Groundhog Day

This is my second Monday in a row.

Last Thursday, China observed Labor Day. Previously, the country observed this holiday over 3 days. The entire country would travel, , leading to crowded conditions and late transport everywhere. In an effort to make everyone's lives easier, the government changed Labor Day to a one day holiday this year, and added two more 1 day holidays over the course of the year.

Although we are all for more long weekends, the logistics of this one were less than ideal. Labor Day was May 1st. May 1st was a Thursday. In America, a holiday weekend beginning on Thursday would be changed one of two ways - either Friday would also be a holiday (result: a 4-day weekend), or the holiday would be observed on Friday (result: work Thursday, then a 3-day weekend).

China took a different approach.

The country observed the holiday on Thursday.

And everyone went back to work on Sunday.

In order to have a 3-day weekend, the country has everyone working a 6-day week.

My head can not adjust to this change.

We skype with my parents every Tuesday morning at 9:00. We just spent 20 minutes trying to call them, not understanding why they wouldn't answer the ring. It was only after I received an email from my mom saying talk to you tomorrow! that I realized - its only Monday!

I have arranged deliveries wrong, made plans for the wrong day, and generally made a mess of my head.

This is not a new phenomenon in China. The major holidays are traditionally 3-day holidays, where everyone works on both Saturday and Sunday the week prior to have 7 work-free days in a row. So far we have managed to these long work weeks, and I think we'll do our best to travel over them in the future as well.