Prestige

After packing and checking out of our hotel, we headed to the popular Myeong Dong (명동) neighborhood. We walked up and down busy shopping streets and you can see Namsan (남산) tower:



A lot of foreigners come here to shop for their favorite K-Pop merchandise:



We also came to attend mass at the cathedral in Myeong Dong (명동) which is where my parents and all my mom’s siblings got married:





I don’t get to attend mass in Korean often anymore, so it was quite comforting. I also wanted to come and see the panels painted by my beloved Priest, Father Chang’s father - he had been the Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University and an accomplished painter:



As I left, I took a selfie with the cathedral and my new pin from my aunt:



For lunch, we visited my cousin Soon Hyup’s (순협) new apartment and his sweet wife is an excellent cook:







She baked these cookies and we brought some Japanese treats:



I enjoyed chatting with my nephews, Hyun Jin (현진) and Seong Jin (성진). We tried to walk off the calories by exploring the grounds of the new apartment complex that was replete with amenities:







Then we were off to the airport. On the way, we made our calls and rounds of goodbyes as that’s also the Korean etiquette to our elders. But at the airport, we had one more goodbye. A cousin surprised us and with some recent family drama, the two rendezvous at the tail end of our trip have been both a surprise, but has brought a sense of closure. I am so glad for my mom and my family overall.

While trying to look for three seats in the Prestige Lounge, someone was trying to flag us down. I thought it was my brother’s friend we saw in the security line, but it was an old church friend and excellent opera singer. He was in town visiting his mom and we took this selfie:



Although my mom and brother flew business class on the way here and using my dad’s family pooled miles, the three of us have never flown business together. So I forced Justin to take this family selfie:



I’ve always been grateful for my family and have felt blessed by their warmth and hospitality throughout my childhood. And the extra efforts by my cousins and the surprise rendezvous reinforces the special bonds we share. I definitely don’t need an airplane ticket to tell me that, but am feeling super special today and for this special trip my brother and I were able to coordinate. So good night and see you back stateside!