I have offically been here two weeks! Hard to believe!
One of the things that I love the most about Egypt is the people: their generosity, warm welcoming spirit, enjoyment of each others company, the absence of the American rush to get things done. (Life moves at such a different pace here, not that it can be described as slower or faster as in the difference between St. Louis and Kansas, but perhaps smoother, with more liquidity. There is no switch that is required from work to personal to religion to family, it all blends so closely that you don't notice the change.) Since my arrival a number of Egyptians that I just met have offered to help me with anything I need. Inviting me to their homes for weekend getaways, or over for a meal. I love it!
It took me about 10 days to get on the right sleep/eat schedule. I would be wide awake in the mornings, but by 2 pm I couldn't keep my eyes open without propping them open with toothpicks, and again by 8 pm I would be dying for sleep, but come 10 pm I would be wide awake until 3 am. But now I am back to normal, needing a coffee just to keep my eyes open all day! :-) The effects of having stayed up too late watching tv, talking with my roommate, or going out. As I write this my body is screaming Caffeine! Please! or SLEEP! which definitely sounds the better of the two :-)
My normal routine here during the work week (Sun-thur) is wake up at 5:30 am to get ready, then be at the bus stop at 7:15. It is about a 45 minute bus ride to campus. The new campus is located out on the edge of town (the old one was right in the middle). Once on campus I sometimes stop for that coffee then head to the office. My work day is from 8:15-8:30 am until 3:30 pm. (I will write more about my job in another post.) At 3:30 I climb back onto the bus for the trip home, depending on traffic I get back to the bus stop between 4:30-5. My flat is only about a 5-8 minute walk. Once home I usually crash for an hour to quiet the scream of my body for sleep or caffine :-). My roommate gets home usually around 7 and we fix supper and watch some tv. (Some of the tv shows are old reruns of House, CSI, ER, etc. but American Idol is usually that week's episode.) Overall I would say my usual routine is fairly close to what it was at home. :-) At least until the weekends come :-).
Hope you have a great day!
P.S. The chocolate chip cookies turned out half-way decent! Yipee! Just a few tweaks and they will be almost as good as my brother's!
Hello Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting your battle over sleep. You are trying "to control your physical being", something that our "spirit" has very little control over.
For several years now, beginning before 2002's incident, I have been going without the "so called normal eight hours". Our bodies do not need a "full eight hours" of sleep. This is what God and Christ have been teaching me for the past ten years (and longer).
On most days I will (now) fall asleep when I arrive home at approximately 9:30 to 11:00 p.m. I spend my time upon arrival working puzzles (crossword, logic, sudoku, mind puzzles) while watching television (dvd's or listening to music). I then gradually fal asleep. Within two to three hours I am again awake. I will eat a meal, if so directed by God and Christ, at this time. I then go back to working puzzles with the movies. After two to three hours I will again fall asleep. This time I will only sleep for one to one and one half hours, awaking fully refreshed for the days eight to ten hour work.
These hours will very according to the amount of work I do during the day. If I have a "heavy load" with a lot of deliveries, constantly on the go and working in the pizzaria, I will sleep longer. The more days that I do this the longer the sleep time.
For instance, this past week, I had a lot of deliveries on Friday AND on Saturday, henceforth, this with a lot of work inside, led me to sleep six hours straight. I would then be awake for three hours falling asleep but waking around the same time as the previous mornings, fully refreshed and alert.
On my days off, I will sleep less at night but take two to three hour naps during the day, on two different occasions. This timing places me on the same "sleep schedule" as the days that I work.
These "restful" moments of sleep will vary from time to time, based on the "need for work or activity" that God and Christ need me to do. During these past seven years, They have given me full rest (equivalent to 8 hours) with only fifteen minutes (that's right 15 min.) of sleep!
I also have been able to revitalize myself with "forty winks" i.e. sitting quietly allowing myself to "drop off" now and again for a period ranging from five to fifteen minutes. This process allows my physical body to become alert and energized for a few extra hours.
This process also requires "proper diet - meals (not limitation on food)" that They direct me to consume! Caffiene does have a bearing on my body's ability to obtain "full rest" with adequate sleep.
Henceforth, We recommend that you eliminate caffiene from your diet for ten days; take short naps "or forty winks" now and again during the day - don't try to stay awake!
for as it is written, in the Word of God, "The spirit is willing but the body is weak"! i.e. We have no control over our physical body on our own - We need the help and guidance from above, God and Christ, for who knows the physical "creation" more than the Creators!
your Dad with God and Christ