I got a haircut

May 23, 2007 Wednesday

A really exciting morning. Another of the English teachers took me to get a haircut. She is the most experienced China hand here. She has lived in various parts of China for 12 years, and speaks well enough to chat with the cab driver.

We decided to get the full treatment. The first part is called a “dry wash”. You sit in a comfortable chair and they soap your hair and massage your head for about 20 minutes. Then they do a really thorough rinse. Everything is very gentle. I had my hair cut next while Sherri had more massage – head, arms, shoulders and back. Then we switched – she had the cut and I finished my massage. We each paid 30¥. That’s about $3.75. A truly delightful experience for someone who loves massages. I got their card and had them write down dry wash and cut, because I know that Chuck wants to get his hair cut also.

The haircut itself is a little strange. The back is great – a normal short cut. The front has the part in a different place and flops on my forehead. It may drive me crazy – but I have “product” here that I can control it with. When I look around, I can see that this is the normal hair style in China.

We went to buy some phone cards when we got back to campus. I now have one that is supposed to work all over China. (We will see. But for $3 I am not losing much.)

Met Chuck as he was walking home for lunch. (4 flights)

Back to Carrefour for more money. They have good French breads here too. And in the French tradition – they are stale after the 1^st day so I am always buying more. (4 flights)

We went to Jinke for dinner. Had pork with whole peppers, beef with scallion tops, spinach and pickled cucumbers. (1 flight)

It has rained off and on all day, but has only gotten hotter and more humid. The clothes are not drying at all. The air conditioners are working well, but in the bedroom they blow too much cold air directly on us, so we have been turning them off when we go to bed. If it gets too much hotter, we are going to have to come up with another plan.

(4 flights) 13 total