'I feel too lazy to work after holiday'

'I feel too lazy to work after holiday'

The Idul Fitri holiday that began last Thursday is now officially
over and civil servants were required to return to work on
Wednesday. Some felt refreshed after the long holiday, while
others found it difficult to get back into the routine after so
many days away from the office. The Jakarta Post talked to a
number of people about how they felt being back at work.

Rani, 39, has been a civil servant in the city administration
for 16 years. She lives in Kalibata, South Jakarta, with her
husband and two children:

Honestly, I feel a bit lazy to start working after having six
days off for Idul Fitri. I'm still thinking about my relatives
and family. I wish I could spend more time with them. Anyway,
there is not much to do in the office after a long holiday like
this.

I only came to work today because I was afraid my supervisor
would conduct an impromptu inspection to check and make sure
everyone showed up for work. So I had to show up at the office.

I wasn't surprised that some of my colleagues didn't come to
work for whatever reasons. It's common among civil servants I
guess. But of course it also depends upon the individual.

I've done the same thing myself, extending the holiday for
past Idul Fitris. But I didn't do that this year because I
already had an extended holiday.

Efrimal, 45, has been a civil servant in the Ministry of
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries since 1984. He lives in Depok,
West Java, with his wife and three children:

Maybe I'm different from the rest of my colleagues, but I'm
happy to be back at work. That's how I feel. I'm just glad to be
busy again.

You know, I felt a bit bored spending all those days at home
with nothing to do. Maybe because I didn't go home for the
holiday. I just spent my vacation at home here. Six days off is
enough time for me to spend here with my family. I guess I would
have felt different if I had gone to my hometown and spent the
holiday there.

Adi Sasongko, 53, is a doctor at a community health center in
Tebet, South Jakarta. He is married and has two children:

I realize that I have to go back to work because my profession
requires me to do so. It's no big deal for me.

It's better to go to work than to stay at home because the
rest of my family has gone back to work too.

Besides, as a doctor I'm on-call 24 hours a day. It's part of
my job. So I never intended to extend my holiday.

However, I cannot deny that the working atmosphere here is
still like a holiday. Several colleagues have not showed up yet.
I can tolerate that because they are taking their annual leave.

Compared to last year, I don't really have any feelings about
returning to work.

Kusmar, 42, has been a civil servant in the Ministry of
Manpower and Transmigration for 17 years. He lives in Bekasi with
his wife and six children:

Personally, I feel refreshed on the first day back at work
after the Idul Fitri holiday, thanks to the three additional
days.

I had enough time to visit and get together with all my
relatives during the Idul Fitri celebration.

It's different than past years when I felt lazy to go back to
work after the holiday, which only lasted two days. I never used
to be in the mood to work.

I think the government should maintain its new policy
extending the national holiday, because people are ready to get
back to work after the long break.

-- Leo Wahyudi S