Napping at Work

On days like today, I am thankful that Korean work culture is so accepting of employees taking naps during their working hours.  The first time I saw my co-teacher taking a nap at her desk, I was sooo confused; this might be grounds for getting fired if you did that in the States.  But, I soon found out that snoozing at your desk is perfectly OK here.  One of the reasons I think napping at work is common here is because Koreans are constantly saying how busy and stressed they are, and napping can be a quick relief to some of that stress.

The typical nap in my office: head down on desk.

I used to be very nervous about sleeping at my desk because it's not American culture and I've never dreamed of sleeping on the job before, but when I witnessed many of my coworkers doing it, then I decided it must be ok.  One time I even went into the school library and a teacher was sleeping while the kids looked at books.  During summer and winter vacations (when children are on break but teachers have to work), napping is especially common.  During those breaks, sometimes I'll nap for an hour or more.  I even have friends who have couches in their offices to nap on...talk about lucky!  

So on days like today when I'm feeling especially tired after lunch, I'm very grateful that I can take a quick nap at my desk....and it is wonderful....Zzzzz