Away from Work

Jung En Seo

Tuesday, 1st of May, the school gate was firmly closed, and there were no students to be spotted. On this particular day, the school was closed to celebrate Labor Day, a public holiday. Labor Day in Malaysia started in the 1970s and was established to recognize the contribution of workers and celebrate the coming spring. Labor Day is a day for leisure and rest for people who have worked hard for the past few months.

Not many people were able to leave the country because the holiday was too short. However, fortunately, on May 1st, the sun was bright, and the weather was perfect for outside activities. So, people were able to enjoy their leisure and hobbies outdoors. Ji Woo (5), who spent her day under the sun, said, "I rode a bicycle with my sister because we did not have to go to the school that day. I had fun.”

For some people, this day meant more than a public holiday. Vivien, a senior, quoted, “It is a great time to spend with your family. Especially in Korea, people rush to work and come back home late at night. Labor Day provides a time to be spent without the stress of going to work”.

Although for some people it was a rather relaxing public holiday, for the AP Calculus students it wasn’t. They took their mock exam during this holiday.

 “I hated it. I almost was tempted not to go, but Mrs. Kearney’s voice kept ringing in my ear. I had to go. The saddest thing about this was not getting to sleep in,” Harin Park (12) expressed about taking a mock exam on Labor Day.

Though people spent time doing different things on this wonderful day, every one of the Dalat school students made use of this day—and most seemed to be satisfied with it.