Racing to the finish line

With only two days of work left, and still a lot to do, I started my day in good spirits. I knew what I had to finish, and it finally felt within reach.

I had gotten some pretty tough feedback on my MR before I left for Japan, but over the past few days I’d had time to think about my implementation. With the extra feedback from a second colleague, things started to click. The refactoring came naturally, and I found better solutions for problems that had stumped me the first time around.

I went out for lunch again to try 삼계탕 (Samgye-tang — ginseng chicken soup). I found a restaurant really close by that had it on the menu. The hostess didn’t speak any English, but my Korean was good enough. When I paid at the register, she even told me my Korean was good (I had said maybe five words in total), but it still put a smile on my face.

After lunch I added some more flair to the authentication code, and finally found time to work out again. With all the stress from work and the Japan trip, I had skipped my prayers in the Temple of Iron for far too long. It felt good to be back.

Immersion Therapy

For someone who has been in Korea for almost two months, I still can’t stand the taste of kimchi. It’s sour, tangy, and way too overwhelming for me. I like some lighter or fresher versions, but the fully fermented stuff just isn’t my thing. Still, I was optimistic and thought there might be a dish out there that could convert me. That dish, unfortunately, was the one I’d been dreading since I arrived: 김치찌개 (Kimchi-jjigae — kimchi stew). Usually served with some meat and rice, but built around an unavoidable pot of kimchi, the Korean staple.

I walked over to the nearest place that served it, a hole-in-the-wall called “Kimchi Mama” (which sounded promising). Apparently Mama wasn’t in, because the only person there was a tipsy older man who reluctantly welcomed me and gave me a seat.

A hot stone bowl of fermented cabbage left the kitchen soon enough, and after the first few bites I knew: kimchi just isn’t for me. I felt bad giving up so fast and leaving the man alone again, so I told myself I’d at least eat what “Mama” served me. I thought that after the tenth bite I’d come around, but no. I finished the bowl to the best of my ability, left the man to his TV program, and immediately ducked into a 7-Eleven to get some kimbap to wash away the taste.

The Last Check-in

After dinner I had a meeting with one of my colleagues to discuss the work I had left. We came to a reasonable agreement on what was feasible for me to wrap up and found a way for me to leave things nicely tied with a bow. I had hoped I could merge all my code back in and be done with it, but merging and then disappearing for four weeks wasn’t his preferred option. So we landed on a good middle ground that works for everyone and even saves me some effort.

Today I felt the mountain of work in front of me shifting and shrinking. I made steady progress, found a good “landing zone,” and now I have the end in sight. It was a huge relief, knowing that everything will work out.