Time, uncertainty avoidance and laziness

‘What is a cultural difference?’ is not a silly question but a hard one to answer. The concept of ‘time’ is an obvious key notion when comparing two cultures. What is means to be ‘on time’, ‘late’ in Australia, Germany or Japan is different from what it means in Somalia, India or Rwanda, for instance. Saying I will see you next Thursday definitely means something different in Australia and Rwanda... This is exactly what the headmistress from Rugerero and I said to each other when we spoke on the phone last week, when I was in Kigali. It appears that this meant something completely different for both of us...
For me, it meant: I really need to do some work with the management of this school and prepare the new academic year, we can start the process of much needed collaboration. For Jeannette, the headmistress, this must have meant something completely different... Thursday came... and we did not see each other. Unapologetically, she told me that she would not be able to make it, that Sunday would be better. I said ‘OK, see you on Sunday’. Again she called me and said in a matter of fact way: 'I can’t make it on Sunday, I will see you on Monday...’
Will I see her on Monday? I have no idea. I sent a text message last night to ask her if we would see each other in the morning or in the afternoon, but did not get any reply (how long it takes to reply to a SMS varies according to different cultures, I assume!).
So, here I am, I have prepared a solid working session with the headmistress, 1600 children will be showing up to school tomorrow morning and I have been able to catch up with the headmistress. Time is a more elusive, plastic concept for her than for me. I do get frustrated, in my mind I hear voices say: we are running out of precious time, time is money, it is high time to have that Thursday meeting...’ What’s happening in Jeanette’s mind regarding timing and this farcical meeting, I am not sure. Probably not much. I rationalise: In her culture, her relationship with time is probably different from mine... I also can’t help thinking: ‘She is lazy, she does not want to work, she avoids me, she is going to be like this all year, what can I do if I can’t count on the good will and collaboration of the top management of that school? My time here will have been a waste of time...
Then I start thinking of the assistant to the headmistress, Callixte. He cancelled our meeting of Friday, claiming that he had to attend another meeting at the District. He has done nothing to replace the broken windows of the school. I pointed out to him that it needed to be done urgently three and a half weeks ago and have reminded him whenever I have seen him again. In the last few days, he keeps saying that he will make sure that the three cupboards already built for the classrooms are brought to the school... Nothing has been done.
The carpenters promised me that these sixteen cupboards will be ready in 4-5 weeks. Will they?
I realise more and more that part of my job here is to adapt to this kind of relationship with time but I must point out to the people I will be working with that se you on Thursday can mean you and I will have a meeting on Thursday.
The question I have to answer now is: is it a different relationship to time or laziness? Time will tell...