When I got back to the states, I was very tired. I had been awake for 22 hours with only an hour-long nap on the plane, and it was about 8:30 pm in Portland. My parents took me back to the hotel, and I fell asleep almost instantly. Unfortunately, my sleep was short-lived, and I woke up at 3:00 in the morning. I couldn’t even go back to sleep because my body thought that it was the middle of the day. Not amusing, jet lag, not amusing in the slightest. I was hit with it very hard this trip (unlike my trip over to London), and it took about a week and a half for my body to get on the right time.
This arrival was very different from my arrival in London. I had slept for a good three hours or so on the plane ride there, and when we arrived at roughly 10:30 in the morning was not sleepy at all. I suppose it was all the adrenaline. While I was excited to return home and see everyone, I did not have the same push behind me that was there for my arrival in London.
I do miss London. There were so many things I didn’t get to do. And now that I’m home, I keep finding things (interesting articles, things mentioned in books, etc.) that I wish I had known about before I went to London because I certainly would have visited them if I had known of their existence. On my third day back, I sat down with a list of places in England and a map, and I planned out my next trip.
I always find jet lag more challenging coming east to west as well. Many people I know experience exactly the opposite. I can understand how energized you must have felt arriving in London and wiped out returning home. Give it a week or so, and you’ll be restored to your normal northwest rhythms. Michele
I know exactly what you mean. I’ve also made a list of things I didn’t get to do in England that I want to do when I go back next. Glad you’re having a nice time back at home!
Allison