I Didn't Mean it Literally!

I have always been uneasy getting my hair cut. Having to wear glasses requires a certain amount of faith in the person cutting my hair. Now, not only can I not see what they are doing, but I cannot even tell them how I want my hair cut.

With the failure in Itaewan, I decided to stay close to home. Once you start looking for barber shop signs, you begin to see them everywhere. Several places near my home cut hair, so I had my secretary write in Korean how I wanted my hair cut. A quick aside about hair style in Korea. This is metrosexual central. I think guys wear more product in their hair than the women. And big hair is the style here. A mop with a part and just out of the eyes seems to be the Korean style. Nearby is a place that sells wigs (I think). I took a picture because the head with a sketchy beard just cracks me up. Anyway, my big hair days have long past. I want my hair short.

A wig place near. Once you see this place, it automatically becomes a landmark.

Well, it turns out the wig place is also a barber shop! Now I have to get my hair cut there. I walk in and show the guy my sheet of Korean instructions. The first question was how much is the cut. He answers,"Shampoo? Cut? Shampoo and cut? 9,000 won" That was about all the English he could speak. A cut and shampoo cost me $30 in the US but here it's under $10. I tell him I would like the shampoo and a cut. I also show him my ID which has a picture of how I would like hair cut. It's clear he thinks I'm trying to introduce myself, so I give up.

He has me sit in the barber chair, gets an old time shaving brush, applies a touch of shampoo, and gently taps my head with the brush. Not exactly what I would call a shampoo, but this is not the first time the translation is a little off. Then he takes a water bottle and wets my hair. This is followed by the sound of razor shears. It was at this moment I realized the instructions I have given might not really convey what I wanted. I like my ears cut out which to me means the ears are showing. But, literally, it means something slightly different. Now, I'm not completely blind without my glasses, so I was able to see (and feel) him take the shears and cut out my ears. A huge swathe of hair goes tumbling as the hair above my ears is significantly reduced. Dang it. I had also emphasized my hair being short. After finishing the sides he begins to frantically cut the top using a comb in one hand to pull up the hair and scissors in the other cutting at a phenomenal rate. I was reminded of Edward Scissor-Hands. That is not an exaggeration. He moved fast.

He cuts my hair for a full 45 minutes, so there is not much hair left. He then pulls out a straight-edge razor and shaves my scalp above my ears. Then he shaves my ears. At least this guy is thorough. He brushes me off and then says,"Shampoo". Here you wash your hair after the cut. I like that better. Get rid of all the cut hair. After the shampoo, he blow dries my hair. He then takes a bottle and shows it to me. "Scent." It was aftershave. He puts that in my hair. "Lotion." He puts that in my hair. Another bottle and another. I couldn't really make out what he said they were, but they all went in. I now have more product in my hair than I have had in all my days combined. It did smell good.

So, with the exception of the gap between my ears and my hair, not too bad. An hour entertainment for nine bucks. I just need to remember that translations are usually taken quite literally.