Brian's First Haircut (and more Evangelists)

I've been in France for almost 2 months now. I finally reached the point (at least in my mind) where I really need to get a haircut. So this morning I went to the salon just down the street which is, in fact, a hair styling school. I figured I could get a decent haircut at a very reasonable price (9.90 Euro including a shampoo) and maybe get a more up-to-date hairstyle to boot; the tradeoff being that it might take a little longer, but these days I'm not generally in a hurry. I went into the salon around 10:30 am. As is the case with many places, I had already scoped out the salon during the week to see when it wasn't crowded. With my very limited French, I tend to avoid crowds or situations where I might be rushed.

[change of thought: the doorbell just rang and I answered with an American hello instead of a French allo. The guy buzzing responded to me in English (think he was actually British). This was great because he was a Christian evangelist so I politely told him I wasn't interested without leaving the apartment. The last time this happened, I didn't understand the person's French very well so I went downstairs to open the door and find out more and I had a very bizarre conversation in French (they spoke French, I was attempting to) with 3 evangelists regarding God and the bible. Today, however, awkward front door situation #2 avoided!!]

Okay, back to the salon. It's a very interesting place. There are about 10 or so stations each manned by at least 1 stylist (often with 1 or 2 others observing). It all started off quite nicely. The stylist washed my hair--a new experience for me since the barbers I go to back home don't do this. She then asked me what kind of haircut I wanted. I first told her I didn't speak much French and that I was looking for a new hair style... perhaps she could recommend something? Not sure exactly what she said but she proceeded to start cutting. At this point, I should mention that I have very coarse hair which is not that common for many barbers--including, as I learned--the stylist I had today. For most haircuts I have, the barber will just take an electric razor and a comb and quickly trim the sides, then use scissors on the top and to blend in the top and the sides. In this salon, they used scissors only so tasks like trimming sideburns and around the ears took some time. And at several points, the barber would actually stop and then go seek advice from what must have been one of the professors roaming around. It would often take at least 5 minutes for the stylist to go and come back! Part way through she then took a blow dryer and dried the heck out of my hair. Another 15 minutes later (and after a futher consulation) she then sprayed my hair with water. Later on she blowed dried it again. It reminded me of dealing with the French bureaucracy... patience is definitely required. And on at least two other occasions the professor came by and gave additional instructions. Honestly, I felt bad because it was probably a horrible combination for someone learning to cut hair: not your typical hair and a customer who can't speak French. At one point I commented, mes cheveaux sont dificiles, non? (my hair is difficult, no?). To which the stylist replied with a somewhat defeated smile, oui. After another lengthy session of cutting followed by consultation followed by more cutting, my haircut was finally through. It actually turned out much better than I was expecting had you asked me halfway through and is similar to what I had before (so no radical before and after pictures). Maybe next time I'll have to bring in a picture or something to really get something different. At the very end, I told the stylist (who wasn't exactly outwardly showing a whole lot of confidence at this point) in my broken french that she was very good considering my type of hair (clearly new to her) and the fact I didn't speak French. She was probably ready to call it a day at that point. I finally left the salon at 12:30. A haircut that would normally be 15-20 minutes tops had taken 2 hours! Oh well, it was certainly an experience.