I've always known that no two people experience time in the same way, but I never quite grasped how differently Brazilians and Americans experience the world until I came to Belem. Brazilians live their lives on p-time, or polychromatic time, meaning that they are used to doing multiple tasks at once and do not compartmentalize their activities into time slots like we do in the United States (monochromatic time). Here, I hardly ever look at a clock to know the time because time here is not the same. Brazilians are often late to meetings or events and it's not considered rude or out of character. Instead, time is flexible and changes in schedule is simply a natural part of the day. As an American, I find this way of life freeing. Days seem much longer and much fuller here, whereas in the United States it's easy to get so caught up in a schedule that one forgets to live in the moment. The focus shifts from work and routine to life and interactions, something that I think I personally am benefiting from the most here. This is not to say that Brazilians are not hard working; on the contrary, many of the Brazilians I've met here work very hard to earn a living and create a comfortable life for them and their families. However, they are also more able to relax and enjoy each moment rather than be constantly concerned for what the future has to bring.