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My parents woke up early so we had kimbap in their room before heading out to visit some markets. Eating in bed felt like such a luxury to them.

Today, they wanted to go check out some markets. To get there, we took the subway and I'm not sure my parents have ever taken the subway - even in NYC. In Korea, you use Naver instead of Google Maps to find your way around and my dad was so suspicious. But I think it was just an excuse for him to strike up conversations with strangers and ask them how to get to places and for their recommendations. He's been an introvert my whole life and I never expected to see him willingly talk to strangers. He LOVED it, but I wonder if this means the thing holding him back in America was his discomfort and not his personality.

As we walked through the building and then the streets, my dad said to me, "It was so hard to open a business in America. I didn't know where to go to get things. In Korea, I know to come to Dongdaemun." My dad came to America before my mom and brother in 1980. He spoke no English and had to navigate setting up a business long before the internet age. It wasn't just sourcing merchandise, but also little things like shopping bags and signs and more. It's amazing what a person can and will do for a dream.

Afterwards, my parents wanted to see DDP (Dongdaemun Design Plaza) after having read so much about it. Watching my parents enjoy the top chairs was the highlight of the visit for me. That and how excited my dad was about their bathrooms.

On our way back to the hotel for an afternoon nap, I saw a sign for a cat cafe so I told my parents I wanted to visit while they napped, but they said they wanted to go, too. My mom was curious to see how Korean cat cafes differ from @meowparlour. The model and setup is totally different and although cat cafes did not originate in Korea, they were there long before the first one opened in America so we had to see one. We also saw a stray cat while on our way out for dinner, which I'm taking as a good luck sign. 🤞🤞