I once had a professor who boasted that he only ever got haircuts in foreign countries. Whenever his hair was getting a bit long he’d say, “Time to schedule another trip.” He often spoke about writing a book that detailed his different travels and the experiences that he’s had getting his hair cut all around the world. At the time, I thought it was just his way of being unique and a bit eccentric. Today, as I was sitting in the little ten by five foot room waiting to have my haircut, my old professor came to mind and I smiled as I took in the sights around me. A broken mirror rested on a “desk” constructed of second hand wood. Wires ran across the walls carrying electricity from an outside generator. A 15 inch TV played gospel music videos (yes, in DRC, that is a thing) through heavy static. Hair from a day’s worth of clients lined the floor together with a few dozen razor blades. As I sat in this little room with blaring music and no air circulation, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Well, this is quite an experience.” For starters, I usually cut my hair at a #3, which is a pretty short haircut by US standards. However, today as with the other haircuts I’ve had in Congo, they had to dig through an old bucket full of a bunch of spare parts to find my #3. After blowing the dust off and spraying…
Source: Just a bit off the top. from Fothergill – Africa