I'm a Monster

"We must buy you underwear," Kyeong said. Mr. Shin nodded seriously. It was a strange Tuesday.

I came down with a cold over the weekend and called in sick to work on Monday. Today, when I returned, my co-teachers asked if they could take me shopping to buy warmer clothes. I am very obvious in my cluelessness about how to dress for weather more severe than 60 degrees farenheit and partly cloudy.

Since it's so cold here, everyone wears long johns (thermal underwear. Possibly only my family calls them 'long johns'?). So, Mr. Shin and Kyeong agreed that I should get some also and took me to the underclothes department.

The saleswoman there tried to help us find the right size. There was a lot of debating in Korean between she and Kyeong, then gesturing to me (arms stretching outward in an attempt to show my measurements), then debating more. Finally, Kyeong showed me a size 100 and asked 'is this alright?' Which she probably asked because a size 100 is a size XL. Hah. I'm a monster.

"It's just for the arm length," she said, though I couldn't help feeling I'd just been called many unflattering euphemisms during the sale and was glad I understood none of it.

My feeling of giant-Godzilla-esqueness only increased when Mr. Shin suggested I also needed to buy shoes. 'They don't have my size here,' I told him, 'I'm a 270.'

'Oh!' he said, 'that is my size!'

Rawr.

I can't complain, though. They bought me a duvet! And they fed me! They even tried to buy me Ugg boots. They are so great, even if saying these things makes me feel a little bit like a 14-year-old girl.