Adrian Deausen
I work the graveyard shift at a hotel. I start at 11 p.m. and finish at 7 a.m. I sleep on the bus. I’ve missed my stops many times, but I’m getting better—I’ve been timing my naps. I’m from the Philippines. When I work at night, it’s actually daytime in the Philippines. I think my biological clock knows that and I do my work just fine during the night.
I moved to the U.S. two years ago when my mom petitioned for me. To be honest, I didn’t want to move here. I felt sad to be leaving my dad. He had family there, but I was the one who took care of him. He passed away last year. Moving here was a tough decision, but my mom has sacrificed so much to build a life here for herself and for me. I wanted to honor that. Since my dad is gone now, I feel like I need to move on and build a life here and make him proud.