It is difficult for me write, so I must start in this manner. In all my life I have never dedicated my words to you, I honestly have never told you how much you mean to me. I don’t know why, but it has just been so difficult for me to express my emotions for you, dad.

Yet, the person I talk to everyday is you. You are just there. Even if I live in a different country and even though there is time between us, you are always there for me. When I call you and I don’t realize that you are sleeping, you are always there, anxiously waiting for bad news, unable to fall asleep peacefully without your phone on maximum volume.

You have always protected me and helped me with the problems I have had. I can always depend on you as you once got on a plane after finding out that I was unwell and went straight from your current situation to book the next flight, to get on a thirteen-hour flight to come to my aid. I can’t imagine how anxious and worried you must have been when you were on that flight. Did you eat? Did you sleep? I am so sorry for the hardship I have caused you and I want to thank you for the endless chances you have given me. You know how to let me go from under your wings even though as a parent you probably want to keep me there for eternity as those are the parents my friends have from the culture they were raised in.

Hours and hours, you have kept in one place. I cannot imagine how you get on every day, the same thing, the identical routine and just saving and earning for you and us. For us, my sister and I; so that we don’t have to support you and mom when you both don’t have an earning. For you, but for us.

As you have suffered the same genetically passed on disease that I suffer from I can imagine that it gives you a lot of pain when I complain to you about how hard it is to live with the disorder. You just tell me that it will get better and you tell me that it will pass. When I see you, I see that this is true. You are so strong that you have beat the hardship and that is what gives me hope every day.

Dad, you are strongest, wisest and most humble man I know. I cannot imagine ever parting with you. I am glad that I have got the chance to express my love for you through these words. I love everything about you and I am sad to be away from you. Know that every day I think of you and gain strength in my weakest days to carry on because you are the living truth that I can also succeed. Like you always tell me when I ask you such stupid questions “what is the point of life?”, I will always remind myself the words you say “the point of life is living, Jisun”.