five hours behind home
August 26th — 29th, 2026
By the time you’re reading this, I would’ve been outside Nigeria for a whole week. This isn’t at all how I meant to tell you, but I hope you understand that I’ve been really occupied. Being in a different time zone and continent has messed up my sleep schedule and circadian rhythm in an incredible way. I’ve been adjusting to a completely new life. It’s the real reason why I haven’t been consistent here lately. I won’t be exaggerating if I say I’m leaving everything I know behind and starting life all over. This is my hard reset; life’s second chance to get things right, and I’m taking it with both hands.
From touching down in Barbados, the first thing I noticed was the accent. These guys were speaking English, but you had to listen with your inner ears to make out what was being said. Also, the cars drive on the right side of the road. It was weird at first seeing cars with their steering wheels at the right side of the cars, but I guess I’ve gotten used to it. The sun here is on steroids. I don’t know how it simultaneously transmits maximum light and heat effortlessly. Under the sun’s gaze here, the city looks so much brighter and more colourful than home. I don’t know if it’s because the houses here are painted in bright popping colours, or that the sun just shines differently making everything brighter. By 5:30am here, the sun has already risen, and it stays out till 6:30pm. The rains too seem like jokes. All the rain that fell this past week all fit into the sparse silent showers category; rains that would’ve been totally ignored back home.
I especially enjoy the multi-ethnic setting that I live in, alongside fellow Nigerians, Sudanese, Indians, Bajans, Jamaicans and other ethnicities. It’s especially interesting seeing how everyone understands each others accents without straining. I reckon that I would need to spend more time around them to get to that point of fluidity.
Perhaps the most baffling bit is the time. The time here is five hours behind home. Reconciling those two different times hasn’t been easy for me at all. The disparity has made me question the concept of time more than ever before. A friend celebrated her birthday, and though it was just 7pm by my time, she had already posted as it was midnight by her time. New Music Friday has also been ruined for me, knowing that long after songs have been released in Nigeria, I’d have to wait five extra hours for them to be released here.
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Also, I can’t get over the money conversion thing. Whenever I’m out grocery shopping and I see a price tag, I do a whole conversion to the Nigerian Naira to know the true value of the item and if it is worth buying for the displayed price. I’ve met people here who say that in time, my valuation system would catch up. Well, we’ll be observing together. The usage of coins has been another culture shock. I guess I'll need to give it time too for me to adapt.
Being in a system where internet and electricity are stable has just made me look back at home with my face slightly dropped. I’m still very hopeful that someday in the near future, we would have infrastructure that would rival that of anywhere else in the world. I mentioned this hope to a friend and they said I was speaking from a place of privilege. I honestly understand their sentiment, but I don’t see this situation that way. In or away from home, home remains home, and I can only wish it well.
August 30th: happy birthday fimicho!
This is the point where I am meant to pop balloons. I turn 24 today, and I almost can’t believe how far I’ve come. I feel like I've officially left my early twenties and entered into my mid twenties, and life is somehow going to be different going forward. What better way to live in the shift than with the gift of new rebirth? God has aligned things to give me the rare gift of starting life over in a new continent, on new terms and with renewed resolve. I’m definitely not taking it for granted! Instead, I’m meeting it with new gratitude!
Someone called me around midnight to send regards, but that was just 7pm here of the previous day. I took the complement though 😂. Thank you Joshua!
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