around the world in 80 years
99% of the time, i am happy to be an american. not that i'm the flag waving, face painting, toby keith humming type (to borrow a lil sentiment from kathy griffin), but in the normal, materialistic and self-important sort of way. for better or worse, i'm quite content to have been born here, reside here, and harbor no future plans to flee. in fact, i've always been one to roll my eyes when pompous idiots ramble on in public about grandiose plans to jump ship in favor of permanent residence somewhere across the pond just because it's "better." unless it's work-related, shutthefuckup. but, there is one instance where maybe (just maybe) they're on to something...
this past weekend i had brunch with a friend from denmark who was visiting new york for the second time this year, not to mention previous '06 trips to san diego, chicago, and who knows where in europe. at one point, the conversation deviated to my friend's dilemma over where he should vacation at the end of next month. at 27, he had no qualms at declaring that he was "done" with europe and "done" with the states. ordinarily, i'd consider this to be hifalutin babble in the same manner that i'm "done" with britney spears (but you know i can't keep my eyes of that trainwreck). in fact, the statement wasn't really exaggeration at all. he has been-there, done-that, and in some cases, many times over.
there is a significant gap between the average american's and the average european's ability to travel, see and do. (and by average, i mean middle/upper-middle class americans vs. whatever that equates to in europe). but, the source of the gap is not rooted as much in economics as it is rooted in time. many americans have the money (or at least the credit) to go just about anywhere, but it's finding the time that's the problem.
in the course of a year, the average american probably takes one or two long-weekend trips with a 7-10 day vacation in the summer. to achieve these getaways, the typical 1-3 weeks of paid vacation needs to be meticulously budgeted and planned for. we need to request the time off weeks, sometimes months, in advance to avoid inconveniencing our coworkers with 5 business days to ourselves. we must maximize our time with just the right flights, and sometimes piggy-back on holidays we may already have off to squeeze out an extra day or two. and once we finally get away, many of us can't help but check our emails and phone messages daily for fear that we'll be too far behind when we get back. all of which begs the question, do we really go on vacation in this country, or do we just take trips and a few days off of work? there is a difference.
back to my denmarkian (aka danish) friend. it's really no wonder that he's seen as much as he has at a relatively young age. his current job alone provides 6 weeks of paid vacation with potential to earn more for working a weekend day every now and then, not to mention virtually limitless sick days. the european average seems to deviate anywhere from 4-8 weeks of paid vacation a year, with many countries practically shutting down the entire month of august. the european work culture not only allows for boundless vacation opportunities, but practically mandates it. if i had that much time, i'd have surely been around the world and back again by now.
alas, i am left with a mile long list of all of the places, both domestic and international, that i'd love to see and experience. but at the rate of one or two major trips a year, i just don't have the time to get there in a hurry.
this past weekend i had brunch with a friend from denmark who was visiting new york for the second time this year, not to mention previous '06 trips to san diego, chicago, and who knows where in europe. at one point, the conversation deviated to my friend's dilemma over where he should vacation at the end of next month. at 27, he had no qualms at declaring that he was "done" with europe and "done" with the states. ordinarily, i'd consider this to be hifalutin babble in the same manner that i'm "done" with britney spears (but you know i can't keep my eyes of that trainwreck). in fact, the statement wasn't really exaggeration at all. he has been-there, done-that, and in some cases, many times over.
there is a significant gap between the average american's and the average european's ability to travel, see and do. (and by average, i mean middle/upper-middle class americans vs. whatever that equates to in europe). but, the source of the gap is not rooted as much in economics as it is rooted in time. many americans have the money (or at least the credit) to go just about anywhere, but it's finding the time that's the problem.
in the course of a year, the average american probably takes one or two long-weekend trips with a 7-10 day vacation in the summer. to achieve these getaways, the typical 1-3 weeks of paid vacation needs to be meticulously budgeted and planned for. we need to request the time off weeks, sometimes months, in advance to avoid inconveniencing our coworkers with 5 business days to ourselves. we must maximize our time with just the right flights, and sometimes piggy-back on holidays we may already have off to squeeze out an extra day or two. and once we finally get away, many of us can't help but check our emails and phone messages daily for fear that we'll be too far behind when we get back. all of which begs the question, do we really go on vacation in this country, or do we just take trips and a few days off of work? there is a difference.
back to my denmarkian (aka danish) friend. it's really no wonder that he's seen as much as he has at a relatively young age. his current job alone provides 6 weeks of paid vacation with potential to earn more for working a weekend day every now and then, not to mention virtually limitless sick days. the european average seems to deviate anywhere from 4-8 weeks of paid vacation a year, with many countries practically shutting down the entire month of august. the european work culture not only allows for boundless vacation opportunities, but practically mandates it. if i had that much time, i'd have surely been around the world and back again by now.
alas, i am left with a mile long list of all of the places, both domestic and international, that i'd love to see and experience. but at the rate of one or two major trips a year, i just don't have the time to get there in a hurry.
posted by mark at 12:24 PM
2 Comments:
I have long since felt that other countries have a much better work ethic than Americans- i.e. work is what they do to support their lifestyle, but in America, we are our jobs. One of the first things you ask someone in this country is: "So, what do you do?". We define ourselves by our jobs. Ew.
Also, there is nothing wrong with Toby Keith. That is all.
slow
and steady
wins
the race.
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