My Peace Corps’ Sense of Style

Our entire wardrobe is smaller than what I’m assuming Kim Kardashian would pack as carry-on for vacation.  Personally, I blame the airline industry. That’s right, I’m poking my finger (or should I say raising a finger) to the 50 pound, 2 bag limit policy for international flights. The shoes, coats, and personal items alone take half the packing space. I’ll put it another way, I had one suitcase that encompassed all my clothes for the next two years for all four seasons. That, my friend, averages to about one week’s worth of clothing per season.
Peace Corps Georgia Outfits
Me at the end of each season

By the end of the season, I want to take my clothes to a fire pit and burn them because I’m so sick of them. I’ve worn each item of clothing once every week or two. I also got to know everybody’s outfits around me by the end of the second week. In America, you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same thing twice in a row. Your snotty coworker might just joke out loud that you got drunk last night, passed out by a dumpster, and went to work the next day without showering. In Georgia, it is totally acceptable repeating the same outfits. *Gasp!* Perfectly normal looking fresh in yesterday’s clothing.

I spend a lot less time staring into my closest debating my outfits than I did back home. I’m not not worried about mixing things up or keeping up with the latest trends. Life is a lot easier in the fashion department…..until the food poisoning episodes started happening.
How are these two related? Good question. Each food poisoning episode lasted a few days. I had no appetite and my body rejected all foods (except boiled potatoes) for nearly 5 days! Today is my first day back to normal from my second food poisoning in Georgia. My first one was merely six weeks ago with the exact same symptoms.  I probably ate less in those five days than one person would during a Thanksgiving meal. Naturally, I lost weight.
Keep in mind, I’ve been losing weight since I arrived in country. All the walking and no driving will do that to you. My husband lost nearly 30 pounds. I’ve had friends who lost over 20 pounds each. I, on the other hand, actually have no clue how much I lost.  Now, I didn’t have 20 pounds to lose. I’m average weight for a short person. So even a mere 5 pound weight loss looks drastic on me.  But I do know this: half my clothes don’t fit me. I bought so many new Fall and Winter clothes specifically for Georgia. And now, I only got two shirts that fit me. I’ll repeat- TWO! So I have no choice but to mismatch the clothes that do still fit me and layer them.
How I feel when I walk down the street.
How I feel when I walk down the street.

Or, I can simply wear the same two fall shirts over and over again. I’m going with the former option. Walking around the street wearing things that do not go to together is my jam.

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