Big Top

Black, embellished cardigan, It’s Our Time. Hot pink tank, Express. Black skirt with cream lace and ribbons, The Limited. Hot pink shoes, Wild Diva. Fake Gucci sunglasses, street vendor in Seoul, Korea. Faux pearl necklace with medallion, Newport News.

I call this my circus skirt. When I wear it, I feel like a Big Top.

I bought these sunglasses during a night of drunken raging, while deployed to Korea. We had just concluded the first part of our exercise, which was an incredibly stressful, 24-hour operation. I went out with the guys and tried to prove I was as tough as them by drinking them under the table. After stumbling out of the first bar, I decided we should go karaoke. A sunglasses vendor gave us directions to a karaoke bar, and I felt I should buy something in return, so I randomly chose this pair. I’m amazed I managed to hang on to the glasses throughout the night and back to base. I drank way too much and ended up puking out the bus window. My friends were kind enough to help conceal my condition as they dragged me through the sentry point and back to my tent. The sunglasses remind me of the deployment and my dear friends, whenever I wear them.