Old Time/New Time
At the end of April "we" "switched" to daylight savings time. I put those words in quotation marks because the switch is not really a switch, we merely add a way to tell time. Why is "we" in quotes? Because the following actually operate on new time: Government buildings like schools and post offices, and the buses. That's it. Nobody else follows daylight savings time. Not shops, not markets, not individuals. They just learn that now the post office opens at 7am (old time) and the kids have to go back to school at 1pm (old time), following lunch. Any meeting you set up must be specified whether it is "old time" or "new time." Last year, when I first experienced this, I asked my Peace Corps friend Erika, when they get used to it and stop specifying. Her response was "...until it's old time again." And indeed, that was true.
This year is a little more complicated because Ramadan happens right in the middle of New Time. The Solution? On ~July 22nd when Ramadan starts, we will switch back to Old Time so people don't have to work as much during daylight hours when they are fasting. Then, when Ramadan is over in Mid-August, we will switch back to New Time until September 30th, when we will revert back to Old Time (a.k.a. Standard Time.)
Last year I thought this was so dumb. I thought "what is so hard about switching to daylight savings time?!" But now I enjoy how much more fluid time has become. (as if it weren't fluid already....) First of all, as time has gone by, I rarely follow time at all anyway. My day goes by calls-to-prayer and temperature. Also, women definitely don't follow New Time. My English lessons at the Woman's Center were always at 10am (old time) and now I show up at 11 (new time) and I'm still right on time.
It's Summer!!
How do I know?
1. It's definitely 90+ degrees during the day.
2. I have had no running water after 9am.
3. I have a strong desire to do laundry and use bleach.
4. I washed my sheets for the first time since Fall. (you can think that's gross-I have a hard time doing laundry when the water is 40 degrees.)
5. My uniform at home is the Gandora. Gandoras are long tunics that women wear inside the house. They are light weight and have loose, open sleeves kind of like a man's muscle shirt. They are gorgeous but strictly housewear. I have a floor length gandora, like in the picture, that is teal with yellow, red, and blue accents. I also have a creme thigh-length one with creme patching pants. The accent colors being lime green and orange. They are wonderful. I often cinch them at the waist with a shoelace and spend most of the day with the bottom tucked into the lace, so that I don't get it wet, what with all my laundry doing.
6. My attitude is very positive. I love the heat and the sunshine!
At the end of April "we" "switched" to daylight savings time. I put those words in quotation marks because the switch is not really a switch, we merely add a way to tell time. Why is "we" in quotes? Because the following actually operate on new time: Government buildings like schools and post offices, and the buses. That's it. Nobody else follows daylight savings time. Not shops, not markets, not individuals. They just learn that now the post office opens at 7am (old time) and the kids have to go back to school at 1pm (old time), following lunch. Any meeting you set up must be specified whether it is "old time" or "new time." Last year, when I first experienced this, I asked my Peace Corps friend Erika, when they get used to it and stop specifying. Her response was "...until it's old time again." And indeed, that was true.
This year is a little more complicated because Ramadan happens right in the middle of New Time. The Solution? On ~July 22nd when Ramadan starts, we will switch back to Old Time so people don't have to work as much during daylight hours when they are fasting. Then, when Ramadan is over in Mid-August, we will switch back to New Time until September 30th, when we will revert back to Old Time (a.k.a. Standard Time.)
Last year I thought this was so dumb. I thought "what is so hard about switching to daylight savings time?!" But now I enjoy how much more fluid time has become. (as if it weren't fluid already....) First of all, as time has gone by, I rarely follow time at all anyway. My day goes by calls-to-prayer and temperature. Also, women definitely don't follow New Time. My English lessons at the Woman's Center were always at 10am (old time) and now I show up at 11 (new time) and I'm still right on time.
It's Summer!!
How do I know?
1. It's definitely 90+ degrees during the day.
2. I have had no running water after 9am.
3. I have a strong desire to do laundry and use bleach.
4. I washed my sheets for the first time since Fall. (you can think that's gross-I have a hard time doing laundry when the water is 40 degrees.)
5. My uniform at home is the Gandora. Gandoras are long tunics that women wear inside the house. They are light weight and have loose, open sleeves kind of like a man's muscle shirt. They are gorgeous but strictly housewear. I have a floor length gandora, like in the picture, that is teal with yellow, red, and blue accents. I also have a creme thigh-length one with creme patching pants. The accent colors being lime green and orange. They are wonderful. I often cinch them at the waist with a shoelace and spend most of the day with the bottom tucked into the lace, so that I don't get it wet, what with all my laundry doing.
6. My attitude is very positive. I love the heat and the sunshine!
