We arrive at the hotel. The doors open automatically. A Romanian works at the reception desk and he has been expecting us. We sit down and have a little chat with him, but he is not saying that much. He gets up, walks away, and tells us that he will be available to answer questions. Later that night we ask him when he sleeps. He tells that he has developed a way of coping with sleep deprivation. He first had a long sleep after finishing his night shift, but that did not work out well as he was still very tired after that. He now sleeps a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening, before he starts the night shift. He is vague when talking about his job, he appears to be uncomfortable, but when we tell him that the night gets you into a special state of mind, a more contemplative mood, he unswervingly says that ‘the night is more intimate’. Apart from that, he does find it difficult to build up a normal social life, working the night shifts is lonely and tough.
Ⓒ Cezar MacQuarie and Ger Duijzings. Location & date; Bethnal Green, East London, Thursday 26 and Friday 27 January 2012 (before midnight and around 2am). Image: Ger Duijzings through DreamStudio.
