Actually, I don't think my shorts would be short enough to be considered Daisy Dukes, at least not in North America. However, here in Sadamitsu I haven't seen another girl wearing anything quite as high above the knee. The thing I always manage to forget when I'm traveling is that customs and culture aren't the same. I mean this is obvious what with language and greetings but then you get to the more subtle differences. In this case I'm writing about something as simple as clothing. This being my third time living in a foreign country, I think its starting to wear on me.
On my first day in this town, Will and I prepared to go out to register me for my "gai-jin" card or alien registration card. Thinking nothing of it, I had put on a pair of innocent-looking Old Navy shorts. They were khaki-coloured and left a little more than half my thigh exposed. As I was grabbing my purse, Will looked at me.
"Um, maybe you should change your clothes. You know to make a good first impression."
I was indignant. These shorts were perfectly fine, thank you very much. As far as I knew I didn't dress like a ho. I'm a Canadian and we're not indecent people. Not to mention it was about a zillion degrees outside (have I mentioned how much I hate the heat?) and I was suffering from a 15 hour time change.
"You've got to be kidding me. What the hell am I supposed to wear? All my shorts look like this!" I said, exasperated while gesturing to the ones I had on.
"Just something not so short. Do you have any skirts? Please, do this for me. At least for now." He added this last as I was glaring, feeling mutinous and on the verge of saying a flat out "no." With a lot of mumbled complaints I changed into a more appropriate skirt that came down to my knees. I suppose it wouldn't have been good to be considered that trashy ho who came to join Will. I stomped back out into the kitchen ready to fight should more admonitions come my way. None came, either because the skirt was ok or because I looked like I would hit him should he find anything more amiss.
Today I ventured out of the house wearing a pair of my short shorts. Judgments be damned! If I received any askance looks I didn't notice. I choose not to notice things that would upset me. Though now I do wonder if I made bad impressions in China or Korea. In those two countries I wore whatever the hell I pleased. Clothing is just a part of it. I know I must've made numerous social blunders that the people were very forgiving about. Or perhaps they talked about me behind my back, bless the oblivion I live in! But both those times I was living in a large city, not a town where everyone seems to know your every move. When you live in a different country I think you need to adhere to some of their customs and protocol, but where is the line drawn? Clothing is one thing but what about my manners? I'm sure I'm probably the loudest girl here. Hey, I'm pretty damn loud even in Canada. Japanese women are the complete opposite of me. Sometimes you can barely hear them. I'm thinking they view me as this strange and huge amazon of an Asian girl who has a voice box to match (on average I'm about half a head taller than most girls, and alot of guys, I meet here and generally more robust). I'll also be known as the girl who wore those indecent daisy dukes.
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