Time difference. It’s one of those things that I knew was going to be a hard adjustment but I didn’t think that I would still be struggling to adjust 7 months after I arrived in Dublin. I find it very difficult to go to sleep at a decent time because I feel that if I sleep based on the time here in Ireland, I’m going to miss everything that’s going on back at home. Especially now, in the midst of March Madness basketball, games aren’t typically broadcasted until midnight. If you’re a basketball fan, you’ll understand the importance of this month. It is THE best month of basketball because you never know what’s going to happen. With that being said, sleeping is virtually non-existent this month. Here in Ireland, we are 4-5 hours ahead of the east coast and a whopping 10-11 hours ahead of Hawai’i (I never really know because of daylight savings). If you can imagine, trying to communicate with my family all the way in Hawai’i is near impossible. When I’m awake, my family is already passing z’s in their sleep and when I’m about ready to sleep they are just waking up. It feels like the world just doesn’t want me to keep in touch with my people in Hawai’i. I’ve noticed it more lately that I try to compensate for the time difference by staying up as late as 3 am in the morning to talk to family, even if I have class the next day at 9 am. It’s becoming a habit and I’m starting to feel the repercussions of my lack of sleep. I’m less productive and much more irritable throughout the day. My memory seems to escape me and fatigue settles in a lot quicker while I’m playing basketball. Overall, I don’t like the effect this is having on my well-being and how it is affecting my performance on the court. As the disciplined person I always strive to be I’ve decided enough is enough. From now on, I am going to make it my goal to put my phone down and close my eyes by midnight. I know I’m going to struggle with wanting to stay up sometimes but I’ve got to stay focused and persevere through the temptation because I’m afraid that if I don’t change now, it may hurt my academic performance and my basketball team in the future. With that being said, wish me luck guys, I’m gonna need it.
“Your future depends on your dreams so go to sleep”
