Leaving Residency

June 30, 2009

I have been hanging around the department for the past few days, going there in the pretense of me finishing my final paperwork, charts, faxes, etc. Although it's true that i have all those things to do, the real reason for my being visible there and sticking my head in every open office door, and making small talk with everybody, is that...i 'm gonna miss them all.

I bug Linda once last time for something sweet (she's diabetic but her office is full of chocolate/candies if you know where to find them). She gives me a pack of candies and shoos me out of her office because she has yet to finish the schedule for the next month.

I go to Becky's desk and ask her to teach me to work her fax machine even tho i knew how to do it. I go to Louis' office and, as usual he threatens me to " go empty your mailbox or else blah blah", as he usually does. i tell him i already did and he finally is happy (they know i check my mailbox once a year, during spring cleaning).

Next i pass by Ron's office and tell him i've completed all my online requirements, just for the heck of telling him. i don't want to argue with him this last day.

I drop by my adviser's office and spend a few minutes ranting and complaining about stuff, just like a regular day. But we both know i'm not ranting today because it is a regular day. I'm ranting because it is my way of saying goodbye. She gives me a tight hug, and it is enough to silence me.

It is 6pm. everybody else has left the building. I walk down the hallway one last time and take a picture of the place, which, in the past 3 years, i called home.