Thank God for Good Hairdressers

Its the little things that keep us sane.

After 6 weeks of bearing with a bad haircut, I had an appointment with Ana Donato at Eric this morning. She spoke with a thick French accent and kept her curly hair tucked neatly away in a bun. I often wonder how people such as Ana end up in Shanghai. Although its possible she is a trailing spouse, it seems more likely that she came to Shanghai of her own accord. Possibly to set up this hair salon, which she manages. However she arrived, I'm lucky she's here.

She sat me down in the chair, and asked what I wanted of her. I told her that I had been the unfortunate recipient of a bad haircut about 4 weeks ago, and that I have high hopes that she can fix it. Whatever she needs to do is fine - I will put my full faith in her.

She studied my hair for a quick moment. She agreed. I have received a very bad haircut. The style on the top does not match the style on the bottoms. The amount of volume built in to the haircut does not fit with how much curl my hair has, or the humidity in the weather. To top it off, the sides are not even.

She told me quite bluntly that she would not be able to make my hair look any better. She could cut a bit off the bottom to shape it, but the problem area is on the top and she will not touch that until it has grown another 2-3 centimeters. She sent me home with no haircut.

I was thrilled to pieces. Not only do I have professional confirmation that I have a horrible haircut, but I also have a plan of action. Wait 4-6 weeks for my hair to add another 2-3 cm to the top, and then return to Ana. Ana, the hairdresser with such integrity to turn away a client rather than give a bad haircut.

Since I already had babysitting for the day, I spent the morning at Super Brand Mall. My understanding is that Super Brand Mall is one of the largest malls in Asia, and at 10 stories I have no trouble believing that. The thing I do have trouble believing is that in all of that space, there is precious little clothing for sale that fits my body.

Despite adolescent preoccupations with the imperfections of my body, I am happy to admit that I am not overweight. But shopping in Super Brand Mall, or anywhere else in China, it is easy to forget. Asian women seem to average around size 2 in US sizes, with no chest to speak of. Far off my mark on both counts. But on this good day, I found flattering and affordable clothes in two shops.

I was on a role. And sorely needed that boost after a weekend of Bad China Days. The weather had been bad, the food had been bad, the lack of personal space had driven me crazy. And the thought of moving to Puxi to figure out all of the intricacies of getting around my neighborhood left me feeling frazzled. A morning of minor successes, topped off by a wonderful ayi at home caring for my children has left me feeling much more at home in my city.