I had my first official meeting with the São Paulo Theatre Cooperative. Knowing that this organization represents over 4,000 theatre artists in the city, I wanted to leave a great first impression. The meeting was set for 4:00pm. I arrived a bit early just in case there would be other folks to talk to before it began.
As I stepped off the elevator at 3:45, I entered the Cooperative to find no one ready for the meeting. People don't arrive early for things here. I pick up a book and read until 4:00pm. Not only does no one arrive during this time, but no one seems to be arriving as the clock keeps ticking. I was in the meeting room until around 4:10 pm, when people start to trickle in. The president of the Cooperative was one of them. He had no problem strolling in ten minutes late and didn’t seem to mind being late. Eventually, at about 4:30pm, there are enough people for the meeting to begin. That was not just a one time occurence because it continued to happen at every meeting
Even though São Paulo is the commercial capital of Brazil and is seen kind of like a New York City, arriving at least 30 minutes late for work/professional commitments is not looked down upon. My friend who works at an important national bank is often an hour late for work.
