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Few people are on time in Ethiopia
, and if someone is an hour late to a meeting, they will offer a small apology. It's usually customary to accept their apology without making a big deal of their tardiness.
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Punctuality tends to be more respected in business situations vs. social ones.
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Public transportation does not have a set schedule for most trips as vehicles will leave when full.
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People tend to be very giving of their time, and are rarely in a hurry.
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Note: Ethiopia follows the Gregorian calendar (13 months to the year) and the day is divided into 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. For example, an 8 am meeting means 2 o’clock; or a social function at 7 pm is 1 o’clock.
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Many foreigners joke that Ethiopian Standard Time is plus or minus two hours, usually plus and often longer.
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Very often things will start late and are rarely planned in advance, so don’t be surprised if people ask you to a six PM dinner at 5:30 and seem offended if you have plans.
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