Bye-Bye Blondie... Wednesday, November 17

I live in Cheonan, South Korea, home of the famous walnut cake, home of the pear, home of the world famous marathon runner Lee Bung Ju, and home of many other things but apparently not the home of blonde hair dye. Yesterday’s attempt at getting my hair dyed blond reached a high level of frustration after not one, not two, but FIVE hair shops flat out told me that they didn’t have any blond hair dye. So there I stood, outside one of the numerous hair shops that had let me down when along came a Korean ajjuma (old woman) and out reached her hand. I noticed at the corner of my eye her outreached hand coming towards my head but before I even thought to react, her hand had made its’ way into my hair. And with a chunk of my blond locks in her pudgy ajjuma palm, she stood there gazing at it.

Random Korean ajjumas touching my hair happens more than you’d imagine, more than I’d like to admit it happens, and more than it should happen. Ajjumas ARE the third gender. They follow no social rules made out for the rest of us and they think they rule the world, or at least Korea. I don’t get how they seem to think that randomly fondling my hair is okay to do but that’s just the thing with ajjumas, they are in a league all their own.

Today’s wondering-hand ajjuma marked the finishing point for me and my blond hair. I’m so not down with random ajjumas touching my hair, so I went to the very hair shop I had sworn not to go to; I went to Park Jun’s. I went in, booked an appointment and today I had my appointment.

Today I happily said goodbye to my blond locks and though my Church Kiddies complained and made it quite known that they liked my blond hair instead, I am happy to note that my ash brown locks were ajjuma-free today. Mind ya, upon telling my Church Kiddies about this all, one of them asked me if they could touch my hair. I agreed to let her but upon her touching my hair, she then called out to her classmates, telling them that my hair felt like baby hair. Next thing I knew it all 7 Church Kiddies were racing up to the front of the classroom to grab a lock of my hair… hahaha!!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
You'll kick me if I ever dare become a real Korean ajjuma, right? (Please!!!)

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.
-- Kahlil Gibran