Winter break

This is the last week before our winter break. Three weeks off. It's not just my school; this is standard across Poland. I know, I know, we just had 10 days off around Christmas, and we'll have more around Easter. So why this break? No clue. As an American, this is one of the more difficult things to adjust to: these incessant holidays. Some are religious, some are national, some are just traditional. But they're virtually constant. And as a long-time worker in the service industry, I'm just not used to having so much time off (and the pain it causes in my bank account). I'm kinda lazy, so ok, it's nice not to have to go to work, but this is ridiculous. Part of the money that supported me until I found this job was the 80 hours or so I'd accumulated in unused vacation time. Where I come from, you work. Lots. All the time. And the jobs I had, I worked when most people had time off. It's been six weeks since we got back from Christmas break, and we're doing it again? That's silly. Six months, that I understand. Or even just a day or two, a week at the most. But three weeks? Part of me thinks this is a more civilized way to live, less stress, less pressure, etc. But another part thinks, no wonder the American economy kicks European ass: we're just working harder, plain and simple. Oh, that's a terrible, jingoistic thing to say, and I have no facts to back it up. It's just that my co-teacher has been counting down the days to this break since we got back January 2, and while he does work hard, not only at our school, but company classes and private lessons, it's still only been six weeks. I had friends that at the Blood Center for whom Katrina was probably their first extended time off in years. And we're talking 50-60 hour weeks in those years.
I don't know. It's just one of those cultural differences that can be puzzling. I guess I know now why it's called the Protestant work ethic.