Dealing with the Darkness

The Hills of Buda, as seen from my office window at 4pm

By now folks back home are likely commenting on how it's getting dark earlier in the day, vitamin D supplements are flying off the shelves, and the Mordor references are being bandied about the water coolers again.

Budapest has them beat: It’s dark by 4pm – it is Mordor here.

The other day, I lost track of time and looked out the window to see a dark night sky above and street lamps on below. Afraid I missed an opportunity to take an afternoon nap (clearly, this wasn’t a work day), I checked the time. It was 3:30pm. There was plenty of time to nap and plenty of time after the nap to reflect on the blackness outside.

It’s also a little soul-crushing in the afternoon when you look out the office window and see the black night sky staring back at you. And another thing: because it gets dark earlier, I get tired earlier. There have been some nights where I feel like I’m ready to crash at 8pm. This is a vibrant party city, I should not feel like a narcoleptic!

All of this can be attributed to the ridiculousness of the Central European Time Zone, in which Budapest is on the far Eastern end. The name itself is a misnomer. Madrid and Budapest share the same time but are 2500 km apart – almost the breadth of Europe.

The only time zone more ridiculous is China, where Beijing time is imposed on Kashgar – 4375 km away, on the Western edge of the country. The sun rises there at 10am. It’s still dark there when you wake up and go to work. Riots over state discrimination against ethnic groups flared up there a few years ago, but I’m certain internal clock issues were lurking beneath the surface.

Back in Budapest I’m happy to report there are no riots. Only darkness. Cold, bleak darkness.