One day left!
This has been up in my office since 1 September. Can you believe that was 44 working days ago? I remember looking at this countdown and wondering if I would ever get to this point; the future always seems much further away than the past, don’t you think? (The red days, in case you were wondering, were days already booked as holiday. Days 32 - 30: wonderful long weekend at the farm in Ireland; day 15 was a shorter but equally super weekend in Cornwall with friends.)
So this is it: tomorrow is my last day in the job I have loved for nearly two years. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I’m going to Australia! Sea, sun and speedos all year round! Of course this is absolutely the right thing to do. I have no regrets whatsoever, and yet I do have regrets. This has been a week of lasts: last dinner party, last lunch with such-and-such, last trip to so-and-so. Every meeting I have attended has ended with the same “I think it should be noted in the minutes…” gratitude so that half the University knows how thankful everyone for my having deigned to set foot on campus. Of course I’m touched, humbled and grateful for the generous praise: it’s always nice to know you are appreciated. But the sad fact I have realised this week, is that I just don’t want to leave.
It still hasn’t really sunk in that I am going. I’m still running around like a mad thing going to meetings and sending out missives ordering this, questioning that and cancelling the other. Even on my very last day I have a meeting at 2pm to hand over something that should have been done weeks ago. I’m updating the web site, I’m contacting students and tutors and paying bills and sending out invoices and managing staff and responding to queries and all because I just can’t. let. go. I’m planning to pop in next week just to see how it’s going! I must be mad!
I can foresee the following: tomorrow will be a mad panic to get as much done as possible, including lunch with my staff and leaving drinks late into the night with the whole department and their partners (nice, isn’t it?). Saturday will be spent moving out of the flat (eek!) and then James and I will flake out on Sunday. By the time Monday rolls around, while all of you are lamenting going into work, I will be waking up to face the fact that I don’t have a house or a job or a plan for the other side of the world, and then I will shit my pants.
Stay tuned! It’s going to be fun.
October 30th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I hope your last day goes OK. It’s a huge wrench when it comes to leave. Was like that when I left my job of 5.5 years, but I still see the colleagues as I’m still in London, so it’s not quite the same!
It is a huge change you have coming but it’s a life change and it’s natural to have last minute jitters. You will have the time of your life!
October 31st, 2008 at 12:41 am
I’m so glad that you can take your blog with you. I am living vicariously through you: so many exciting changes, I’m holding my breath for you over here. I’ve lived in this berg since I was 2 years old. Probably never will, at this point. But, never say never, yes?
October 31st, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I’m happy for you man. Life is about experiences and you are embarking on an incredible one.
Have a great last day at work!
January 25th, 2010 at 9:21 am
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