The last leaving do I attended the 'guest of honour' didn't turn up. I'd organised the leaving card and collection and bought him a present and everything. The present is still in my desk while I sort out getting in touch with him.
I didn't go to my leaving drinks recently.
I wasn't planning on having any. And then someone asked me when they were going to be, so I said, oh, erm, Saturday night at X bar.
But I got caught up in the middle of something else, then in traffic, so I thought fuck it and went straight home.
I won't be sorry to finally leave this country tbh. And while some of my colleagues have been quite friendly, they are generally speaking the most cliquey and anti-social bunch of people I've ever worked with, which is very odd, given that we're all expats, miles away from all family and friends. And it's totally at odds with my experiences living in Beijing and France as well, so I know it's not just me. Someone else told me they thought people were really cliquey, another one said they're funny buggers... like I said, not just me. I made the effort to try to be friendly and sociable, but it wasn't reciprocated. Weird. So I'm now just indifferent to most of them, although there's a couple of the managers I reserve full-on contempt for.
On the other hand, when I worked as a PA, I ended up leaving one law firm three times, because I joined as a temp stayed for ages and left. Went back and went permanent, and then left. And then went back as a temp for ages again, and then left again. And had leaving drinks every time. And presents. They bought me a little Tula leather handbag, that I still have, over a decade later, a silk chiffon scarf, chocolates and all the usual stuff. Although after the third time they told me I was taking the piss and if I went back and left again I wouldn't get any more presents!
