Sometimes this place does wonders for my ego and sometimes it makes me feel like dirt. One of my students told me that my face was looking thinner. He then told me that I should stay in Korea because then I "would get thin and stay thin."
Thanks, buddy.
I told him that I actually eat much better at home in the States than I do in Korea. My eating habits are pretty atrocious in Korea. I do eat Korean food quite a bit, but not as much as I should. I tend to eat a hell of a lot more salads at home and salads aren't really commonly found in Korea.
My students are convinced that all Americans are obese. Telling them this is not the case falls on deaf ears. Granted, there is a huge percentage of over-weight people in the U.S. and other Western countries, but not everyone lives an unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle.
I often hear, "Oh! Beautiful! Eyes so big!" It's nice to hear the word "beautiful" come out of Koreans mouths when they see me. However, I'm getting quite a complex in this country. I appreciate the kind words, but the "You're too big" comments I really feel could be kept to a minimum. I guess it goes both ways.
Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive and need to just deal with the cultural differences in a more "take it with a grain of salt" manner. I've been here for about a year and a half. I need to just deal with the fact that I'm made larger than Koreans and there's nothing I can do about it.
Perhaps it's time to just accept my "big" body and move on. But that is so much easier said than done, especially when I easily weigh more and am taller than the vast majority of the MEN. At least the light hair and green eyes are a commodity here.
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