labor day -- the end of summer & job illusions

remember a year ago, i was writing about my confusion about keeping track of holidays in two countries.

another one has settled in to give us-americans one of the typical three-day weekends for the country. tomorrow is labor day and it made me think of two things.

first, it's a somewhat eerie day here as many us-americans are dealing with a serious bout of unemployment, something a lot of people in this country are not used to. but double-digit percentages of unemployed have brought woes of how to pay for the house, how to feed kids, and how to find another job to the forefront of social discourse.

by the way, Langzeitarbeitslose are called "discouraged workers". (too bad that sometime just a bit of us-style can-do encouragement doesn't fix the problem.)

as an east german i grew up with the ghost of unemployment that settled in the region after the german reunion. during high school we all thought we wouldn't get a place in a university program of our choice or an apprenticeship to later get a job. it worked out in the end but fear fed our work for good grades. after all, parents and relatives lost jobs. everyone knew someone.

during university we all thought we won't get a job. sudden panic attacks happened. unpaid internships discouraged job positions in the future. after wrestling through thesis time, sooner or later, all friends i know of found a job or alternatively phd program. a couple of friends wrote applications for about a year and/or survived through multiple internships. others had to register for unemployment even if just briefly. yet others were scrampling for scholarships and funding to finance their research. nobody has taken their job or program for granted. after all, some of the unemployed we knew of never found a job again.

back in the us of a, people tell me labor day stands for the end of summer. but with an average temperature around 90 degree F [30 degree C] forecast for the coming week in dc this is hard to believe. past year in the capital, i wore short sleeves into november. a friend from texas says dito for her state.

so while i've developed an awareness of when us-specific holidays occur, they often make me think of my foreigness because i don't get it. asking around i learnt that labor day weekend is also the last occasion to barbeque for the year. where people barbeque i don't know; everyone seems to have left the city. but mayhaps, a party outside consoles for the labor ahead in stuffy offices and classrooms. that is, until thanksgiving break beckons with more celebration in just about three months.

but maybe it's time to subsitute labor day with unemployment day. i think a lot of people could relate no matter where they're from.