Last night one of O’s friends stopped by and, during the course of the conversation, he asked me if I missed living in the US. This started me thinking about my life, comparing the way I lived before, and considering the things that I do miss. Obviously, one of the things I miss is being with my family and friends.

I have to admit though that over time those friends have dwindled. It’s natural, I guess, but those who would write regularly then began to write only periodically and there are those whom I haven’t heard from in months (dare I say more than a year?). Some may say that means that they weren’t very good friends to begin with. But, I think it’s because everyone is busy with their own life and between the hustle and bustle of work, errands, etc. It’s hard to find time.

After all, in America, many work 24 hours a day carrying Blackberries or pagers to constantly be checking email or be up to date on what’s happening at the office. I recently read on AlterNet that 88 percent of Americans carry electronic devices while on vacation in order to communicate with the workplace and that 40 percent check their work email. Isn’t it supposed to be a vacation? How can it be when you’re thinking about work and in communication with the office? And, by the way, we’re not talking about doctors; we’re talking about office workers.

There’s another interesting article on Braun Consulting News. Although it dates from 2004, I would challenge you to prove that things have changed for the better. The article discusses the fact that many Americans don’t even take all the vacation time allotted to them for fear that they may get behind in work, that their bosses disapprove of them taking time off, or that they would lose “face-time” and thus lose status in the workplace. It goes on to compare the US to other countries and the amount of vacation time that employers are required to give employees. I won’t go into the various statistics here, but suffice it to say that the US is way behind in granting vacation time to its workers.

As many of you know, last month was “vacation” month here in Italy. Many workers had the entire month off, although some (O included) had only a few weeks off. Yes, it can get somewhat annoying when you’re trying to get something done in August and know that you will have to wait an entire month. And, although there is always someone in the public offices since they rotate their time off, often the one person who knows the answer to your question or how to help you is the one who is on vacation when you need assistance. But, in the end, you get used to it. Most often, the issue at hand isn’t a critical situation and you realize that no harm will be done in waiting a few weeks. (Obviously, people who work in certain industries - doctors, policemen, etc. - don’t all take August off.)

This is not to say that people don’t work hard in Italy. On the contrary, they do. But, they also know how to live life and enjoy their time off, even if all they’re doing is heading to the beach or the mountains or planning a barbecue with friends.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

And, after all, what’s so bad about having a few weeks of vacation anyway?

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