Put the Pizza Down and Nobody Gets Hurt

I've gained just under 10 pounds (or about 4 kilos for the non-Americans reading this) since coming to Korea, which obviously sucks. My eating habits are not so great. I eat a lot of rice, but I've been told rice isn't metabolized in a Western-raised body the way it is in an Eastern-raised body. I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm sticking with that story... Makes me feel a little bit better. Although that beer, soju and pizza probably aren't helping either.
In one of my classes this week my students were reviewing a few vocabulary words and writing sentences with the words. One of the words was "previously". One of my students appeared to be thinking quite hard on her assignment. When she handed me her paper the sentence for "previously" was: "Erika was previously thin."
Those silly Korean kids have such a limited vocabulary, they don't know what they're talking about.
I couldn't help but laugh and agree with her.
When I came to Korea I was told that people who start off thin in Korea end up gaining lots of weight and those that come to Korea heavy end up getting really thin. I don't think I was thin when I came here, but I was definitely thinner.
I just hope I get my act together and lose some weight, especially if I'm not able to fit into my clothes. They don't make clothes for fat girls in Korea.
I've also become much more self-conscious than I already was. When you're constantly being stared at it tends to make you think the worst. I spend much more time picking out what to wear for the day than I ever have before. I have to make sure certain body parts are covered sufficiently and I'm not showing too much flesh.
It's weird though because Korean girls and women wear the shortest and tightest skirts I've ever seen with their asses pretty much hanging out, but if I foreign woman shows her shoulders or the teeniest bit of cleavage than she's a dirty slut who deserves to be gawked at and cussed out. I don't quite understand that one.
It's funny because never in a million years have I been or would I be self-conscious and hyper-aware of my chest. But here, I'm doing everything I can to cover the girls up. And now that I've gained weight, the boobs have taken on a life of their own.
I really miss cultures where nobody gave a shit what anybody wore or how you wore it. It's so strange to be constantly aware of how I look or how what I'm wearing may be perceived by the people around me. It's just another thing I'm working on getting used to. I should be glad I'm not working in the Middle East, I guess. But a burqa would come in really handy for swimsuit season....