Last Day Part 1: The Haircut

(Oh my gosh!  I started writing the final posts and never put them online! This was months ago!)

8/11/10: We've put it off and now there's no avoiding it any longer...it's time to pack for the return trip home.  UGH! We awoke with that sick feeling in our stomachs, knowing soon we would need to have all our belongings assembled for the next day's flight.

But first some important business to attend to in the morning.  Jennifer returned our car to the rental agency back at the airport, while I took the ULTIMATE leap of faith.  A haircut, at a barber in Mexico.

After a month abroad, my hair was getting pretty shaggy, even more unmanageable with the hot climate.  And since Lukas was due for a haircut as well, it was time for the boys to take a risk.  I was hopeful that even with the language barrier, I would be able to explain to the barber a close approximation of the cut I was looking for.  Otherwise, I could be spending my first few weeks back at home wearing a baseball cap 24/7.

Here's how the experience went:  The barbershop was due to open at 10am, but when the kids and I got there 20 minutes later, the gate was still down.  The corrugated metal door was only partly ajar, so I peeked in to see if the shop was open.  A sleepy looking older man was only just now making his way into the shop from the other end, and he indicated that he would be opening soon.  My guess is that he was sleeping in the back room, possibly in his living quarters behind the shop.  No problem, we took a seat inside and waited... as he washed his face, combed his hair, and made himself look presentable.  This took another fifteen minutes, before he finally raised the gate and opened up the shop.

He was finally about to get down to business when a woman behind the door at the back of the shop began calling to him urgently in Spanish.  He responded nonchalantly to her while he prepped his combs and scissors, and then I noticed the woman's hand reaching through the doorway, grasping for something.  The barber rolled his eyes, shuffled across the floor, and handed her... a roll of toilet paper. It was at this point that I began to wonder if we were being featured in an episode of Candid Camera.

With that interruption behind us, I bravely decided to have the barber start with Lukas first.  I used what few Spanish words I knew to get my point across:  "Corta solo un poco" (cut only a little bit, or at least I hope that's what I said).  The barber said nothing, but smiled politely and set about the task at hand.  Lukas was so cooperative and patient, sitting very still and behaving wonderfully, for what seemed like an eternity.  The barber shuffled around the chair in small steps, scuffling his feet through the hair clippings in a manner that instantly reminded me of Tim Conway on the Carol Burnett Show (alright, yes, I'm really dating myself, that's apparent).  Was this all just another comedy sketch from the 70's?

After a time, the barber finished up with Lukas, and you know what?  His haircut looked pretty good! Just a bit shorter that I thought it would be, but it looked really good on him.  And I figured if my son could brave his way through this surreal experience, then I certainly couldn't chicken out now.  I sat in the chair and said to the barber, "Muy bueno, gracias...", and then I gestured to Luke's hair clipping on the floor, "...pero es demasiado para yo... un poco, por favor."  I don't now if it was right but I think it made some sort of sense because the barber nodded and smiled again, instead of that quizzical expression people usually give me when I try to speak Spanish.  He set to work again, shuffling around the chair once more.

When all was said and done, Señor Conway actually did a great job...probably one of the best haircuts I've had in a long time.  Even better, each cut only cost 40 pesos, which is less than $4.00!  Chalk this one up as one of those quirky experiences that are never forgotten.

Now back to the house to pack...