'I feel kind of hungover after the holiday'

Many people are struck by "holiday fever" in early December, as more holidays are in the offing for Christmas and New Year, while the long Idul Fitri holiday is just over. Although civil servants officially resumed work on Monday, many workers with private companies workers were still in holiday mode. The Jakarta Post talked to some workers on the transition between the holiday and work.

Evy, 32, works at a public relations company in Jakarta. She enjoyed the long holiday until Dec.1:

Tuesday is my first day back at the office. I feel kind of hungover and toward the end of the year, business is slow. We are just finishing our projects for this year, while new ones will not come until next year.

I still have a load of work waiting, which I will finish as soon as possible. To tell you the truth I need more holidays. I still have two days of my annual leave remaining and I will use them to extend the upcoming Christmas holiday.

Candra Gautama, 35, an editor with a publishing company in Jakarta, lives in Depok, south of the capital:

I didn't go to work on Monday because I came down with a cold, but I will go to the office on Tuesday.

I don't think I'm experiencing a holiday hangover. I feel just the same way about waking up to work as I did before the long holiday.

But I understand why people get a holiday hangover at this time, especially those working in Jakarta. It's indeed difficult to readjust quickly to the bustling city, the traffic congestion and the mountainous work load.

Dito, 30, is a reporter with an automotive magazine in Rawa Belong, South Jakarta. He spent his nine-day holiday at his parents' home in Blitar, East Java:

My bus trip home to Jakarta took about 16 hours. Luckily, I didn't have to jump straight back to work, as I still had two more days to get myself together again.

Spending time away from the city and being together with my family back home kind of recharged my energy. I feel ready to deal with my daily routine.

--The Jakarta Post