Rubber time is the no. 1 cultural quirk of many Asians. Name a country in Asia, and it's very likely the people there have no concept of time, or respect for someone's time.
"We'll meet at 2pm" means:
Cambodia: we leave the house at 2pm and get there at whatever time we arrive
Philippines: we leave about 2 hours before, but arrive 2 hours late i.e. at 4pm
Indonesia: we leave in ample time, but arrive at least an hour late i.e. 3pm or later
Vietnam: we arrive late because we had to finish what we were doing 1st, then leave for the meeting
Thailand: we arrive about 10-15 minutes late
Exceptions: Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan (certainly not an exhaustive list). In these places, 2pm means 2pm, or even 1:45pm.
Westerners working in those cultures with habitually late people either end up with high blood pressure or end up becoming like them. Adapting does not mean being sucked into a bad cultural habit. Lack of punctuality is selfish. It reeks of disrespect for your fellow man. Let's learn to honour one another by simply being on time or a little early. This simple gesture can help you clinch the million dollar deal or lose it. It's that simple.
Happy learning and adapting!
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