I briefly debated whether to write a blog post about this, especially since I'm sure it will seem ridiculous to readers in the U.S. and will seem ridiculous to me when I get home. Plus, it's personal. But really, I'm blogging about my life and what is important to me now, knowing that it will all be strange to me when it's over.
So this post is about body hair. You can stop reading now if you'd like.
If you're an American woman who is used to shaving/waxing/otherwise removing your body hair on a regular basis, you will understand what I mean when I say that I never really feel clean if my legs are hairy. Much worse if my underarms are hairy. So, when my epilator (which is my tool of choice for hair removal--it's like a mechanical tweezer. Think of it as waxing, but without the wax, the fees, or the professional salon lady) died the first time I tried to use it (worse, when it died after I'd completed one armpit the first time I tried to use it), I was mildly distraught. I was also embarrassed to ask someone here where to go for waxing. So I waited until Helen got here.
As you might imagine, by 5 weeks, I was feeling pretty gross. I felt like no matter how many showers I'd take in a day, and no matter how much I scrubbed, I could never get clean. I hated looking at myself (fortunately we have no mirrors and clothes here cover most of the body) and was extremely self-conscious, made worse by the fact that I'm an ethnic minority here and get tons of stares.
Today was the day. Helen and I asked Auntie where to go, and she took us to a salon very close to our house (5 mins walk or less) that does waxing, threading, skin treatments, hair cuts, etc. The power was out when we got there, so the woman said she couldn't do waxing right then, but Helen got her eyebrows threaded. They did a great job, and the power came back a few hours later, so we came back for waxing. It didn't hurt, she did a pretty good job, and the best part is that it cost $4.40. Not per leg. Not just for waxing legs. It cost $4.40 to do my legs and underarms, Helen's underarms, and Helen's eyebrows.
Needless to say, I'm thrilled about restoring my normal level of personal hygiene at a place very conveniently located, with a lovely and skilled owner, and at essentially no cost. It feels good to feel human again.
[On another note, how messed up is it that women have to go through pain and inconvenience and generally high costs just to feel "human"?! The feminist inside me will stew about this while I celebrate.]
So this post is about body hair. You can stop reading now if you'd like.
If you're an American woman who is used to shaving/waxing/otherwise removing your body hair on a regular basis, you will understand what I mean when I say that I never really feel clean if my legs are hairy. Much worse if my underarms are hairy. So, when my epilator (which is my tool of choice for hair removal--it's like a mechanical tweezer. Think of it as waxing, but without the wax, the fees, or the professional salon lady) died the first time I tried to use it (worse, when it died after I'd completed one armpit the first time I tried to use it), I was mildly distraught. I was also embarrassed to ask someone here where to go for waxing. So I waited until Helen got here.
As you might imagine, by 5 weeks, I was feeling pretty gross. I felt like no matter how many showers I'd take in a day, and no matter how much I scrubbed, I could never get clean. I hated looking at myself (fortunately we have no mirrors and clothes here cover most of the body) and was extremely self-conscious, made worse by the fact that I'm an ethnic minority here and get tons of stares.
Today was the day. Helen and I asked Auntie where to go, and she took us to a salon very close to our house (5 mins walk or less) that does waxing, threading, skin treatments, hair cuts, etc. The power was out when we got there, so the woman said she couldn't do waxing right then, but Helen got her eyebrows threaded. They did a great job, and the power came back a few hours later, so we came back for waxing. It didn't hurt, she did a pretty good job, and the best part is that it cost $4.40. Not per leg. Not just for waxing legs. It cost $4.40 to do my legs and underarms, Helen's underarms, and Helen's eyebrows.
Needless to say, I'm thrilled about restoring my normal level of personal hygiene at a place very conveniently located, with a lovely and skilled owner, and at essentially no cost. It feels good to feel human again.
[On another note, how messed up is it that women have to go through pain and inconvenience and generally high costs just to feel "human"?! The feminist inside me will stew about this while I celebrate.]
Wish you could bring that back w you :)
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