MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—”THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
It was Monday. I was working.
Some people in other parts of the world weren’t. I didn’t know that.
It wasn’t until I heard from my colleague at 11:40 p.m. last night. He had not answered my earlier texts about reading and approving our newsletter to go out today.
“Today is a holiday so I will look at it in the morning.”
“Oh shoot! That’s right!”
I should have known. That’s why no one was answering my emails and texts. I lived in Spain, but the whole world didn’t.
My mother had written me that morning. She sent me pictures of her visit to the cemetery to put flowers on my baby sister’s grave and my grandparents’ tombs.
I should have known, but somehow I didn’t.
Somehow it didn’t register.
I was living in another world—my son was at school. I was working. Everyone was working. I had been to the post office, the bank, and the pharmacy that morning. Everything was open and the work world seemed to be functioning normally.
Until I got that text. Then I remembered. It was Memorial Day in the US. It was a holiday.
Here in Spain and much of Europe, Memorial Day is not on the last Monday of May. It’s in November, the first day of the month, “All Saint’s Day.” That’s the day everyone goes to the cemetery to remember the loved ones they have lost and those who have sacrificed their lives for their country.
Yep, I forgot.
I’m sorry I forgot. I’ll try to remember next time.
It’s like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and all these other mixed up holidays and time zones around the globe. It’s super confusing. I forget where I am. I forget what day it is. Please forgive me.
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—”THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
What about you? Depending on where you live in the world, do you ever mix up holidays and time zones?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
