Time: Gabal

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Time Overview

Gabal's approach to time can best be described as polychronic: the tendency to perform several tasks concurrently, as opposed to monochronic like the US, where the preference is to perform tasks in sequence. On Gabal they have a word for their approach to time, it is madalang, roughly translated it means leisurely or slowly. Gabal sits within the South Torbian Time Zone (STTZ), which is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); the country does not observe Daylight Saving Time (DST).

Weekly

It is difficult to determine the average workweek in Gabal. Those that have connections to business firms or connections to overseas business will likely work forty hours per week, Monday through Friday. The standard workday is 0900 to 1800 with one hour off for lunch. For those involved with overseas business, the people may work an odd schedule in order to conduct meetings with their home offices in Europe, the US, or in another part of Asia. These people normally have the weekend off with Sunday as the standard day for church for those of the Christian faith—either Catholic or Protestant.

            For other workers, especially those in the service industry, they will often work seven days a week if the work is available. Many Gabalians have to work every day in order to feed their families. Due to the scarcity of jobs, taking a day off is not an option for many people in the lower classes. Much of this work is cash business as both the worker and the person paying them want to avoid paying taxes.

Monthly

There are no specific monthly holidays for the majority of South Torbians. For the small number that that practice the Buddhist faith, however, they follow the lunar calendar and conduct religious holidays on the new moon, quarter moon, half-moon, three-quarters moon, and full moon. Gabal’s small minority Muslim population uses Saudi Arabia’s Umm al-Qura calendar to determine the official beginning of each month and for religious holidays.

Key Dates, Time Periods, or Events

Discovery of Gabal by Europeans: 1750

Cotton boom to Europe: 1862

1956: Obtained independence from colonial powers

Routine, Cyclical Key Dates

Holidays and Culturally Specific Observations

Gabal celebrates 8 official government holidays each year. Six have set dates and two have floating dates based on the lunar calendar. There are also a number of religious holidays celebrated by the Christians who composed the largest religion in the country. Holidays associated with the smaller religions that are celebrated by those of that specific faith. Normally, those that want these holidays off will often work the government holidays or Christian holidays through deals worked out with their employers.

Date	Holiday	Type	Remark
1 January	New Year’s Day	Government
8 March	International Women’s Day	Government
1 May	Labor Day	Government
15 August	Independence Day	Government
15 October	Military Appreciation Day	Government
1 November	All Saints Day	Religious
25 December	Christmas Day	Government
April/May	Good Friday	Government/ Religious	Always occurs between 20 March and 23 April each year depending on Easter
April/May	Black Saturday	Religious	Always occurs between Good Friday and Easter
April May	Easter	Religious	Occurs the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox
April/May	Buddha’s Birthday	Religious	Occurs on the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar
May/June	Pentecost Monday	Government/ Religious	Occurs the Monday after Pentecost that occurs 7 weeks after Easter

New Year's Day

Occurs on 1 January each year. All government workers and most business workers outside of the service industry do not work. If 1 January falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the closest day (Friday or Monday) is designated the federal holiday.

International Women's Day

Occurs on 8 March each year. Government workers and business workers do not work and it is a day to honor Gabal’s women. In smaller communities, the males often host a picnic where they roast a goat or pig over an open-pit fire. In the capital city, there are often political speeches that gather few people.

Labor Day

Occurs on 1 May each year. Begun in 1955, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of Gabalian workers in the development of the country economically and socially. If the holiday is on the weekend, the holiday is either the Friday before or the Monday after 1 May, whichever day is closer to the actual date. In the capital city and larger cities, there are political speeches. In the rural communities, there is not much difference than a normal workday.

Independence Day

Occurs on 15 August each year. This day celebrates the beginning of the country after Gabal through off the yoke of its colonial rulers. This is one of the biggest celebrations of the year in all parts of the country no matter the size of the village. There are picnics and festivals attended by most everyone in the community.

Military Appreciation Day

Occurs on 15 October each year. On this day that government and business employees are off. The holiday is either the day before or the day after 15 June if that date falls on the weekend.  If the government can afford it, the small Gabalian Army may march as part of a parade in the capital city. For the rest of the country, government workers have the day off but for most it is just another day to try to eke out a living.

All Saints Day

This is a religious holiday and not a government holiday. Many of the Christians celebrate it by attending church service.

Christmas Day

Occurs on 25 December each year and is both a government and religious holiday. Most Christian families attend church, eat a nice meal, and exchange personal gifts with each other. Most of these gifts are either handmade or if purchased, not expensive. Non-Christians just usually celebrate having the day off. Government and most major businesses give their employees the Friday before or the Monday after if the holiday falls on the weekend.

Good Friday

Always occurs the Friday before Easter each year and is always in March or April. Government and larger businesses give their employees the day off. The more devout Christians will attend church service. The non-devout, the non-believers, and those of other faiths just enjoy having a day off from work.

Black Saturday

Always occurs the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. This is just a religious holiday. The most devout Christians will attend church that day, but most do not.

Easter

Always occurs the first Sunday after the spring equinox. Easter can land on any Sunday between 22 March and 25 April, depending on the full moon. Easter is one of the two most significant Christian holidays of the year with the other being Christmas Day. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus and Easter celebrates him rising from the grave. Christians attend church and the pews are normally filled on this day.

Buddha's Birthday

This religious holiday occurs on the 8th day of the 4th month of the lunar calendar so it always falls in late April or early May. This holiday is important for the Buddhist minority as temples will hold lantern festivals and give visitors free tea and a small, but special meal.

Pentecost Monday

This began as a religious holiday, but it is now recognized by the government as its eighth holiday of the year as so many people missed work on the Monday after Pentecost. Pentecost occurs seven Sundays after Easter so can occur anywhere from May to June depending on the date of Easter. This day celebrates the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the Jesus’ disciples. Devout Christians attend church and then celebrate with a family meal.

Wedding Season

While weddings can occur in any month of the year, the traditional month of preference is June. This dates back to pre-colonial days when the wedding would last three days. The families had to ensure there was enough food for all the gifts. This is no longer a limitation, but June is still the month of many Gabalian brides prefer.

Harvest Cycles

Agricultural cycles in Gabal are primarily determined by the seasons. Most crops—such as rice, corn, and sugarcane—follow distinct harvest/planting cycles. There are usually two crops per year for rice and corn: one in the wet season, and one in the dry season. Sugarcane is harvested once per year, during the cool part of the dry season. (For additional information on Gabal’s agriculture and seasons, see the Physical Environment variable).

Natural Disaster Cycles

Gabal does not receive the number of typhoons that other countries in the region receive, but are still susceptible to them at the same time of the year. Typhoon season occurs from early summer to late fall, and is often at its peak during August and September. Due to its somewhat protected location, less than five typhoons hit Gabal each year. Many of these cause only minor damage, but there are sometimes major typhoons that cause extensive problems. In addition to the storm itself, typhoons have the potential to cause extensive flooding. Gabal’s government still has yet to figure out how to handle natural disasters effectively.

Election Cycles

Gabal holds general elections for the President and National Assembly members every four years; snap elections for the latter also occur in the event of dissolution of the government by the Prime Minister. Provinces make their own rules for local elections; election cycles typically either mirror national elections, or are in alternating two-year windows. Judges at the local level are elected during district elections and hold eight-year terms.

Cultural Perception of Time

Gabalians are very relationship-focused, and this is reflected in their approach to time. Instead of a day planner that is divided into discrete segments labeled “mealtime,” “work,” or “meeting,” time is viewed as an unending line that is merely the context in which interactions with other people occur. Priorities determine the order in which events occur and meetings take place, and interruptions are not viewed as an annoyance, but rather as an opportunity to develop and strengthen other relationships. This view of time is known as polychronic—performing many tasks simultaneously—as opposed to monochronic (performing tasks in sequence).

This prioritization of relationships over the clock plays out in several ways. Tardiness is a foreign concept on Gabal, and meeting times are merely ideals. It is not unusual for a person to appear two or three hours after the agreed-upon time. Conversations—including meetings—continue until they come to a natural conclusion. Topics will wander from one thing to another, and “rabbit holes” may be explored to great depth. In this way, a 30-minute meeting might easily stretch to two hours, and a “quick interruption” may last for a good half-hour or longer. People will wander in and out of meetings and start up side conversations based on their own set of priorities. Decisions will eventually be made, but not on an artificially imposed timetable.

This casual approach to time is known on Gabal as madalang, which could be translated as leisurely or slowly, and is reflected in the local expression, “the sea will still be there tomorrow.” Tasks are often interrupted, and the person interrupting is always given priority over the task at hand. A Gabalian would never say, “Let me finish this first”; instead, he will immediately stop what he is doing and focus entirely on the other person. When deciding what to do next, a Gabalian will order things by importance, with stronger relationships having priority. One way to know where you stand with a Gabalian is by how early in the day he agrees to see you: the earlier the meeting, the higher you are on his priority list. However, do not expect this to translate to a single-minded focus on you, as he will immediately divert his attention if someone else appears during your time together.

Tactical Exploitation of Time

Gabalian Perception of Time

The Gabalian perspective on time leads to slow but well-thought-out decisions. Each person’s input is considered, and the final result is usually worth the wait. The implementation is also slow, but this will have already been accounted for in the decision-making process. Another result of madalang is that, though it may take a considerable amount of time, a Gabalian that has agreed to do something will eventually do it—for no other reason than that the relationship with the requester is too important to do otherwise. In this respect, Gabalians could be considered as “slow but reliable.”

For the Gabalian military, this mindset leads to a long view of conflict. Wars do not suddenly pop up; instead they steep, much like a cup of tea, until a tipping point is reached and action is taken. This concept is best reflected in the adage, “One must crawl before he can run.” The country’s political and military leadership takes a two-pronged preventative approach as a result: First, work on relationships with potential enemies to prevent them from becoming actual enemies. Second, watch for actions that may indicate possible aggressive intent. For example, an enemy fleet must leave its own port before it can arrive in Gabalian waters; hence, the Gabalian military would key on the departure—or obvious signs of preparation for such—instead of being surprised that such a fleet would suddenly appear off its shores.

U.S. Perception of Time

The time perception of Gabalians will make them appear slow, lazy, and unconcerned to US military members, and the continual interruptions and lack of respect of timelines will challenge even the most patient soldier. The key to best working with and understanding Gabalians is to focus on relationships and try to ignore the clock. US personnel should expect meetings to start late and run later; this should be accounted for in any planned interaction with local residents—military or otherwise. Long lead times are essential, and having the same personnel at subsequent meetings will increase the strength of local relationships, thus increasing the importance of US military members—and their mission—in Gabalian eyes.

Decision-making

 The cyclic perception of time, long-term orientation, and a desire to have everything organized and coordinate may hinder the decision-making process of Gabalian political and military leaders. Their aversion to situational ambiguity can lead to them prioritizing gathering more information over the ability to act quickly and decisively. Adversaries could exploit the Gabalian preference for gathering information and considering alternatives by presenting challenges in rapid succession, accelerating their own decision making process, and enabling them to outpace any Gabalian response.