Time is a funny thing...
- Rebekah Witt
- Aug 29, 2015
- 5 min read

Jet lag is a real thing ya’ll. My schedule has never been more screwed up in my life. I thought it’d take about a day to get over, but I was incredibly wrong. The day I got home, I tried to stay up as long as possible to get rid of this little thing they call jet lag. One problem…it isn’t a little thing. It’s a huge thing that I don’t think I’ve completely shaken yet. So the day I got back, I did everything I could to stay awake. I ran errands with my papa, unpacked my bags, did laundry, took a much needed shower, told stories, went for ice cream, etc, etc. I was doing pretty good until…I fell asleep while talking to Susan. Yes, in mid-sentence I fell asleep. And then I was telling her another story, because I talk way too much and wasn’t gonna let a little sleep deprivation get to me. During that story I had a dream while still talking aloud. It was pretty crazy if you ask me. I moved right from being very descriptive about Ethiopia to spitting out nonsense from whatever pictures I was seeing in my head.
I guess that’s what happens when you get up at 7:30 in the morning in Ethiopia, get on a plane at 10:30 at night there, travel 14 hours on a plane, and cross over a number of time zones to land back in America at 8:30a.m.
I don’t like to let sleep rule my life. But I obviously needed some rest to recharge. I found myself falling asleep during the middle of the day, waking up super early in the morning, and wanting to eat at unusual hours as well. And still, I find myself doing these things. However, I gotta get back to a regular routine with school rapidly approaching on Monday.
When I was in Ethiopia I had crazy hours as well. You see, they have 12 hours of light and 12 of darkness. It would start to get dark after dinner time and sometimes the electricity would be off. I could lesson plan using a flashlight but many times I went to bed instead. Being a procrastinator, I would get up early when the sun was starting to rise or even before that in order to make those lesson plans. I’m not a morning person, but I can if need be. Waking up a few hours early helps me get the day started before I have to interact with other people and be in a pleasant mood haha. I like to say that sleep is for the weak, but I really do know that it is necessary.

I still think that I may be a bit on Ethiopian time. The time difference is seven hours, but I’m also talking about just going about my day. People have told me that I should move to the south because I do everything slowly. I like taking it all in so that I don’t miss out on anything. That’s one of the reasons I don’t like to sleep. And yes, I tell LONG stories because I want everyone to experience what I have as well. I don’t like to leave any details out. So ya’ll can just bear with my stories because it’s for your own benefit haha. Shoutout to everyone out there that listens to me when I continue to ramble….Lauren Maher, Susan Cooper, Abby Dorman….just to mention a few people who have really put up with my talking this summer. My new roommates better look out because once I get to know them, I won’t shut up hahaha.
In Ethiopia people move at whatever pace they choose. They aren’t constantly looking at their clocks and thinking about the next place they need to get to. Everyone lives in the moment. It is so different from America. SO different. We like to schedule ourselves down to the very minute most of the time. We want everything to go quickly and smoothly. But mainly quickly. Ethiopians seem to not have any care in the world. I say get here at 8 and an Ethiopian will get here at least 15 minutes late, but it is usually way more. I’m not gonna lie, it can be frustrating. However, it taught me to just relax and be even more in the moment. It taught me to enjoy the people I’m with while I can, because unfortunately, I won’t be with them forever. It taught me that time is precious, but that doesn’t mean that we have to rush it. Moving at a snail’s pace is one of those expressions that seem to have more of a negative connotation. But ya know, I don’t think it’s all that bad. We can all take something from that and apply it to our own lives.
Ethiopian time ultimately taught me that I need to be more willing to trust God everywhere and in everything. People in Ethiopia trust that God will take care of things. He will provide. They have hope in the Lord for what is next to come. It may sound silly to apply this to every minute of our lives but that’s what people do in Ethiopia. And why not apply it to each second and minute??? Isn’t that what we are supposed to do??? I’m not saying we never make a decision and wait around for something to happen, but we need to have faith that God will lead us in the right direction. There are a ton of Bible verses about trusting, but it just so happens that one in particular traveled with me each and every day in Ethiopia. Thanks to Massanutten Presbyterian Church, I have a little keychain with Joshua 1:9 on it, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

In the days to come I will be working on that. I don’t know what today will exactly hold for me and I’m not sure what tomorrow will either. It’s time for me to think about my future, what my next step will be after grad school. That’s tough, ya’ll. I don’t always know what I’m supposed to do. So I’ll be praying about that and trusting that God will lead me where I need to be. You may be at a crossroads. It could be time for you to make a decision about your job, loved ones, or faith. Or maybe you don’t feel like you have any decisions to make right now. Lucky you haha. Either way, pray with me as you go about your days too. Trust in the Lord because He is with you wherever you go and remember to not get too bogged down with worrying about time. Be in the moment and cherish those around you.
Alrighty, ya'll. Enough ramblin' for one day. Peace out!
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