In the meantime it’s time for goodbyes. At my workplace, we have a weekly “morning tea” (what’s been called Bake Day) where we rotate bringing in (usually homemade) baked goods for everyone’s pleasure. When a special event takes place, like someone leaving, we have an even bigger Bake Day. Yesterday was a double special Bake Day, since it’s the last week in the office for myself and another person. I was given a super cute and sweet card, which everyone wrote farewells in:
And my supervisor even came in from paternity leave just to say some nice words about me. I was really touched. It will be sad to leave behind my colleagues, who have been really fun to work with and a workplace is this so flexible and laid back it actually has a Bake Day!
So when people hear that I’m leaving, of course the first thing everyone feels compelled to ask is ‘why’? It’s a hard question to answer actually, but it is a fair question. The answer varies depending on my mood since there are many factors that contributed to our decision… My first reaction is basically “why not?” but sometimes I’m more specific and talk about Theo’s coaching opportunities in the States, or if I’m feeling contemplative, I might ruminate on why I came here in the first place, as a bit of an experiment out of pure curiosity and now… well, now my curiosity has been satisfied.
Since we probably only have a couple weeks left here now, I keep thinking about the things I should enjoy, that I may not get to experience for a very long time… like the taste of meat pies and quality fish and chips… I’ll try to pack it all in and remember each flavor, and the sound of the Aussie accents or (my fave) the sound of the kookaburras… but I know it’s futile… memories always fade. But I’ll try anyway!
