Two paragraphs on India and work-thought inspired by India, then I’ll politely say “goodnight” and you’ll all be left wanting.
Honestly, I can’t believe how easily I adjusted to this timezone. Nearly twelve hours out from sunny Northern California – but I took to it in just one night of solid sleep. This, and other similarly easy transitions to varied time zones, have convinced me that I am a body built for world travel. I read once that if you’re outside in the sunshine as much as possible during the waking hours, you’re body realizes that its internal clock is off and you should be awake during that time. Maybe spending Sunday tooling around the countryside in the awesome South Indian weather actually helped me adjust so quickly. I can only hope that the transition back to west coast time goes as swimmingly.
Staying thematic for once, I was thinking to day how much I appreciate the different “learnings” I’ve gained from my current employment. No, not just the “professional development,” which has been invaluable, they tell me, but moreso the cultural and “eye-opening” type learnings I’ve been able to pick up. Travel and exposure to a host of different cultures have really granted me a better worldview, I think. I mean, more than just understand a few scattered sentences in Mandarin, I’ve been exposed to peoples and traditions I’d’ve been wholly ignorant to otherwise. In some ways, I think that the more “eyes” through which you can look at the world, the better. Knowing, for instance, that things taken for granted by Joe America are luxuries to people elsewhere makes a man more humble, and, more importantly, better equips you to relate to folks from all over. Who’d have ever thought that I’d be sitting outside in India, enjoying the weather while a young Indian man in the courtyard below sings the Eagles’ “Lying Eyes” in perfect English, writing a paragraph singing the praises of my gainful employment. I’m here to tell you that I’ve decided I’m riding this one out – I know a good thing when I’ve found it.
Goodnight.
Also written on this day...
- about nothing really - 2018
- both glee and stress - 2010
- constructive criticism - 2006
- passing and gassing - 2004
Think maybe that you’ve adjusted so well because it’s a total reversal of the time zones? Like, if it were a 9 hour difference, it might be more difficult because you have those extra 3 hours that your body is trying to find? Just a theory.
Then again, I did pretty well when I went to London (+8 hrs) & Paris (+9 hrs)… but my theory with that is that I didn’t have anywhere to be at any specific time (eg, work).