Journal, Day 4

I survived another day at my new job, yay!  I was actually quite ill, but since the boss mentioned in a meeting how nice it was that so few sick days were used by employees, I didn't dare say boo.  Sometimes I think the American view on health and productivity is so skewed!
Well, I managed NOT to vomit into a trash can in front of a room full of kids, so I guess that's my own personal triumph for the day!
Being sick and not being able to do anything about it got me to thinking about productivity, and how we have such skewed notions of it.  I really do think that we would be much more productive as a society (whatever THAT means) if we embraced.. vacations.  And down time.  And going home.  And "gosh darn it, Maine has so few sunny days, why should I sit inside hunched at my desk all day?!" days.  In New Zealand the average vacation (modeled after many European countries) is 4 weeks.  France, I've been told, has five weeks of vacation.  Five!  Doesn't it sound almost criminal?!
Having lived and worked in Japan, I know what the viewpoint is of those considering their meager vacation time compared with a country with a lot of vacation.  The average Japanese person takes 3 days off a year for themselves.  A honeymoon, the longest vacation they'll ever get to blink at, lasts a week.  Some doctors have literally ONE day off a year.  Are they more productive than Americans?  I didn't necessarily see the difference.  I had students cramming for exams who, despite having a special day off, would literally spend their time from waking to sleep just studying.  I couldn't convince them that if they took 2 hours off for themselves, they probably would be much more likely to remember everything.
So, to the average Japanese person, Americans must seem like they have a crazy amount of vacation time.  But ironically, they seem to be much better about sick time.  It's true, "vacation time" in your contract actually means "this is your sick time, don't you DARE use this for vacation time you disgusting sloth!"  Sick time means "wow, you must have been so sick you used all your vacation time, and now you're using your sick time to boot!"  The issue of no vacations aside, I've found them to be quite accommodating about issues of health.  It isn't unheard of even for an employee to take off time for mental health.  How nice would that be to have in the U.S.?
So, these were the things passing through my mind as I held my guts and tried to concentrate on what a group of rambunctious 13 year-olds were shouting to me and each other.  Although, now that I think of it, reversing lunch in front of everyone would certainly have quieted the room.