Deutsch auf der Aiken High School

It's hard to get much done in Germany during August because Germans consider holidays a human right. An investigation into the undeniable earnestness of the German vacation.

The voice at the other end of the phone was accusing, the caller an angry manager from the human-resources department. Had theft of office staples been discovered? Was someone taking too long for a tea break? No, it was none of those.

“You have 10 days of your holidays remaining,” the voice scolded. “You really must take them, you know. You will not be able to use them next year.”