Starting on Friday, China will have its first national holiday since reopening businesses and industries that were closed due to Covid-19. This year, the May Day holiday has been extended to five days, but the decision is unrelated to the coronavirus. In previous years workers had only four days off for the May 1st holiday. Like other countries, China celebrates International Workers’ Day to recognize past labor struggles for workers’ rights and fair pay.
In the United States and Canada, Labor Day is celebrated at the beginning of September and symbolizes for many students, the beginning of a new academic year. This year, some Chinese students will have a similar experience because some schools will be resuming in-person classes, which were suspended at the end of last year due to Covid-19. Normally, Labor Day represents the beginning of summer for students, but the students may not mind since they’ll finally be able to see their friends in person.
As people still worry about the spread of the coronavirus, this holiday is likely to be different compared to past years. More people will likely stay at home and avoid travel. According to Mandy, Alo7 Tutor Recruitment Leader, government regulations require everyone to wear masks when visiting public spaces or taking transportation. They also advise people to eat in hotel rooms instead of restaurants if they choose to visit a tourist site.
Despite the regulations, the Alo7 Shanghai office staff are still looking forward to having some time off. Here is how they’ll be spending the long May Day holiday.
“There are lots of fun things to do here, and a little staycation sounds more relaxing than trying to go somewhere [due to navigating domestic travel regulations].”
Jon, Marketing, Academic Team
Mandy, Recruitment
In other years, Mandy would travel with her family around the countryside of Shanghai, but this year they will spend more time inside. She says, “My plan is to stay at home with my family, take a walk in the community garden and order milk tea or something yummy online. Maybe we will go to a Japanese restaurant for dinner.”
Jon, Senior Academic Trainer
Due to concern about the coronavirus and more regulations around travel, Jon will also be staying in Shanghai. He says before and after traveling he would need to fill out health forms and details about his plans. “There are lots of fun things to do here, and a little staycation sounds more relaxing than trying to go somewhere,” he says.
Francis, Tutor Management
Most ALO7 staff will be off from May 1st to the 5th, but Tutor Management and Quality Control team members will still be working shifts to support tutors and students who have classes over the Chinese national holiday, says Francis. They’ll also be working on May 4th to complete tutor payments for April, so you will not have a delay in your payments. After they finish, they plan to have a party!
Jason, AOT (ALO7 Online Tutoring) Manager
Jason will also be enjoying a staycation in Shanghai and playing baseball in a mini-tournament with a local league that he plays with. Although he appreciated the time to read more books or listen to podcasts over the past several weeks, he’s looking forward to getting back into his gym routine and enjoying things he used to take for granted, like getting to see friends in person and hang out.
Thomas (Tommy), Senior Academic Trainer
The number of Alo7 classes over the holiday may be lower due to students and parents being off school and work, but Tommy still plans to be working over the May 1st holiday. He will be staying in Shanghai since travel is still challenging and enjoying anything that involves going outside, he says, which still hasn’t lost its novelty.
Delanie Honda has a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a Master’s degree in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. While in Cambodia in 2014, she discovered she had a passion for helping students around the world achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals through language learning. During her Master’s studies, she researched interventions using technology to provide quality education to students around the world. She has been a tutor with ALO7 since April 2017 and lived in Southeast Asia, Ecuador and Colombia.
The digital nomad lifestyle has allowed her to pursue the two things she loves: travel and education. As a Chinese-Japanese American, Delanie is asked, “Where are you from?” a lot, but welcomes the opportunity to share her culture with the people she meets from around the world. Her favorite things to do while traveling are trying new foods, playing Ultimate Frisbee, and exploring on foot.
