"Ahorita": How Mexico Taught Me Time Is Relative

"México es decir 'ahorita' y descubrir que el tiempo también puede ser relativo."

Saying 'ahorita' and discovering that time, too, can be relative.

Every foreigner eventually has an encounter with ahorita.

You think you've learned Spanish. Then someone says they'll do it "ahorita."

Five minutes later, nothing. An hour later, still nothing.

Eventually you realize the mystery isn't linguistic. It's cultural.

In Mexico, ahorita isn't always measuring time. Sometimes it's measuring intention.

"I haven't forgotten." "I'll get to it." "We're okay."

Coming from cultures obsessed with the clock, this drove me crazy.

Now, I'm starting to understand that not everything important needs a stopwatch.