Clothes in Kaz

        I wanted to write a blog about the clothes here. Not so much about the fashion (although the fashion here is really interesting. Yesterday I saw a woman wearing bright-fuchsia, knee-high suede, high-heeled boots!) but about changing clothes.
        I have established a whole routine as I bundle up to leave the house. First I put on my winter boots – they are the most difficult and I don’t like being constricted by my coat when I do this. Second, I put my headphones in my ears. I have to do this second so the cord is hidden under my jacket and scarf. After headphones it’s my scarf - followed by the hat. Finally I’m read for my coat. I button four really annoying buttons, hook my headphones to my iPod, select my music before I put on my mittens (otherwise the touch on my iPod doesn’t work), put my bag over my jacket, adjust the strap so it doesn’t make my headphones choke me, get out my mittens, put the left one on, say goodbye to my host mom, leave the house, press play on my iPod, put my right mitten on, and start walking. I’ve actually started timing myself to see how quickly I can bundle up. If I stick to my routine it takes me 3 to 4 minutes to get everything on. It may seem silly to have such a routine, but it’s not just the one time a day I leave for work that I have to bundle up. I come home for lunch each day, AND to add in another clothing glitch, I walk to and from work in different boots than I wear at work. The talented local women walk on slippery ice in high heels, but I’m not that talented. So I change boots when I get to work. Therefore, I putting on or taking of boots, jacket, mittens, hat, and iPod no less than 8 times a day (Bundle Up: Walk to Work AM – Bundle Down: Arrive at Work AM – Bundle Up: Walk home for lunch – Bundle Down: Arrive at home – Bundle Up: Walk back to work – Bundle Down: Arrive at work – Bundle Up: Walk back home – Bundle Down: Arrive at home.) And for this reason, I have established my routine.

        The funny thing is, it’s not even that cold out. Some days I could be fine without mittens or hat, but if my host mom or the people I work with see me without a hat they go crazy. They think I’ll get sick the minute I step outside. I tried to argue the first week or so, but now I’ve just kind of accepted it, and it’s good practice for when it actually gets really cold!

        Hope everyone had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!