Jun 2008

Having visited the salon once I thought I knew what I was in for. Something you learn early in China is nothing is ever the same second time around. This time I enter the salon and no Maggie. I figure it can't be too hard to explain colour, cut and blow dry.

I was taken to a chair and I do my best Marcel Marceau impersonation. The colour is chosen. A young funky Chinese man starts to wash my hair in the chair. Using a small plastic squeeze bottle, water was dripped onto my head and shampoo added to create a lather. Eventually I'm all lathered up and it is now time to rinse. I was taken to the rinsing bed were I lay and the shampoo is rinsed out and I have an amazing head massage before returning to my seat. If there is one thing the Chinese are exceptional at it is massaging.

Back in the original chair and my head and shoulders are massaged. An amazing routine that should be implemented into Australian Salons immediately. They clean out your ears too. I don't recommend that this is introduced in Australia. Some things should be left to one to do themselves.

Now it is time to dry my hair before colouring. Some of the people in the salon want to practice their English. We communicate although at times it proved very difficult.

The hairdresser (who I think is also the owner) gave me a preferential card. Why wouldn't he? Every time I go I draw the crowds in. A foreigner having their hair done, how different could it be to a Chinese person having their hair done??? So my preferential card gives me a price of 68% of the cost.

The colour is set and it's now time to rinse. Back to the basin.

Now it's time for the cut. They sure do like their scissors. I think my hair is the shortest it's been in the last 2 years.

Time for the blow dry. 3 hours later I leave the salon. This experience was at the cost of Y258 ($43.) Still add a 1 in front of that and it is still less than what I pay at home.

Whilst there I inquired about Chemical Straightening. They said it would be OK. Thought though I should check with my hairdresser, Aretha. She wasn't overly thrilled by my suggestion but gave me some strict instructions to follow. Look out for a Chemical Straightening Update in July 2008.

Having you hair done in China is such a fantastic experience.

It was Christmas 2007, a friend I had met whilst travelling in Asia in December 2006 had sent me an email talking about his upcoming backpacking adventure. I would really have loved to join him but the timing was all wrong. I had only just come back from Brazil and needed to save some money before I went travelling again.

This got me searching the net on places to go. Whilst searching one of those annoying pop-ups caught my eye "Travel the world and get paid". This sounded like a fantastic solution. No need to save! I looked into it further. Before I knew it I had signed up to do a TESOL (Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages) course. By the 11 January the information had arrived.

I was focused. I saw this as an opportunity to travel and also get out of an employment situation I was most unhappy in. I had signed up to do the Foundation Course, Tutoring, Business English, Hospitality and Catering and Elementary.

I spent every night doing 3 hours of study. My weekends were consumed with completing this study. I had given myself to Easter to complete the course. By the 14 February I received a valentines present, - My Teaching License. It arrived in the mail on the 19 February. That night I got on the internet and started applying for jobs. I applied for 15 positions across the world. By the 23 February I had 14 contracts.

Now I had the task of deciding which job to take. I completed a spreadsheet and got down to 6. I then made my final decision. That contract fell over. Within 1 hour of that falling over I was in contact with my second choice and the green light was on. I was off to China. OMG what have I done!!!