I visited a new country with my 78-year-old dad. It made me realize I didn't know him nearly as well as I thought.

When my sister and I journeyed to Paris to reunite with our 78-year-old father, we were taken aback by the transformation he underwent. Eryn Gordon My parents and I arrived in Paris to spend some time together, having never visited the city before. Though my sister and I had gone on many adventures, we had not experienced Paris as our dad had.

When we met him at our hotel lobby, he was dressed in a breezy linen shirt, leather sandals, and had a scruffy 5 o'clock shadow. My sister and I joked, "Is customs confiscating Gillettes nowadays?" My dad explained, "That's the Paris effect," as if it were an obvious phenomenon. He had transformed into a Parisian local right before our eyes.

My dad, who I knew as a down-to-earth parent, a woodworker, and a meticulous professor, had established a new identity in Paris. While I had always seen him as a single character, he revealed another side of himself in Paris that my sister and I never knew existed. He avoided his L.L. Bean flannels for a mostly linen wardrobe, rarely buttoned his shirts, and spoke fluent French.

He even ordered for us at a local café in remarkably good French. This trip not only showed me new facets of my dad's interests but also made me realize that who we are is relative to our relationships and geography. This experience reminded me of the year I spent living in South Korea, and it inspired me to explore more of my dad's alternate personas and discover other versions of myself along the way.

I'm planning to visit Paris with my dad again this year, hoping to uncover more of his hidden sides and find new versions of myself in the process.