Living on Tunis Time has had a few unexpected results. I imagined I'd have to 'schedule' time to chat with the family via internet. I even calculated that I'd have to 'think before I call' because of the six hour time difference. What I never contemplated was the continental dinner hours.
DH and I have always been 'early to bed, early to rise' people. In later years, when his thyroid issues kicked in, keeping him awake and vertical was a challenge. We generally eat dinner when he gets home from work, watch the news or other TV for an hour or two, and then head into the bedroom. He goes right to sleep. I read for an hour or two.
In the Mediterranean, no one eats dinner at 5:30 or 6:00 pm. No one. Most restaurants don't even open for dinner until 7:00 pm. And once you get seated for dinner, you'd better not be in a hurry. They take their time over meals.
Apparently, eating early and rushing through meals is a strictly American pastime.
So, we trundle down to find dinner at 7:00 pm and our evenings are extended later than ever before. I wish that meant that we were continental and urbane, but what it really means is that we're tired. It keeps us up later. And we still get up at the same time in the morning.
I find that I can't eat a big dinner and then lay down. I still have to stay vertical long enough for my food to 'settle'. Otherwise, I'm miserable. So, we're sitting up, working on the laptops or watching TV until later than ever before. The good news--who needs a sleep aid? The bad news--early morning has never felt earlier.
I'm guessing that when we're living in our own home (and in charge of our own meals), we'll have that piece of control returned to us. Then, it's only on nights we eat out that our evenings will be extended later into the wee hours. I think I can handle that.
It would probably be hard to live with if DH was coming home at normal time. But he's been working late, so eating would be pushed back by his appearance so late anyway. There's no reason to complain.
I wonder how we got set to 'country hours' anyway? We've been on this schedule for years. I'm going to have to readjust my thinking and see if I can move us closer to the norm for this area. We need to 'blend in' where we can.
--Sandee Wagner
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Try having Siesta Time for a while and see how that goes. Have a small an appetizer at home and then take a 2 hour nap. Then take a shower and/or swim and go out for dinner around 9/10-ish. I am actually surprised you get to eat at all at 7 pm. 5:30 is almost a late lunch there...
I know that seems late but if you realize you'll have that extra nap time later in the day you won't be tired the next day.
Because if you don't the problem is that as soon as you have friend they'll also all eat late. So chances are you'll kill your future social life if you don't adjust.
You'll get used to it, just takes some time with your biological clock, but also mental mindset.
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