So a month ago I was working until 1am or so. I’d wake up around noon.

Then I traveled to Ghana, which is 4 hours ahead. And we had to get up by 8 every day, sometimes earlier. There’s nothing to do at night, so we’d usually be in bed by 10:30 or so.

So you can imagine how messed up my sleep cycle was when I came back. I’d be exhausted by 9. Not like a little sleepy, but so tired that I felt like I might be sick. It was a struggle to sleep past 6 in the morning. I’ve now had enough time that I can stay up until almost midnight and get up around 8. This is probably what people would call a “normal” sleep cycle.

Two big realizations about this “normal” sleep cycle:

• The day seems much longer. When I wake up I haven’t missed half the day. And being up at 3 a.m. really isn’t worthwhile, since there’s nothing to do at that hour.
• Mornings, though, are dull. When I’d get up at noon, people would have already replied to the e-mails I sent at 3 a.m. Now I’m sending e-mails at 8 p.m. and checking at 8 a.m., and people haven’t gotten to work yet to reply. My e-mail to Res Life still is unanswered and they’ve had 27 minutes!

The other problem, though, is my schedule next semester. Tuesdays and Thursdays my first class is at 2:10. That’s the earliest.  I have Fridays off. (The sign of a good schedule.) I apparently also have Wednesday off. I don’t remember planning that. Mondays I don’t have class until 6:30 at night. I suspect I’ll fall into a later sleep cycle. But boy will I have free time during the day if I don’t!