Dad

I am going to take a break from talking about all the wonderful food I ate abroad to talk about my dad, who I was blessed to have join me in Vietnam & China. Anyone who knows my dad knows how full of life he is. He is always up for an adventure and having fun. He is the epitome of a person who lives his life to the fullest, and believes in the saying, “Work hard, Play hard.” I especially enjoyed watching his thirst for knowledge throughout this trip, something that I get from both him and my mom. Often our tour guides would share with us facts about their country, and he would be ready with follow-up questions to make sure he fully understood the local economy and culture, and why things are the way they are in that specific city. He didn’t let the language barrier be a deterrent. He would ask about anything from the economy to family life, expecting in-depth answers. We would even come back to the hotel after a day of sight-seeing and do some research together on what we learned. Spending these two weeks with him reiterated a few lessons that he has taught me growing up.

My dad reminded me to embrace every moment. Who knows if we will ever get a chance to go back to the places we visited, or even have another father-daughter vacation. As my countdown started to the end of my 5-week trip, I followed his lead and made the most of every day. For my dad, sleep is secondary to living life. He doesn’t mind cutting back on his sleep to stay out a little later and even squeeze in some work on the computer before another adventurous day. At M1NT in Shanghai, my dad wanted to party the night away longer than me or chef Grant did! He was enjoying meeting new people and experiencing a new atmosphere. He makes the most of any situation and I am glad I had him along with me to remind me of all the fun to be had. Another one of his qualities that shone during this trip was his love of meeting new people. It doesn’t matter where we are, he will strike up a conversation with people around us. He wants to learn from and about other people. He reminded me that who you know in life really matters, and there are a million opportunities to meet new people. Whether it was in the bar at Maison Boulud or waiting to board our plane in Hanoi, he was starting conversations. Though this isn’t in my innate nature, I am learning how to make connections with strangers and enjoy the funny and interesting conversations that arise out of nowhere.

I couldn’t have asked for a better father, friend, mentor, and someone to share the last two weeks of my trip with. Dad, I don’t have the words to describe my love and admiration for you. All I can say is thank you. Thank you for this trip, for being you, for teaching me these life lessons, and for both giving me and showing me the world. I love you.