"Be There When You Say You Will"

I was raised with the mentality that being on time for everything is a way of showing respect and common courtesy to others. As a result of that I do my best to always be on time and I tend to be very anxious when other people are late. In the U.S. I feel that being late is a trend for so many things and for most people. Whether it is a friend picking you up for dinner or an important meeting that is on hold due to one person running behind or even a flight delay. I feel as if majority of the people in the United States have become very passive when it comes to being somewhere or doing something at the exact time that they say they will.

In Switzerland punctuality is not an issue. If a train says it is going to leave at 4:27a.m. that means that it is pulling away at 4:27a.m. and it does not mean even three minutes later at 4:30a.m. I have yet to ride a train that has not left at the exact time it was scheduled to leave or be picked up by a taxi that has not been there in five minutes when the driver said that they will arrive in five minutes. I see this as being such an advantage to the flow of daily life in Switzerland knowing that you can be certain that you will arrive at your destination at the exact time you desire to and you do not have to worry about tardiness. I have truly come to appreciate this about Switzerland and it will definitely be missed once I return home.