Last week of real work

This Monday I am up in Northampton for the last week. I've been here six months on my current project, I've been in the UK for exactly 2 years (My visa is stamped with 14th September 2006), I've been with my consulting firm for 3.5 years and I've been working since university graduation for 7 years. All of that will come to a temporary close as I take my leave of absence.

I'm starting to get excited, but not for one particular thing. I'm not over planning my trips, I'm not stressed about the things I need to do before I leave. I have some anxiety, but only for the general change of things. I wish I had more time in the UK before I go, as I've filled up most of the free month already, but Costa Rica will be amazing and I'm looking forward to catching up with all the friends I will see there.

As I suspected I might feel about my leave (and indeed, the reason I'm taking this to begin with) all I'm looking forward to most is a *break*. A break from having somewhere to be every morning, a break of wearing work clothes, a break from having other people expect things from me. I get to be selfish this next year, and if that means my plans change one, two or three times as I change my mind, that's fine. It could also mean I discover that I don't want to come back to my current career, and that's fine too. I'm really not worried about the end result. I'm just looking forward to the journey and the opportunity I have to just be me, without the label of what I do.

But with that in mind, my replacement project manager shows up in just a few minutes. I have the next 3 days to transition to him, and I need to walk the walk and talk the talk for another 7 working days before I'm officially free starting Thursday 25th September.