The right and the left are a little different — The day I buy sandals in Saigon

Yesterday, I went to buy the sandals I'd had my eye on. They're the ones I'd been eyeing for ages on a Vietnamese online shopping site, going back and forth about whether or not to just buy them. I could have bought them online, but I figured that as long as I was at it, I'd go see the real thing, so I rode my motorbike for 9 minutes. It's just the right distance for a stroll, so off to the shop I went! Basically, I don't wear sandals. In Ho Chi Minh City, I might be in the minority. That's because I'm scared of falling or getting hurt on the motorbike. But the biggest reason is that I'd get sunburned. The thing is, I tan so easily. Apparently my body type absorbs UV rays really well. And yet, I went out to buy a pair of sandals. I suppose I just wanted a little change of mood. Well, when you're living your life, all sorts of things happen. It's a long-established, popular shop in Vietnam that also sells stylish high heels. They have several locations, and I'd already checked online that they carry my size. I walked right in, held one up, and asked a store clerk, "Do you have this?

We've got some, hold on a sec~" and what they brought out was, by any measure, a pair that could hardly be called brand-new. For a second I thought, huh? But oh well, it's just a fitting, right? This sort of thing happens all the time. When I tried them on, they weren't bad. The fit was good too. Okay, I'll buy them after all. So I said, then please give me a new pair, and ……they told me this is the only one they have. Seriously? The platform part, the white area, is all sun-faded~. These aren't new, absolutely, this is it~~~. Still, shoes get dirty once you wear them anyway, so I don't fuss over the little details. In the end, I just bought it as it was. The price was 790,000 dong. (About 4,800 yen.) A design that would probably run over 15,000 yen in Japan. If I do say so myself, I'm satisfied that I found a good one. But then... When I tried them on again after getting home, somehow…… I get the feeling the right and left are just ever so slightly different in size. Maybe the strap has stretched out. Probably because everyone had tried them on. Oh come on, what's up with that. But it's fine. I bought it fully convinced, after all. Well then, if that's how it is... I tried adjusting it a little myself. Moving the position of the belt, tightening the strap. "No good, this won't do," I thought, so I added an extra hole to make it tighter. Yeah, just right. Hmph, I can do this much on my own. Since I welcomed a new pair of sandals, I decided to take a look through my shoe box. Then one pair, a pair of shoes that had finished its role, caught my eye. The sneakers I bought in Tokyo. I sure walked a lot in them. I wore them both for work and when strolling around town. Above all, I can run in them. They don't tire me out. They go with any outfit. That's why I could never bring myself to throw them away. But no matter how many times I wash them, the stains just won't come out. The soles are worn down, and the shape is pretty worn out too. When I pick them up, I still hesitate a little. Shoes soak up time. Even so, today is the day for new sandals. I put my old sneakers in a bag, said "thank you," and let them go. The new black sandals are light and easy to walk in. And they go easily with all kinds of outfits. Under the tropical sun, surely even my toes and heels will get tanned. But that's fine. Because they're shoes for a new season. In the strong sunlight of Saigon, I put them on right away when heading to a café.

Yeah, feeling good. But still can't do it barefoot. I've got my socks on, nice and snug. Migrant Life Ranking