the 80's

Here in Korea, I feel like I get to relive a bit of my childhood. Who remembers jellies (the shoes)? Who wore them until they broke? Who wore them even through winter with socks and then when they wore out went to the shoe store with your mom and tried to get new ones but were disappointed because they said they only sold those in the summer? Yeah, that was me. Well, jellies are popular here in Korea.

Other strangely familiar things are popular here, too. I bought some mascara recently that said "dark brown" on the outside. I wore it for the first time on Tuesday and a friend said, "Wow, cool red mascara!" Umm, I didn't actually know it was red mascara until she said that. I don't always put on my makeup in the best light because I share a bathroom with two girls who also have to use it in the morning, so I usually just make do with a pocket mirror in the bedroom. I guess I should have known to be cautious, though, because the so-called "dark brown" mascara was in the same section as the pink, purple, and silver mascara.

In the winter, a version of legwarmers are popular here. Miniskirts are all the rage on the university campus, and side ponytails make the occasional appearance as well. The layered sock thing (you know, when you put blue on top and yellow underneath on your right foot, then the opposite on your left?) hasn't been spotted yet, thank goodness. There is a problem with (older people especially) wearing, say, striped hat, a blue hawaiian print shirt with brown plaid pants and pink floral shoes (just one example from today's bus ride home), but that's a completely different story....