The Puzzle of Time Zones…by Vidya
Vidya Nalawade
I thought of writing about time zones because of a small incident. My life in BG was going pretty normal. Nice weather, study, friends, and games. What else do you need?
But, one night at 4 AM, I got a call from my uncle. After seeing the name on the mobile screen, my heart stopped for moment thinking about bad things. Our mind is really mischievous; it scares you more than you should be. When I picked up the call it was my uncle saying, “Beta (In India, this is the way elders calls you), how are you? I just called you to say Hi.” Just imagine my position at that time! I tried to control my anger and said, “Namste Uncle, I am fine. But it is 4 am in the morning here…..” My uncle, “Ohh.. sorry Beta, it is 6.30 pm in India. So I thought you would have finished your classes, and this is the best time. So I called.” I was so confused. Should I be frustrated or feel sad? I promised him to call tomorrow and slept again.
So guys, now you would have understood the reason for this blog. Time zones are really a big deal, if you are coming from the different continent. In the US itself, there are NINE time zones depending on the geographical position. And trust me, as this was not good enough, the day light saving adds more confusion in these time zones. I tried to explain these things to my parents and relatives so many times but they just don’t get it. And as a result, I get calls early in the morning like 3 am or 4 am.
So one quick word of advice, before coming to the U.S.: let your parents know about the time difference. You know something; I found the best solution for this problem. I asked my dad to buy a clock which shows U.S. time zone. So I told them before you call me, see the time in that clock and not in your watch. Also that clock is automatic so I don’t have to worry about the daylight savings time change. Smart, huh? Implement it, because it is really a great help.
So, I welcome you to the world of time zones. I do remember one saying: “the World never sleeps.” And that’s true… because of the TIME ZONES.
Cheers,
Vidya