Strange things you're not used to

[Reba 2]

lol welcome in north america (canada is the same when u start a job u get 2 weeks vacations a year)

Yeah, but at least in Canada that 2 weeks vacation is federally mandated, plus you usually also get sick days, plus statutory holidays pretty much one per month. (and I read in the last year or so they're considering adding one week to the mandatory vacation allowance) Here in the US, vacation time is NOT federally mandated, (the only western country that does not) employers DO NOT HAVE to give employees vacation time or sick time. Nor do they have to pay you for or even give you the day off for "holidays". As a fer instance, the company I currently work for does not allow for a day off on Memorial Day. Another company I used to work for here doesn't even allow for a day off on Independence Day! Its just another day of the week.

[StillThePrettiest 3]

...Here in the US... (the only western country that does not)...

yeah, you guys are stand-outs on a number of things

especially, I am proud to say, signing the Kyoto Protocol, which Australia FINALLY signed after a leadership change, leaving the US on its lonesome

even though it's largely symbolic now, with how much the whole environmental issue has moved on and complexified (made up word alert ), I feel SO much better about being Australian

go Kevin

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

i wanted to add that my fiance thinks american breakfast is absolutely ridiculous...i kind of agree with him

in italy and albania (the two places where he has lived), people generally have a coffee and little pastry or croissant for breakfast...not the case here in the good ol' usa!!

lol i LOVE typical american breakfast foods, but could definitely not handle eating them everyday...i mean fried eggs with potatoes, sausage/bacon and toast...or pancakes....or french toast....mmmm delish, but oh so fatty!! lol where is the obese smiley when you need it?!

[*julez* 124]

Wel, I just "celebrated" my tenth year with the bank I work for. I have 25 vacation days, 1 floating holiday, 8 sick days and all the national holidays off. Not a bad gig if you can handle the boringness of the job!

[StillThePrettiest 3]

I was reading an article the other day that was talking about the Full English... saying that these breakfasts became the norm when people worked so hard that they burned off the 3000 calories from the breakfast by lunch time, but now we're still eating them and our lifestyles are *ahem* somewhat different... the author of the article persuaded a truck-driver to swap his daily fry-up for porridge and the guy lost a stone and a half in a fortnight

I'm guessing similar things could be said of the origins of the hearty American breakfast...

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

Wel, I just "celebrated" my tenth year with the bank I work for. I have 25 vacation days, 1 floating holiday, 8 sick days and all the national holidays off. Not a bad gig if you can handle the boringness of the job!

good times, what the heck is a floating holiday???

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

I was reading an article the other day that was talking about the Full English... saying that these breakfasts became the norm when people worked so hard that they burned off the 3000 calories from the breakfast by lunch time, but now we're still eating them and our lifestyles are *ahem* somewhat different... the author of the article persuaded a truck-driver to swap his daily fry-up for porridge and the guy lost a stone and a half in a fortnight

I'm guessing similar things could be said of the origins of the hearty American breakfast...

i had to look up what a stone is but good god!! he must have been quite the husky fellow!!

[*julez* 124]

Wel, I just "celebrated" my tenth year with the bank I work for. I have 25 vacation days, 1 floating holiday, 8 sick days and all the national holidays off. Not a bad gig if you can handle the boringness of the job!

good times, what the heck is a floating holiday???

A floating holiday is granted when a bank holiday falls on a Saturday, so you get to make up for missing that holiday by taking another day off when it suits you!

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

Wel, I just "celebrated" my tenth year with the bank I work for. I have 25 vacation days, 1 floating holiday, 8 sick days and all the national holidays off. Not a bad gig if you can handle the boringness of the job!

good times, what the heck is a floating holiday???

A floating holiday is granted when a bank holiday falls on a Saturday, so you get to make up for missing that holiday by taking another day off when it suits you!

that is simply awesome

[*julez* 124]

Wel, I just "celebrated" my tenth year with the bank I work for. I have 25 vacation days, 1 floating holiday, 8 sick days and all the national holidays off. Not a bad gig if you can handle the boringness of the job!

good times, what the heck is a floating holiday???

A floating holiday is granted when a bank holiday falls on a Saturday, so you get to make up for missing that holiday by taking another day off when it suits you!

that is simply awesome

I know! Its stuff like that that keeps me working for this bank!

[melusine 5]

yeah that does happen... my sweet who is working at the same private company for 11 yrs have 8 weeks vacations a year if i remember well....

[BabyBlueSusie 1]

oh yea, adriano also gets freaked out everytime we go somewhere and have to go through metal detectors and get searched...the airport is one thing, but when we went to get his ssn we got searched and also when we went to six flags

land of the free

[Mononoke28 135]

You shouldn't go to Colombia then.

Diana

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

so wait, if the holiday falls on a weekend, for instance 4th July, most people DON'T get the Monday off?

oh dear, I think I need to lay down.

I work freelance now, so I don't really get to take any of my holiday time, but when I finish my contract I get paid for any holiday time I have built up. I get the statutory minimum amount of holiday pay, but that's still the equivilent of 24 paid days off a year.

I am happy to say that I have only ever seen schools with metal detectors on American TV, but I bet they've got plenty in L.A.

[SapphireDreams 71]

I'm really not looking forward to only getting 6-8 weeks off when I have a baby as opposed to 1 full year in Canada!!!

Some U.S. employers have great vacation time. My SO gets like 4 weeks or something like and he's only been there 3 years. He also gets extra personal time and sick time.

I'm not living in the US yet, but I've noticed that in Canada its really popular to use "green" (Cloth ones) grocery bags now and re-use and most grocery stores and even retail stores now carry them, but not so much in the US.