"Do you have short sleeve shirts?"

That is what one teacher asked me the first day I met him.  I said, "no."

I wonder if they wonder why I dress so spiffy to school.  All the other faculty members just where what you'd expect an elementary school employee to wear.  Nothing to fancy in case a kid vomits on you and not to casual so as to look like you have higher status than the 6th graders even though you're the same size as them.  Heck, the other guy teachers just where t-shirts and khakis.  I'd be wearing a t-shirt too, if I could.

Everyday that I come here, I wear a long sleeve button-down shirt.  I roll up the sleeves so the cuff is right by my elbow.  You may be wondering(most likely not), "Why don't you just wear a short sleeve shirt?  You're already rolling up the sleeves like one, ya big dummy!"

I CAN'T, YOU ASS.

I have a tattoo on my upper inner right arm.  I've only worn a t-shirt outside once since I've been here.  It was when Aurora and I met up with a bunch of other foreign English teachers in a town that was 20 minutes away from where we usually are.  On my first day, one of the kids said I looked "rich".  I non verbally told him that it was just because of my clothes by making a weird smiley face and pulling at my shirt.  Last week, my homestay mom tugged at my shirt and with her face asked, "Let me see your mark of the beast, you drug addict!"  I showed her and tried to explain what they meant.  She didn't understand anything and said in English, "Korea people tattoo drugs.  Is that a problem?"  I wanted to say, "Yeah I take a lot of drugs and the amount of time that it took to get each tattoo equals how many times I've od'd.  I'm high right now."  I just said that there wasn't any problems and told her that that's why I always keep it covered.  If it wasn't for those kids that I shower with she wouldn't have found out.

So yeah, hopefully this hot and humid summer will pass quickly or my coveted long sleeve shirts are going to get washed to tissue paper.