Sunday, November 23, 2008

Time Changes

Indicative of my own persona, I'm posting this one at around 11 AM.

For those who wonder what I'm referring to- it's the fact that I haven't quite adjusted to the whole "get up at 6 am, rest from 1-3 pm, eat dinner at 7, and in bed by 10:30" lifestyle.
I've always been a night bird, someone who stays up well past 3, and then takes advantage of her mornings to sleep till at least 9.

Heading to work during the week does involve a challenge- but I seem to be able to wake up by 7:30 and still make it on time.

Israelis on the other hand, have a totally different clock. It seems my neighbors are up at 6, the buses running and full by 7, and the phone calls to other people can start at 7:15. I mean, in the US, we don't call people till 9, or 8:30 the earliest! Here, I've received calls at 7:00, 6:30, even one really brave individual who called at 6:08 on the dot. (Sorry to all of those who I've answered the phone, sounding a tad groggy.)

And the 1-3 rest hour? Who invented that? I either have to get to the bank before 12 or after 4, but only on certain days of the week. Post office, government agencies, none of which are open after 1, or only reopen after 4 on some days of the week.

Imagine, if you will the same thing occuring in the US- I think people would go insane from the sheer "mah baiyah" ness of it all. Can you imagine if the stock market would just pause, from 1-3 every day? Or if the banks were closed during those hours. I think havoc would ensue.

How do people who work handle it? How do they get to the bank before 6:30 in traffic, if they end their work day at 5? It may be good for those who only work from 8-1, but what about the rest of Israel?

It's one of those confusing things that I guess I have to get used to. Oh well, WTI- welcome to Israel.

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