-^-for posterity-^-

the barber shop.

it's always full of a strange mixture of men. the are the least homogenous group you can find in long xuyen. today i had my hair cut in the 'style of the vietnamese teacher' as i requested. it is floppy and short on the sides and i feel like i am once again in fourth grade. oh, yes, and i do part it over to the right. if only my brother could see me now.

the barber shop is hot and poorly lit. there are eight chairs crammed together facing grey mirrors. one of the barbers is a very fat, middle aged man with short hair. another is a very young man with red hair who is pushing every social norm he can find. another is very old and thin and doesn't seem to have time to tend to his own hair. another is middle aged, in good shape with a blazing head of blonde hair. another looks like a mechanic.

they stand behind you silently cutting with some sort of perforated scissors. they look and cut and walk around and put white powder on your hair. they don't say much except when it comes to yelling at one another.

my barber is the red headed one. i didn't choose him, he was chosen for me. he did a good job of making me look like a 12 year old. he ambled around my head six or ten times admiring his work. he sprayed hairspray on my head that was called 'darling hair spray'. he parted my hair in the 'style of the vietnamese teacher' and i was on my way. 10,000 dong (70 cents) for a haircut and thirty minutes of interesting people to watch. not a bad deal if you ask me.