Going to China II: My job

I've been thinking of going to study in China for several years, but it never seemed to be the right time. At the end of last August, my previous company decided to change its business, and as a result, the team I was in was disbanded. At that time, I was considering the China idea, but didn't feel comfortable making such a big decision so quickly. Meanwhile, word got out that I was available, and another company made me an offer I couldn't refuse. But before I accepted with them, I told the boss that I was considering this China decision, and that I'd know what I wanted to do around January. Knowing this, he still wanted to employ me, and I've been working there since then.

There are a number of dates which are driving my timetable:

• School starts in Dalian on March 1, and I need time to travel there and settle in.
• I want to spend a few weeks at home fixing up the gardens, doing handyman things, and revising my rusty Chinese.
• There's a Linux conference during the week of January 28-February 1.
• The date for finishing my three-month probation with this new company ends on January 25.
• The team I'm part of are desperately working to finish some software ready for January 21.

For that reason, I chose January 25 as my last day, and told the boss about it on December 28. Surprisingly, he wasn't angry. In fact, he said to me "you don't have to resign, you can just take a 'leave of absence'". Knowing they have appreciated me being there, plus having already discussed the China possibility with them before joining, makes me feel better about leaving them after only three months.

The other members of my team don't know about my China plans, and I think that when they find out, they'll be a bit shocked. For this reason, my boss and I decided that we wouldn't tell the other team-members yet. Partly this is so we can avoid distractions and concentrate on our software for January 21, and partly because I think that if I tell them I'm going, it's human nature that they will start to make an emotional distance between me and them. Since I'm trying hard to make cultural improvements within the team, I don't think I can do that as well if they know. It's been a difficult few weeks, pretending that I'm going to be with them for quite some time. I hope it all works out well in the end.