International Salon

The masseuse was from China.
The manicurist was from Uzbekistan.
The pedicurist was from Kenya.
The shampooist was from Sri Lanka.
The hair stylist was from Morocco.

And she did not speak English very well.

The shampooist was already trying to strike up a conversation
with me after she'd found out I'd been to Sri Lanka (by my
saying the one word I know in Sinhala.) While she's trying
to talk to me, the stylist is speaking in Arabic on her wireless
mobile, which I can't see because my glasses have been removed.

So I've got giggling Sri Lanka woman speaking SinhalaEnglish
to me, stylist appearing to talk to herself while blow drying
my hair, and I'm blind to boot. Mass confusion in my head.

Then all of a sudden the Arabic psychosis stops and I hear,
"You have a gree hair!"

I'm thinking she's said that I have great hair, to which I would
say thank you, but I wanted to clarify. (Or hear the compliment
again...?)

"I'm sorry?"

"You have green hair!"

GREEN? What?! I didn't automatically think English mistake,
because I've been using this serum on my hair to help with one
of the side effects from my crazy meds. I thought it was possible
some green growth has occurred on the back of my head...

I point to my extremely green shirt and say, "Green?! I have green
hair?"

She grabs one hair, pulls it away from the others, points, and says,
"You have green hair!"

"Grey hair?"

"Grey! Yes! What I say?"

"You said 'green.'" And I point to my shirt. Then I point to her
grey shirt and say, (very clearly), "grey."

"Gree, greey, all same. You have green hair! You wan color?"

"No, thanks. I like my grey hair."

"Whhhaaa? Every lady come my saloon and say she, I wan color!
I no wan green hair! Color my green! You wan color?"

"No, thanks. Just blow dry."

She muttered to herself for awhile about my not wanting my
green hairs colored. She also didn't understand why I wanted
my curly hair blow dried straight. Every woman who comes
in that 'saloon' wants their straight hair made curly.

She must think America is the most backwards country:
curly hair made straight and green hair not colored.