How I became an Owl

There are two types of Night people; those who wake up early, and those who stay up late.

I have tried for years to reset my body clock. I joke often, that my timetable is an American citizen living in Nigeria. 

I soon learnt to study beside a pot of beans, to watch YouTube videos while doing laundry, to pray while in traffic

“How are you still awake at this time?” is a question I am bored of. I often ignore, or explain to new  acquaintances, that all is well, and no, I shall not stop replying/sending e.mails at 2.00am. You should be asleep after all, not awake, asking another person why they are awake. Chai, this negates all the principles of live and let live. May Oliver de Coque forgive all of them.

There are two types of Night people; those who wake up early, and those who stay up late.

You see, I have always liked the dark, felt more at ease with the night, worked better, studied harder. 

At first, it was life happening to me. At Queens College, I realised that those who did not set forth at dawn, would join long queues to fetch water, and bathe. One morning, first time in boarding house and sufferer of long queues for a while, my dorm-mate woke me at 4.30am.

I had been a first time mom, managing the home front, my self, getting to school early for classes, preparing for exams -and exclusive breastfeeding. 

“We have to bathe now, we can continue sleeping if we want”

This was the beginning.

Then years later at the University of Lagos, nobody told me to wake up early, catch some study, as well as avoid water and bathroom queues.

But these were the times I was in camp wake up early, I shifted in the most amazing way.

This naughty comment by my friend, Felicia, reminded me how I shifted camp.

Hilarious! These are the people you cannot play with o, a one month old baby will turn five in a very long time, so I had to laugh mbok.

I had been a first time mom, managing the home front, myself, getting to school early for classes, preparing for exams -and exclusive breastfeeding. 

I came to the realisation that I no longer had the luxury of allocating certain times to singular activities

“Buy milk for the boy so your mom can move in and give him at night and  you can sleep”

“No”

(One, my Omugwo was over. Two, I took utter delight in the way my baby stared and smiled at me whenever he ate. The bond was amazing!)

Random: I am indifferent to exclusive breastfeeding. I think all decisions to, or to not, are valid)

I soon found myself struggling to stay awake in Class, rushing to my car to steal short naps, losing hours of study.

My mom to the rescue

“Madam, you cannot wake up to breastfeed and be staring into the walls while at it. Keep your notes beside you and read!”

Silly me, how didn’t I figure that out? 

I came to the realization that I no longer had the luxury of allocating certain times to singular activities. I soon learnt to study beside a pot of beans, to watch YouTube videos while doing laundry, to pray while in traffic. My life became a constant and interesting attempt to think out of the box, think without a box, multitask. 

But none of this beat the hours I stayed awake breastfeeding or watching over a sick baby who couldn’t sleep, as they kept coming after each other. (Honest, didn’t do anything, they just kept coming)

The night is quiet, peaceful, the ideas flood in easier. I have attempted to switch back to being an early riser vs staying up late, failed. With my last baby aged two, I have left the nursing mother bracket, so this swap should have happened.

One last confession: If you’ve read some of my posts in the past, you’ll know that it is only at Night you can enjoy your junk without all these “Mommy, can I have some? “Mommy, cut for me” rada rada.

Maybe it’s here to stay, or maybe Felicia is right and my body is protecting itself from a system shock in advance -Why swap when your turn will come again? 

Best wishes,

Achalugo

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