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TIME CONFUSION


I went to Cochin on a college tour with my friends, classmates, and staff. We were a gang of 11—the biggest group in the entire tour! We got three separate rooms to sleep in. But even though we had three rooms, we all gathered in the same one, chatting, playing, dancing, singing, and teasing each other.

Our tourist guide asked us to be ready by 6:00 AM the next day, so he told us to sleep early to avoid getting tired. We finally went to bed around 11:00 PM.

I’m usually very punctual and always have been. So, I told my friend to wake me at 4:30 AM so that we could all get ready on time. My friend woke us all up, but I still felt very sleepy. I dragged myself to the bathroom, turned on the tap, and found the water ice cold. I called room service and asked them to turn on the hot water. The staff told me, "Ma’am, hot water is available only from 5:00 AM."

I waited for half an hour, then turned on the tap again—still cold water! I started getting tense and angry because we all had to get ready soon. Being punctual is very important, especially for such a big group! I called the reception, but no one answered. Frustrated, I marched down to the reception area and found the receptionist sleeping.

After much effort, I managed to wake him up and told him it was 5:10 AM, but there was no hot water. He stared at me, confused, and then pointed to the clock. "Ma’am, it’s only 2:40 AM," he said.

My friends had played a trick on me! They had woken me up at 2:00 AM!

I rushed back to the room, checked my watch, and confirmed—it really was 2:40 AM. My friends were laughing uncontrollably, and even the receptionist couldn’t help but smile.

I laughed at my own innocence too! From that day on, I never asked anyone to wake me up. I always set my own alarm!

Originally Posted on 25-March-2010

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