Now I know....

Now I know why people travel to other countries! I have been hating my hair lately. I went to my hair salon about a month ago, but my usual stylist, Sameeda, was out on maternity leave, so a stylist I had never experienced cut my hair. She spent all of 10 minutes--15 tops on a $40 hair cut, but since she didn't cut much off, which is what I like, I paid for it and left. Later I was dissatisfied. I asked my neighbor, Lisa, who seems to always get a good cut, how she communicates with her stylist! She has a love/hate relationship with her ex-favorite hairdresser, who she no longer trusts, and she's managed a bartering relationship with another hairdresser. Lisa is not easy to please when it comes to her beauty services...her lunch or her coffee,either, by the way. So I was really interested in the very words she uses in order to come away from her hair stylist looking beautiful as always. The magic words she uses? The same as mine: long layers!
Today was my Weight Watchers, Freecycling and commissary day. I drove to Ft. Belvoir and stopped at the Starbucks in the base "town center" and sat on a bar stool examining my new cookbook, writing my list.
By the time I came out into the afternoon sun, the sun was missing. Noting the change in temperature, I decided to exercise before going to get groceries, so I put my stuff in the car, locked it up and took off down the street. As I walked by, I noticed a children's hair salon...they were selling hair cuts for $15. I also passed an adult hair salon as I rounded the corner, but my attention was drawn to the darkening sky. Hmmmm...maybe a long walk was not a good idea. At that moment, a strong breeze warned me that the skies above me were about to open up, so I turned on my heel and headed back to my car, and as I turned the corner by the adult hair salon, I saw a sign for $15 hair cuts!
I walked in and spoke to the lady at the desk.
"Do I need an appointment to get a haircut?"
"Usually," she replied, "but we are closing in 45 minutes, and you have just enough time to get a cut, and we have an opening."
She led me to a young man, about my height, of who was not of European, African
or Hispanic descent.
Being an ESL teacher, I listened to his broken English and with startling accuracy asked, "Where are you from?"
"Turkey," he replied, "I no speak English good."
Oh. Ummm...I have a hard time communicating what I want in English to an English speaking stylist. In fact, I had yet to be completely satisfied with a haircut by stylists of any nationality. But, I also can't leave any hair stylist without a LOT of guilt and embarrassment, so I decided to take the risk, especially since I had already had my hair washed and was sitting in his chair, as the young man asked, "What do we do today?"
Hesitantly, but with conviction, I asked for his name and said, "I don't want too much cut off!"
Engin replied with confidence, "You want long layers?"
Relieved, I answered, "Yes! Long layers! And a little bit of bangs!"
Engin took a bit of my hair in the front and combed it forward, "About this much?"
I nervously replied, "Yes...", and, "SNIP!" I had bangs.
Then the haircut began. Quickly I ceased to be a customer and became an admiring audience as my new hairstylist (forever) worked his art on my sun bleached, chlorinated, worn out hair. Immediately I could see this was the best haircut I would ever have! Engin had two small round brushes that he used like hair rollers, twisting my very fine hair around and blow drying very closely to the brush, steam rising in a cloud as he did so. As the rain poured in torrents outside, Engin was focused on everything he did, and when my cell phone rang, he didn't even look up.
"It's probably my husband," I said apologetically, wondering if I should interrupt ....Engin didn't notice.
"Hi, Don!" I said.
"Are you finished getting groceries?" he asked. "I just worked out for 105 minutes."
"Um..no, I was about to exercise too, but it started raining, so now I'm getting the best hair cut I have EVER had!"
All of the other stylists, also in need of ESL services, looked up and smiled. They actually understood English and said something to Engin, who smiled for the rest of the time he worked on my hair.
By the time Engin turned me around to look at my hair, if it weren't for my face and the rest of me, I would have looked JUST like Marilyn Monroe!! He and the other stylists smiled at me, and one of them said, "Beautiful!" I was totally amazed. I shook Engin's hand and asked if I could bring my friend Lisa, who is a not a military dependent, to him. He gave me his card and smiled. Engin had spent an hour on my hair! I WILL come back!
I have to add that, although there was a sign on the window that said "Haircuts $15", that was only advertising the children's salon next door. My haircut was $40.
It ended up being $45, because I gave Engin a tip. I wanted to give him more, but, had I known coming in that the haircuts were $40, I couldn't have justified getting another $40 cut only a month after my last cut! I'm so glad I didn't have all of the information, because I would have missed out on the best haircut EVER! NOW I know why people visit other countries....because there are all kinds of people in all kinds of professions who don't take their customers for granted and are not to rushed to offer personalized service with pride and joy! I took a picture of myself with my cell phone, in my Marilyn Monroe hair,to show Don, complimented Engin profusely to him and to the lady behind the desk, and then with great regret, walked out into the pouring rain.