Day 368

So I guess this is it. Tomorrow we get on a plane to Greece and by this time next week I will be repatriated. It's time for you and I to have a moment. Before you read on, I have picked out some music to help set the ambiance. Go ahead, click the link. Put on some head phones cause you don't want to be distracted. And make sure it's raining, and that you're standing in it, preferably surrounded by a giant crowd. Now we're ready to say goodbye.

I remember my first day here. The first morning, while suffering from a mild strain of Ebola virus that had me questioning if I should be writing my last will and testament on the in-room dining menu, I attempted to board a U3 bus using a 20 pound note and had to be bailed out by a friendly local. Upon arriving in this mystical place named "Uxbridge" I spent 45 minutes searching for a 9 story glass building that even the bobbies couldn't find. I finally got to the office and waited an hour for my manager to come grab me from reception while all these people with funny accents buzzed around me. Eventually, I was shown to my desk and handed a stack of documents to read. Before I made it through the change history page I was off to lunch at an authentic English pub where you order by pointing at the dish that looks the least scary. After lunch, it took no time at all before I was doing touch and gos at my desk and had to call it a day at 3 pm. Little did I know this was par for the course here in England.

Fast forward a year, and aside from the naps at my desk after lunch, I barely even recognize that scared little girl who landed at Heathrow that night. I've met a lot of incredible people, especially during the last 6 months, so leaving is bitter-sweet. On the one hand, I can't wait to get back to Denver after being away from my friends and family for 2 and half years (1 year here and another year and half in DC). But at the same time, aside from the insane work hours and missing home, I quite liked it here and I'm gonna miss a lot of folks. I can't possibly highlight all the good times, but I suppose I can pick a few:

• Tuesday night football, including a spectacular header that would have made Sir Alex Ferguson crap his depends (only made possible by an even more incredible throw in).
  
• Seeing places I would have otherwise never visited: Scotland, Spain, and Egypt.
  
• Working with a bunch of smart engineers that made me want to not say dumb things.
  
• Tea with milk. Big fan.
  

Of course, there were things I did not like. Stores closing at 7 pm is annoying. Not having a car and being a slave to unpredictable buses and tubes is annoying. Seeing 30 Americans in the office at 9pm with no Brits in sight is annoying. Seeing people litter with complete disregard for their own city is annoying. And let's get real: England is not exactly known for its cuisine. But mostly, pouring your heart and soul into a program that consistently lets you down is incredibly disheartening. I don't want to focus on work, because really I don't have to give a crap anymore, but I do wish everyone the best of luck.

Now to address the elephant in the room: the blog. I'd like to carry on, but I also have to be honest with myself: I have attempted at least twice in the past to maintain one and it inevitably falls to shit within a couple months. However, I will make you all a promise: I'll at least post when we get back from Greece and I am safely within the confines of a Chipotle. Past that, I advise adding me to your favorite RSS reader (might I recommend Google Reader) to keep you informed of updates, which may or may not come.

So that's it. After 328 Subways sandwiches, 234 pints of beer, 3256 hours of work, 17 18 misuses of the word "pants", and 9 bad teeth jokes in the presence of a Brit, it's time to say farewell. Thank you all for reading. I hope you laughed, I hope you cried, but most importantly, I hope you wet your pants. To all the people I abandoned when I came here, I hope you'll welcome me back, preferably with a 80s style chest bump. And to all the people I am abandoning now, I hope we meet again.

Cheers.

Mike

Last Day

I'll have a more appropriate Springer-style final thoughts later, but today is my last day of work in ye old United Kingdom. How appropriate that it's a bank holiday and there were will be about 7 people in the office. Of course I don't plan to be uber productive, mostly taking care of some documentation and administrative tasks.

But like I said, no need to get all sentimental now...I'll post some deeper thoughts on my time here in England before I leave.

Update

So I have some pretty big news, and I wasn't sure the best way to let everyone know. Earlier this week I was offered a new job! Nothing too crazy...it's with my company on a new program. Though there is a twist: it's in Antarctica. Rayteon Polar Services has a need for some people to do maintenance type work around their facilities, and I think I'm a good fit. It'll definitely be a change but I'm up for a challenge.

Now the bad news: I leave this weekend. I know it's crazy soon but their need is immediate, so I'm catching a flight Saturday morning to Kazakhstan. From there I switch to a US Air Force C-130 cargo plane to Christchurch, New Zealand where I'll have a quick layover and then on to McMurdo Station.

I'm sure it'll take me awhile to get settled in, but in the blogging spirit I have set up a new site for you all to follow. Though, I'm not 100% sure they have internet there. Either way, follow all the freezing fun here. See you in the Fall!