The End

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity. –Gilda Radner

I hesitate to write anything about work but in this case perhaps a careful exception can be made.
Now that I have had almost week to recover for the preparation for the exhibition and an ill timed cold it is time to deal with a major bombshell. My employer will lay off a significant number of staff. Challenges come in spades it seems as this announcement, preceded by a week of rumours, arrives just as I am supposed to be writing a detailed report on the exhibition. This report forms about 90% of my thesis, is a requirement for the degree, and must be submitted by the end of this month.
The irony of being asked to leave cannot be overstated. And yes though we have a choice as to leave now or in the future I was told very clearly that no work could be found for me.
It’s ironic as I have for a couple years been dissatisfied with the projects I have been apart of and had given some thought to seeking opportunities elsewhere. Now I will likely be forced too.
It’s ironic that it comes on the heels of the relative success of our exhibition. This exhibition was a means of displaying the ideas and prototypes of a short term project we (the team) had initiated. It was interesting high profile work with one of the best combinations of people I have worked with at the company for a long time. I would love to continue working with these people in the future and see the work we have begun result in something great. There is potential in this project I feel and it’s a shame to not be to follow through.
One of the surprising things about this announcement is the sadness I feel. The people I will be leaving are my family. They are my brothers, sisters, and mother. We have fought, some resent me, some don’t like me, and some are my close friends and mentors. They have become my Taiwan family. I am not young and have had the fortune of meeting, working with, and knowing many people in my life. I can honestly say that this group of people will forever be a part of me. The first few years of my employ at this company were a special experience by which all following experiences will never I’m sure compare.
When talking about the same issue Chientai quoted the following:

So do not worry, saying,