Decisions, decisions

It's been an interesting morning. Marcelo (my MD) is back in the office today after three weeks away, and he called me into his room first thing to update me on progress regarding "our situation". Turns out that "Andy Idol: the search for an analyst" is not going so well. There's no-one really obvious in the cocoa industry to slot right in to replace me, and also as time goes on the potential hand-over period is getting shorter and shorter, and in fact, with notice and such, there may well be no hand-over period at all.

To combat this Marcelo suggested this morning that I delay my departure until the end of the company's financial year, or at least until the end of September. This will give him longer to find someone and also time for me and my replacement to travel to visit all of the Research team overseas. I have until a meeting with him on Wednesday morning to discuss.

On the up side it means I'll be earning GBP a while longer and it will mean me doing the company a favour. Also there's a potential carrot being dangled of working remotely on a consultancy basis for specific projects.

On the downside it will mean Joanne being in NZ for our first few months alone. Also I've kind of got it into my head we're leaving in July.

I guess it might work if I was able to have three weeks in NZ at the end of July to mid-August (one in Auckland, one in Leigh, and one down in Chch), and if then my return flights were paid for by the company. Oh, and I'd want my accommodation in London paid for by the company too. Otherwise we'd be paying rent here and in NZ. Less than ideal. And I'd want a end-Sep final date.

But even if all of that was agreed would I still want to proceed? Do I want to miss being with Joanne for our first few months together? I was speaking with Chris on Saturday, as it happens, about the time Joanne and I spent apart when I lived in New York in 2004. I said to him that if a similar opportunity came up now I'd turn it down. And then something similar does come up. I think I have to say no, don't I? It wouldn't be fair on Joanne. She says just like she coped when I was in the States she'd cope now, but then it was me moving, not her having to set up a new life on the other side of the world and find our new home. Perhaps the circumstances aren't as similar after all.

But then it's only six weeks, and if I said no I feel sure the remote working project carrot would be removed. But do I even want to snack on that carrot? I think I need something a little firmer than project-based uncertainty don't I?

Oh, I don't know. Decisions, decisions!