As some of you know, I was born with club feet. I had multiple surgeries on my feet as an infant, and two follow-up surgeries on my left foot as a teenager. Though the surgeries worked wonders as far as giving me the gift to walk, I still struggle with awkwardly sized feet and legs that rotate at an odd angle.
This condition has understandably made shoe buying quite an ordeal over the years. When I was younger, I would try to squeeze my foot into cute little slippers that just wouldn't fit. I felt the shame of Cinderella's step sisters. Yes, my feet are quite small (size 5.5 US / 36 European), but they are chubby and wide. I typically bought shoes that were either too long and/or too narrow, which ensured many blisters and band-aids.
My last couple of years in DC, before we moved to China, saw the advent of online shoe sites. At first, I was ecstatic that I could avoid the waste of time and gasoline I would previously burn going from one store to another in the mythical quest for a women's 5.5 wide. After I put in the appropriate size filters, however, these are the types of shoes that I found:
This condition has understandably made shoe buying quite an ordeal over the years. When I was younger, I would try to squeeze my foot into cute little slippers that just wouldn't fit. I felt the shame of Cinderella's step sisters. Yes, my feet are quite small (size 5.5 US / 36 European), but they are chubby and wide. I typically bought shoes that were either too long and/or too narrow, which ensured many blisters and band-aids.
My last couple of years in DC, before we moved to China, saw the advent of online shoe sites. At first, I was ecstatic that I could avoid the waste of time and gasoline I would previously burn going from one store to another in the mythical quest for a women's 5.5 wide. After I put in the appropriate size filters, however, these are the types of shoes that I found:
Sorry, y'all, but those shoes do nothing for my self-esteem. No stilettos for me, no power heels, no sexy strappy sandals. My feet demand comfort and clunk. And in the US, apparently all I can ask for is awkward and unfashionable.
You can therefore imagine, dear reader, the elation I felt the first time I went shoe shopping in China:
Yesterday, Brian and I did a little shopping for ourselves. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the mall across from the hotel actually has a charming new Japanese store called Uniqlo (with some really fun t-shirts, such as Peanuts and Pringle’s Ads). I find myself liking more and more the whimsical.... Asian tastes in prints and outfits...
I also loved the shoe selection at this mall. In fact, the first shoes I tried on at the Adidas store fit my feet almost perfectly. I learned to my delight that while I am an outlier here for pants/shirts..., I actually have a pretty standard size/width for Chinese women. I almost cried with happiness that I am now the NORM for shoes. My whole life I’ve been a freak for shoes, but here, I can have my pick in shoes. They almost all fit more or less comfortably. Wow. The shoes still aren’t cheap, but are surprisingly good quality. And the salespeople, in general, were incredibly helpful and kind. It’s always humbling how often errands in China are actually EASIER than they are in the US. God’s grace manifests itself in strange ways (May 21, 2012).
No one has ever mistaken me for an Asian: since the first day I landed in China, I was called "outsider" and gawked at. I knew I didn't belong. I knew I was the other.
Except for my feet. My face may be Western, but my feet are Chinese. Thankfully, that shopping trip in May 2012 was the first of many in China where my hooves found a home on the first try. I even stockpiled on shoes my last week in Shanghai earlier this year (2016) to bring some back to the US.
Perhaps it's no coincidence that I only started to enjoy pedicures after living in China. Previously, I found them embarrassing and a bit shameful. Now, I enjoy them as I know there are other women with my sized feet. I'm grateful for a country where I can walk in the store and immediately find products for my body type. God was with me on that first shoe adventure in Shanghai, and God is even with me now as I return to the land of my footwear freakdom. There is freedom in knowing I'm not alone.
You can therefore imagine, dear reader, the elation I felt the first time I went shoe shopping in China:
Yesterday, Brian and I did a little shopping for ourselves. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that the mall across from the hotel actually has a charming new Japanese store called Uniqlo (with some really fun t-shirts, such as Peanuts and Pringle’s Ads). I find myself liking more and more the whimsical.... Asian tastes in prints and outfits...
I also loved the shoe selection at this mall. In fact, the first shoes I tried on at the Adidas store fit my feet almost perfectly. I learned to my delight that while I am an outlier here for pants/shirts..., I actually have a pretty standard size/width for Chinese women. I almost cried with happiness that I am now the NORM for shoes. My whole life I’ve been a freak for shoes, but here, I can have my pick in shoes. They almost all fit more or less comfortably. Wow. The shoes still aren’t cheap, but are surprisingly good quality. And the salespeople, in general, were incredibly helpful and kind. It’s always humbling how often errands in China are actually EASIER than they are in the US. God’s grace manifests itself in strange ways (May 21, 2012).
No one has ever mistaken me for an Asian: since the first day I landed in China, I was called "outsider" and gawked at. I knew I didn't belong. I knew I was the other.
Except for my feet. My face may be Western, but my feet are Chinese. Thankfully, that shopping trip in May 2012 was the first of many in China where my hooves found a home on the first try. I even stockpiled on shoes my last week in Shanghai earlier this year (2016) to bring some back to the US.
Perhaps it's no coincidence that I only started to enjoy pedicures after living in China. Previously, I found them embarrassing and a bit shameful. Now, I enjoy them as I know there are other women with my sized feet. I'm grateful for a country where I can walk in the store and immediately find products for my body type. God was with me on that first shoe adventure in Shanghai, and God is even with me now as I return to the land of my footwear freakdom. There is freedom in knowing I'm not alone.