05.15.07

Miscellaneous Updates

Posted in Barbershop at 11:27 am by Benjamin Ross

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It is hard to believe but my stint at the barbershop is approaching the halfway marker. I am becoming increasingly used to the rhythm of working eleven hour shifts, every day. Since my second day I have continued working the late shift from noon until 10:30 which means I wake up in the morning at 9:30, read the news for fifteen minutes, then write for about an hour and a half, then head off to work. If I have enough time, I ride my bike which takes about 25 minutes, otherwise I take a taxi. After work, I come home, space out for a few minutes, write for another couple hours, then go to sleep. Repeat the next day. Occasionally I am able to sneak off to the bar or coffee house for an hour or two, but most of my non-work related socialization has been limited to friends dropping by the barbershop.

The big news this week is that tomorrow is the employee bar-b-que. Once a month the entire staff goes together for a little field trip of sorts. I am told past activities have included hiking, going to the beach, and karaoke. Tomorrow we will be riding our bikes to the Fuzhou Forrest Park for some good old fashioned Chinese 烧烤 (shao1 kao3), which is the Chinese equivalent of bar-b-que. As a native Kansas Citian, I do not like to use the term bar-b-que loosely, but 烧烤 is a decent supplement. A better definition would probably be “a cornucopia of various meat and meatlike products on sticks, smothered in soy sauce, ketchup, and honey, and cooked over an open flame.” Because all employees are encouraged to go, and the shop is open from 9 am until 10 pm, we will be going at night, around 10:30 after we finish the nightly cleanup of the store.

Mr. Zheng gives the camera the thumbs up

In other news, Mr. Zheng’s Huan Ying Guang Lin initiative has been working with mild success. The morning after the big meeting, the “huan ying guang lin’s” were spewing out louder than ever before, but as the afternoon continued they gradually digressed. A few days later they were back to their original apathetic state. Thus, Mr. Zheng has instituted a new policy whereby any little brother or little sister who does not say “huan ying guang lin” when a customer comes in the door has to do 10 pushups on the barbershop floor. This too has only had mild success, but at least it’s entertaining. So far I have not been caught. Mr. Zheng even commented that my “huan ying guang lin” was “very standard.” I’m not sure if this is a token to my enthusiastic welcoming of customers or in reference to my comparatively standard Mandarin. (Most of my co-workers say “Fan ying guang lin,” as is typical of Fuzhou…excuse me, Huzou…pronunciation).

The formerly orange-headed Carrottop.

In hairstyle related news, Carrottop decided that bright orange wasn’t his color and dyed his spiky hair blue, before I could even snap a picture of his new fiery do. Cheng Qing is also scheduled to have his head shaved in the next couple days. My own hair continues to evolve as I have moved away from hair wax and its puffing effect and am now using gel to put my hair in a spike which accentuates my highlights.

As time passes on I am starting to really get to know my coworkers, and their personalities are rapidly emerging. I have been spending a lot of time chatting with Jiang, the 33 year old barber who has a son who doesn’t even recognize him because he sees him so rarely. Jiang is the oldest person in the shop other than Mr. Zheng and with his age comes knowledge and maturity. He frequently gripes about how worthless contemporary Chinese pop music is, especially compared with music from the 80’s and 90’s. He also plays the guitar and is the resident barbershop ping pong champion.

Jiang and me relaxing in the shop

The infamous (and androgynous) Johnny

Johnny, as humorous as he is to watch work, is becoming increasingly annoying on a personal level. He is only 18, and immature even for his age. Lately he has been following me around the shop wherever I go and is constantly demanding to use my cell phone to play games on it. I do feel a little sorry for him though since he still appears to be on the outside of the barbershop social circle, and he is reminded several times a day by fellow co-workers that he looks like a girl.

Mr. Zheng has continued treating me as he promised, as much like a regular employee as possible. He frequently starts up conversation with me when there are no customers, which is typical of his relationships with the other employees as well, but as soon as there is a job to be done, he insists I get to work.

My training continues to improve, and my goal is by next week to be able to give a full hair wash and massage to customers, but for now it is still mainly a lot of folding towels, sweeping hair, and dispensing cups of water. More updates to come after the BBQ.

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