The problem with 10-week field trips to Africa is that eventually you have to find yourself a barber–ideally one that has cut foriegn hair before.
In Kampala, this should have been an easy task. There are foreigners galore living here, and to find the best spot, I asked one of the nicer hotels where they send their guests.
Five hours later, I have been asked twice whether I am a Marine.
The process looked fine when my glasses were off. Oterwise I might have stopped the man sooner. But haircuts for the short-sighted is always a leap of faith. You don’t really know what that brown blur looks like until you put your glasses back on.
If this isn’t a good reason for contacts, I don’t know what is.
6 Responses
Hmm… I read blogs on a similar topic, but i never visited your blog. I added it to favorites and i’ll be your
constant reader.
Next time, try asking the Indians where they go. Maybe it's tough in Kampala, but upcountry I think there is usually one guy who takes care of all the shopkeepers. There is in Mbale. He does fine work.
oh man. I had the exact same experience in kampala this week. I went to 'THE HAIR NEST', and got a haircut from the same guy who cut it when I was living here two years ago. This time, despite the explicit instruction not to give me the marine cut, he did.
I'm in Kenya but back in Kampala on Tuesday night. If you are around we could compare disasters. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy working with your new intern, and my girlfriend, Becca Furst Nichols :)
The difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut is about a week and a half…
Carrying a pair of clippers with a slightly longer length is a good solution, although admittedly not for a ten week trip. My last haircut was in Hong Kong, which was a similar exercise of "yes, that sounds about right, yes, oh, no, oh shit". Fortunately short hair for boys only lasts a couple of weeks at most. I guess it could be a more challenging experience for girls.