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"Um, the line's back there."

I turned around to be faced with a serious frown. She motioned behind her.

"The back of the line... it's behind me."

She looked even more annoyed that I just stared at her for a long while. It appeared that she had continued her shopping in the campus snack shop aisle while trying to save her place in line, but alas, it had moved on without her. Thus, a sizable gap had formed between her and the actual end of the line, at which I was now standing, oblivious to her imaginary place in it.

Ugh.

I really dislike mean people but even worse was the smug, annoyed, and completely rude expression on her face as she stared down at me.

For some reason, which I keep telling myself was related to lack of tea, pharm brain, and random thoughts of lung diseases, I just didn't want to deal with her kind at that moment and let her pass ahead of me. I also have become accustomed to, and even prefer, a certain hospitable patience in Grenada.

We wait. A lot.

At the bank, a half hour can pass with only one person ahead of you. People bring work to do or a book to read.
In the street, drivers going in opposite directions stop, blocking the road, so they can chat and catch up, and nobody minds that much. There might be a reminder honk from someone after a couple minutes. Can you imagine doing that in the middle of Michigan Ave?
We can wait weeks in the summer to get milk and anything popular, like Jif peanut butter, we can wait months. I now freeze at least 4 gallons of milk a week and stock up on big jugs of Jif, whenever it magically appears.
Fresh chicken? Sometimes we are lucky. If not, we wait till the evening where there is always delicious BBQ street meat being sold along the road. Just follow your nose.
At our one favorite place to get lunch, they are often out of something: cheese, bacon, ham, green peppers, spice for the chai, and even bread, though they always have raisin and onion bagels. When we finally get our sandwich, it may or may not be what we ordered, but it's all good.

As a result of all this waiting around, we inevitably see friends running errands, studying at the cafe, hanging at the beach, swimming at the pool, walking down the street, kids waving to our kids, even in the middle of the rain forest, we run into people we know, locals, students, parents of kids my kids play with. The guy we rent our car from called us when he saw us driving by his shop because he noticed one of the headlights was out. The lady from the cafe remembers our names and always splits the kids' smoothies into 2 glasses for us. People embrace the slower pace and use their time to chat, be friendly, or just say good morning to someone.

I have never had that kind of community in any other place I have lived. I thought it might be stifling to have others know my business, but I have found it isn't being nosy, it is about other people caring about what we are doing and how our lives are going. When most of the people around know you, you are also less apt to get into trouble. If a neighborhood boy shows up with a new bike, where did he get it? People are held accountable. Patience is required and rudeness is not often tolerated. Getting riled up and annoyed about having to wait or not getting what you ordered will only get a cold shoulder and attitude right back.

As I stood behind Her Highness of Rudeness, I noticed her new backpack, her shiny flip-flops, brand new ID sticker, and pale skin pallor and surmised that she had just arrived. So, maybe four weeks on the rock, tops, for first-termers.

Then, I imagined her taking that attitude outside the confines of campus and I had to giggle. Just a little. Good luck with that.