Living in China can often make the normal, "everyday" things seem very difficult. Sometimes I just have a nice chuckle at myself when I try to mark something off my checklist. For example, getting a haircut here takes a lot of forethought! In case you're planning a trip to China, here is Chris' guide to getting a haircut.
The first task is finding somewhere to get my haircut. Thankfully, at haircut places here there always seem to be stylist hanging around outside, just waiting for customers. Whether this is a good thing or bad thing... I haven't really decided yet. When in doubt, just look for the good old fashion barber pole. Even though the sign is in Chinese, the barber pole speaks a universal language.
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Next, you have to figure out how to communicate with the hair stylist (yes, they are all stylists here... no barbers). I don't speak very much Chinese, so my first solution was to find a picture of what I wanted my hair to look like, then just show it to the barber. That should work, right?? I wanted to set the bar high, so that if we fell short it wouldn't be a big deal. This has been my go-to haircut photo for the last year and a half. And yes, I always wear a suit to get my haircut, just in case it helps.
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If it all works out, you're in for a pretty great experience. Be sure you don't have any other commitments coming up-- the typical haircut takes around an hour. But, it comes with 2 hair washes and head massages, so it's worth the wait!
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And if all else fails, you just suck up your pride and ask a friend to go with you as a translator. After many trials and a lot of errors, this is usually my strategy. There's nothing more humbling than being a grown man and having to take a buddy with me to get my haircut! But hey, God never said it would be easy-- He just said to go.
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