After a two week delay I made it back to the U.S. and home in Wisconsin on the 16th of December. During my wait in Bangkok I finished up a new draft of my dissertation proposal, wrote a proposal for a Smithsonian Fellowship (due in January), and updated my personal website.
I continue to work on two manuscripts using camera trap data from Khao Yai National Park. From January 12-19, I plan to spend a week at the Smithsonian’s Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia to put the final touches on the first manuscript.
Sometime between January 13th and the 18th I would like to arrange for a full committee meeting at UMass; however, the travel arrangements and dates are pending.
I will return to Thailand on January 22nd in time to attend a Clouded Leopard Workshop (sponsored by the Smithsonian). My fieldwork schedule for the year is contingent upon funding.
Smile Salon
I’ve never had good hair. It’s not strong and sleek or curly and bouncy. My hair is fine and limp. Regardless, I’ve gotten a couple of nice cuts from women running beauty parlors out of the front of their homes. These tiny establishments are just as setup as the big-name hair salons with reclining chairs over sinks for washing and the helmet concoctions for drying. With my limited Thai vocabulary it was only a slight challenge to convey what kind of cut I came in for. I even learned the catch-phrase, “splice” for the technique they use to give the effect of a bit of shorter strands of hair framing my face. And of course, it makes me feel good to have the Thai women ooh and aah over the softness of my blond hair with comparisons to doll hair. So, I was perfectly content to seek out a cut and style in Thailand before returning home to see friends and family for Christmas.
Now, beauty parlors in my neighborhood of Huay Kwang seem to be seen as a path to easy money. I am not exaggerating when I say there are store fronts every 50 meters for blocks. I don’t know how they all stay in business. But, I had my pick of places with names like “Lushy,” “Smile Salon,” and “New-New.” Smile Salon. That sounds happy (plus, there was a group of staff visible from the window who seemed seriously immersed in someone’s highlight choices). Good, why not try something new? They got out the picture book and I pointed to a model with lovely flowing locks of soft waves. “We can do that…very pretty,” I was assured. I sat back for the ride. The shampoo was flowery and included a scalp massage. The cut looked fine, though was that too much off the sides? Curlers and then wrapping my head with saran wrap. As I waited for the chemicals to sink in, my hair dresser started up conversation and wanted to know all of my favorite Thai foods. She promptly marched down the street to buy me Somtom from a vender. Was she trying to get me on her good side? Did she know something I didn’t know?
Long story short…3 hours later..: The wrap came off, I was rinsed and half-dried and ended up looking like a shaggy mop from the 80s. The perm didn’t take and the cut (while probably nice for a Thai with straight and heavy hair) fell flat. A disaster. The staff tried to reassure me with their best smiles, coaching me on how to twirl the hair around my finger until it dried and had some lift. No. I was so horrified. The next day I went to the shop across the street and tried to get the layers evened out. So, not by design, but by default, I’m coming home with a short bob. Yup, that’s why I stick to ponytails.
Now, beauty parlors in my neighborhood of Huay Kwang seem to be seen as a path to easy money. I am not exaggerating when I say there are store fronts every 50 meters for blocks. I don’t know how they all stay in business. But, I had my pick of places with names like “Lushy,” “Smile Salon,” and “New-New.” Smile Salon. That sounds happy (plus, there was a group of staff visible from the window who seemed seriously immersed in someone’s highlight choices). Good, why not try something new? They got out the picture book and I pointed to a model with lovely flowing locks of soft waves. “We can do that…very pretty,” I was assured. I sat back for the ride. The shampoo was flowery and included a scalp massage. The cut looked fine, though was that too much off the sides? Curlers and then wrapping my head with saran wrap. As I waited for the chemicals to sink in, my hair dresser started up conversation and wanted to know all of my favorite Thai foods. She promptly marched down the street to buy me Somtom from a vender. Was she trying to get me on her good side? Did she know something I didn’t know?
Long story short…3 hours later..: The wrap came off, I was rinsed and half-dried and ended up looking like a shaggy mop from the 80s. The perm didn’t take and the cut (while probably nice for a Thai with straight and heavy hair) fell flat. A disaster. The staff tried to reassure me with their best smiles, coaching me on how to twirl the hair around my finger until it dried and had some lift. No. I was so horrified. The next day I went to the shop across the street and tried to get the layers evened out. So, not by design, but by default, I’m coming home with a short bob. Yup, that’s why I stick to ponytails.