Mondo's volunteers in Uganda: Juuksed. / Hair.

Juuste teemal tahtsin tegelikult kirjutada juba septembris, kuid muud asjad tulid vahele. Sõnu polegi siia juurde palju vaja, pildid räägivad kogu loo. Septembris võtsin käsile eksperimendi kohaliku juuksuriga, kelle tagasihoidlik kamber asub minu kodule väga lähedal (teise köögiviljaleti ja chapatti mehe vahel). Selgus, et tema nimi on Usher, lõikus maksab vaid 5000 ning muzungu juustega saab ta vabalt hakkama. Olgu, otsustasin katsetada. Seinal rippus plakat erinevate piltidega juukselõikustest (ok, pigem kohalikud naised parukatega vist) ning põhimõtteliselt sai sobivale pildile osutades oma soovist märku anda. Põhimõtteliselt, sest juuksur noogutas kõikide piltide puhul, et jah, saan hakkama küll ja pole üldse probleemi. Protsess nägi väja umbes selline, et juuksur pritsis mingist topsikust mu juustele pisut vett ning asus siis köögikääridega suvalisi salke lühemaks lõikama. Mingil hetkel avastasin, et tukk hakkab juba liiga lühikeseks muutuma ja küsisin tagasihoidlikult pildile osutades, et kuidas mu juuksed nüüd selliseks peaksid saama. Selle peale vastas Usher, et pole vaja muretseda, ta esmalt lõikab lühemaks ja siis trimmib täpse lõikusjoone paika. Proovisin mõista anda, et juuste maha lõikamise järel pole võimalik mõnda soengut enam teha, sest noh, juukseid on lihtsalt liiga vähe järel. See teda eriti ei heidutanud kuni lõpuks ütlesin, et nüüd aitab ja mina lähen siit minema. Maksin esialgu kolm tuhat, kuid selle peale vaadati mind väga kurva pilguga ja lisasin 900. Seega kokku maksis uus „soeng” 3900 UGX ehk 1.10 EUR. Koju jõudes aitas Rike õnneks soengut korrastada ja ühtlasemaks lõigata. Õhtu lõpuks nägi see enam-vähem normaalne välja.

Kohalike juuksurite äri tegeleb enamasti naiste juustesse patside-punutiste-parukate paigaldamise ja meestele masinlõikuse tegemisega. Uskumatu kui palju on võimalik erinevaid patse ja nendest omakorda huvitavaid moodustisi vormida. Mõned agarad vabatahtlikud lasevad endale ka patsid pähe punuda ning see kestab vähemalt terve päeva, võtab peanaha valusaks ja püsib ilusana umbes 2-3 nädalat. Juukseid sel ajal pesta ei tohiks. Üldiselt usun, et võltsjuustesse investeerivad kohalikud naised päris palju. Parukatega on vist lihtsam, sest neid saab vahepeal ära võtta ja uuesti tagasi kinnitada.

Vahepeal mu juuksed muudkui kasvasid, muutusid tihedaks ja tundsin, et sellise trollina enam ringi jalutada ei sobi. Otsustasin uue eksperimendi kasuks, kuid seekord Acacia Malli ilusalongis Sparkles. Tegu on ühe ilusaima kaubanduskeskusega Kampalas ning nii uhkes juuksurisalongis pole ma vist varem käinudki. Pidin umbes 10 minutit ootama kuni sõbralik meesjuuksur minu juustega tegelema hakkas. Pesi ja masseeris pead ning uuris, kui palju lõigata tuleks jne. Selgus, et ta on käinud spetsiaalselt Nairobis muzungu juuste lõikamist õppimas ning töötas seejärel Kampala Sheraton Hotellis. Hiljem vahetas töökohta, sest Sheratonis oli liiga palju keeruliste juustega muzungusid ja töö väsitas väga. Lõikus võttis aega umbes 30 minutit ja maksin 23 000 UGX ehk 6.57 EUR. Natuke imelik, et kõik teised tuttavad, kes samas kohas käinud, on maksnud kakskümmend tuhat šillingit, kuid mis teha, äkki on hinnatõusus süüdi jõuluaeg.

Nüüd on mu juuksed igatahes kuivaperioodiks ja uueks aastaks valmis!

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I wanted to write about hair already in September but other things interfered and now I found time for that again. In this case the pictures pretty much tell the story and not too many words need to be added. In September I decided to experiment with the local hairdresser who has his small business just a few minutes from my home (between the second vegetable stand and the chapatti guy). His name is Usher, haircut costs 5000 and he has no difficulties with cutting muzungu hair or so he claimed. He also had some posters with different haircuts or I would rather say with different wigs and fake hair. Basically one could choose a haircut from those pictures but actually the hairdresser seemed to nod every time and say that yes-yes, no problem, he can make this cut. The process of cutting itself looked something like this - he splashed some water onto my hair from a plastic cup and then started to cut randomly with kitchen scissors. At some point I discovered that the fringe is getting way too short and uneven and pointed to the picture I asked how are my hair supposed to look like this. Usher replied that no need to worry, he shall first cut the hair shorter and then trim it into the correct shape. I tried to explain that after cutting the hair some haircuts are not possible anymore because, well, the hair might be just too short for that. This did not discourage him at all until at some point I just told that this is enough now and I am leaving. At first I paid three thousand but then he looked at me with very sad eyes and said that he had worked so much and I added another 900. In total my new „haircut” cost 3900 UGX = 1.10 EUR. At home Rike fortunately helped to correct and even out my new hair.

The local hairdressers usually concentrate on making braids, adding wigs and all kinds of fake hair and shaving off men's hair. It is really astonishing how many possibilities there are for making braids and then organising them into different styles, shapes, and sizes. Some eager volunteers also try out the feeling of wearing braids and the process for that takes at least one whole day. It makes the skin on your head itch and hurt and the braids stay nice for 2-3 weeks (or less if they are not made very well). In general, I believe that local women invest quite a lot of time and money into fake plastic hair. It seems a bit easier with wigs as you can take them off and then attach them again later.

In the meanwhile my interesting haircut kept growing thicker and I thought that soon I need to do something about this. I decided to try another experiment but this time in the beauty salon Sparkles in Acacia Mall that is one of the most beautiful shopping centers in Kampala. I think that I have not been in that fancy beauty salon before. I had to wait about 10 minutes until a friendly hairdresser started to work wash my hair, gave a bit of a head massage, and asked very precisely how much he should cut off. He told me that he had done a special training in Nairobi for cutting muzungu hair and worked in Kampala Sheraton Hotel after that. Later he decided to change the salon because there were to many muzungus with complicated hair in Sheraton and the work was very tiring. The haircut took about half an hour and I paid 23 000 UGX = 6.57 EUR. Slightly strange that all other friends who have been there have only paid twenty thousand but well, maybe it is because of Christmas time approaching and all the prices rising.

Now my hair is truly ready for the dry season and new year!