 students. He even connected me to a potential job in Israel. While the adventure may have been long, I had a blast! It was incredible being with ASYV students outside of the Village. They constantly inspire and impress me!

Patrick and I.

While time may be perceived differently than I am used to, I highly respect and appreciate the notion of time in Rwanda. Whereas initially I criticized this notion of time, I am able to now fully embrace and appreciate it. Rwandans believe that things will happen in their own time. And they do. There is no need to rush. You must revel in the moment. Often, back home, things move so fast that we forget to greet and converse with people that are a part of our community. We miss out on opportunities to truly understand other people. We disallow ourselves from reaching depth in our relationships because the urgency of time dictates how we orient ourselves. Rwanda, indeed, has a lot to offer in regards to the flexibility of time and its value of relationships and dialogue.

Dad, you’d be so proud of me for becoming more flexible and understanding of time!