Time for vacations
The moment someone says 'June' or 'July' the first two words that pop up in any Pakistani's head, no matter what age, are 'summer vacations'. School-going children all over the country dream about these two months all year long, when they can put away their uniforms in the storeroom and enjoy eight or more weeks of fun and games at home.
But have you ever wondered as to when children from other countries of the world get to be off school? Does every child in the world have a 'June-July' just like children in Pakistan do? Well, the answer is no. The month and duration of vacations vary from country to country, and here is how and when.
In the United States, for example, summer vacations are similar to those in Pakistan but last for almost three months, i.e. late May to late August. However, in Australia, the summer season officially lasts from December to February, and also coincides with Christmas and New Year holidays. Typically, Christmas or summer 'holidays' (the term used in place of 'vacation') in Australia last approximately six weeks, usually from around mid-December to the last few days of January.
In the Philippines, summer holidays usually start from the third or last week of March and end in the first week of June, which is quite a lot of time off. The summer vacations in the Philippines coincide with the country's tropical summer months which span from March to May, hence the long holiday.
In Malaysia, final term examinations begin in October and around November 15 every year, the schools shut down for the rest of the year and start again from January 1. In Russia, summer vacations start on the last week of May and usually end on the September 1.
The longest, most luxuries holidays enjoyed by school-going children are in Saudi Arabia, where the summer vacations start in June and end in the middle of October. This is so because Saudi Arabia becomes unbearably hot during the summer and Arabia summers tend to last for a very long period of time. So if you think two months of vacations aren't enough for you, pack up and move to Saudi Arabia. Happy holidays!
