Let me start this out by saying that, despite my best efforts, I am no fashionista and this is no style blog. Most days, getting dressed for work here consists of finding a combination of clothing that is both clean and warm enough to withstand the Korean aversion to heat in public buildings.  My hair routine involves washing it (unless I’m running really late), and makeup consists of mascara when I remember it.  I’m just not put together enough to develop an evolved routine, and I rely on the talents of my Carrie whenever the need for a more sophisticated look arises.

However, this is going to be a post about clothing.  Because I am IN LOVE with my new fleece leggings.  Like, wear them more than once a week in love.  Like, would completely be willing to do commercials for them if the opportunity ever presented itself.  Let me tell you why:  they’re really freakin’ warm.

Dressing for warmth has become infinitely more important here in Korea than it was even when I lived in Boone during a winter that saw record snowfall and weeks where the temperatures didn’t climb out of the teens.  Thankfully, winter here in Busan, at the southern end of the Korean peninsula, is relatively mild compared to an Appalachian winter.  However, my cold weather interactions with Mother Nature have changed dramatically.  In America, where I owned a car, I merely had to dress warmly enough to survive the trip from the house to the already warming car or the car to the gloriously heated interior of the school or grocery store or whatever destination I had in mind.

Here, we walk everywhere.  To work.  To the bus stop.  To the grocery store.  Often, we spend some time outside waiting in the cold for buses or taxis.  And when we get inside to our destination?  You can forget about much in the way of central heating.  Most public spaces in Korea–lobbies, stores, hallways–aren’t heated.  At the hagwon, we have small heaters in each classroom, but none in the teacher’s workroom, hallways, or lobbies. The kids wear their coats in class, and so do I.  The best and worst few minutes of a winter day here are when I step into the shower and the hot water thaws my toes out.  It burns like nobody’s business, but I get feeling back in my feet for a little while.   Our hapkido instructor assures us this is abnormally frigid weather for a Busan winter, and the forecasts are projecting a warm up for later this week, much to my delight.  Ever delivered a roundhouse to a punching bag with cold feet?  Not fun.

However, until it thaws, I’ll be sporting my fleece lined leggings basically everywhere.  It’s like having legs snuggled in warm and joy all day long.  They may be the best purchase I have made in the past six months.  Thank god for Target.com.  Now, do any of you style mavens out there have ideas for cute hairstyles that can survive a toboggan?