One thing I must say about Afghanistan-- and maybe this is true of all third world countries-- the amount of time and effort put into a small service-for-pay by an Afghan is a far greater value than back at home. For instance, the haircut.
Since being in the military I have at least quadrupled the number of yearly haircuts I get. This is the cost of keeping your hair short; you have to cut it frequently or else it looks really bad. Mostly I cut my hair myself (with a little help from my spouse or, one time, my five year old) but at least once a month I go to the barber.
The barber is generally hit or miss. Sometimes you get someone who takes their time and really does a good job, trimming the edges, making sure there aren't stray hairs, cleaning up your head and neck afterwards, but mostly you get a once-over with the clippers and a fast trim around your neck and ears, and it takes less than five minutes, and it costs eight or nine bucks, plus tip.
So, the haircut in Afghanistan takes place in a tent, floor covered in Afghan rugs, smell of incense, very much like you would imagine an Arab tent in the Sahara, except there is a small TV playing Pakistani news or Bollywood movies from India. The barber charges $5 per haircut and he is intricate and precise, even with the simple head shave. He goes over things twice, three times, and uses small scissors to make sure that every hair is cut and shaped uniformly. He uses a brush to thoroughly clean off the neck and head and shoulders and uses some sort of scented powder as an "after-shave" for your head. In short, he works his tail off for $5. It is by far the best barber-haircut I have ever gotten.
I have had the same experience with the tailor and the bread-maker; they work very hard to provide a simple service and they charge very little. Of course the price is much cheaper than at home, but the remarkable thing is that the service is far superior than what we get in the US. It's really nice to be a customer here.
On Monday I'll risk the local bazaar and see what they have for sale. I want to experience that, maybe send something unique home. I am conserving my cash because there is no way to get more cash here-- I need it for haircuts and to pay for shipping my belongings back to Las Vegas in December (I want to travel light on the way home). I guess I'll set aside money for shipping and 4 and 1/2 months of haircuts and see what I have left. I've heard they have silk and wool rugs, but I'm sure some are quite expensive.
Since being in the military I have at least quadrupled the number of yearly haircuts I get. This is the cost of keeping your hair short; you have to cut it frequently or else it looks really bad. Mostly I cut my hair myself (with a little help from my spouse or, one time, my five year old) but at least once a month I go to the barber.
The barber is generally hit or miss. Sometimes you get someone who takes their time and really does a good job, trimming the edges, making sure there aren't stray hairs, cleaning up your head and neck afterwards, but mostly you get a once-over with the clippers and a fast trim around your neck and ears, and it takes less than five minutes, and it costs eight or nine bucks, plus tip.
So, the haircut in Afghanistan takes place in a tent, floor covered in Afghan rugs, smell of incense, very much like you would imagine an Arab tent in the Sahara, except there is a small TV playing Pakistani news or Bollywood movies from India. The barber charges $5 per haircut and he is intricate and precise, even with the simple head shave. He goes over things twice, three times, and uses small scissors to make sure that every hair is cut and shaped uniformly. He uses a brush to thoroughly clean off the neck and head and shoulders and uses some sort of scented powder as an "after-shave" for your head. In short, he works his tail off for $5. It is by far the best barber-haircut I have ever gotten.
I have had the same experience with the tailor and the bread-maker; they work very hard to provide a simple service and they charge very little. Of course the price is much cheaper than at home, but the remarkable thing is that the service is far superior than what we get in the US. It's really nice to be a customer here.
On Monday I'll risk the local bazaar and see what they have for sale. I want to experience that, maybe send something unique home. I am conserving my cash because there is no way to get more cash here-- I need it for haircuts and to pay for shipping my belongings back to Las Vegas in December (I want to travel light on the way home). I guess I'll set aside money for shipping and 4 and 1/2 months of haircuts and see what I have left. I've heard they have silk and wool rugs, but I'm sure some are quite expensive.
4 comments:
ok, totally unrelated to this or any other post, but has anyone else noticed the resemblance of "theleftcaptain" to Michael Phelps? I think the tall, lanky, short-haired, (muscular?) body shape and the narrow face are similar...Are you sure you're not in Beijing now?
I wish I was in Beijing... same continent though. No Starbucks here and no Olympic athletes. I think Afghanistan had a female olympian but they threatened to cut her head off if she competed so she left the country. Smart girl.
I guess the cost of freedom and being a super power is an expensive, crappy haircut? And over priced bread?
Being away from America is the best way to re-evaluate and appreciate our country and freedom.
True, very true. I'll take crappy hair cuts if it means that guys with beards can't run around in my country cutting people's heads off.
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