Don't get your toenails in a twist

Today, I called the nail salon at HomePlus and made an appointment for a pedicure. I have never done this before, even in the U.S. There is a practical reason why I'm doing so now: due to increased stiffening in the hip joint, I have great difficulty (and pain) in cutting the toenails on my left foot. Usually, I wait until the nails actually snag on things.

For me, a pedicure is both a luxury and a practical solution to a problem. I could use help in trimming my toenails and rubbing off the dead skin on my heels ( of which I can only reach one). I don't need toenail polish, but if it's included, I might as well get it (blue or grass-green, please).

Making the call was a little intimidating. It was actually the first time I've ever made an appointment in Korean. Before making the call, I checked with a Korean coworker about the correct sentence form to use when requesting an appointment. The woman who answered the phone was patient, kind and obviously used to dealing with foreigners. She repeated things as many times as I asked and used English when she could.

Besides the "making a phone call in Korean" factor, there were other reasons why I hesitated to make this apointment. First, I'm ashamed of the condition of my feet. I imagine the nail salon worker taking one look at my feet and yelling (in a mixture of English and Korean) "OMG! That's disgusting! Get out of here!"

Also, I've never thought of myself as the type of person who got pedicures (or any other type of professional grooming besides the occasional haircut). I'm not one of those women on Sex in the City. I'm not entirely comfortable with the label "woman," much less "girly girl." By American standards, I am neither rich nor feminine. I do, however, have really long and disgusting toenails. Practicality wins.