Bald scalps don’t need haricuts

I have a bald head. I’m cool with my naked scalp. I’m not like the guys who do the sad charade of growing their hair really long on one side and combing it over my bald pate. I’m a baldy, I accept it, let’s move on, OK?

In my dreams

In my dreams

Every time I go for a haircut, I tell the barber that I just want a simple bald guy hair cut. Guys with my (non) hair situation don’t have a lot of options for hairstyles. “Not ridiculous” is the general look that I’m going for.

But here in China, I seem to have some problem getting the message through. With approximately 95% less hair than the average person, why the heck does it take me the same amount of time to get a haircut as people with full heads of hair?

The guy that I have been going to lately might think that I’m in denial about my baldness, and so wants to play along with my non-self deception about my lack of hair.

Is he pretending to cut my non-hair?

 

Seriously, dude, there’s nothing up there. We don’t have to continue this illusion.

Even the hair-washing dudes at the place are in on this game. At home, it takes me approximately 7 seconds to wash my hair. Why does this fellow take 10+ minutes?!

You aren’t washing anything!

The haircut process usually takes me 15 minutes at home, but it takes almost an hour in China. Maybe I should go to those guys in the park who will cut your hair for 36¢. It would be cheaper, and less drama.

Tho closest I will ever get to being a superstar

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The view from my seat: 400 high school students.

I love visiting schools. The students are respectful, enthusiastic and curious. I talk about studying in the U.S., the U.S. college experience, and why they should consider going to college in America.

Schools always roll out the red carpet for us.

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My name written in English, but in the Chinese order: surname, then given name.

I had the chance to visit two high schools in Harbin.

They asked me to sign their school yearbook.

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“Best wishes,” blah blah blah.

Several of the questions were about financial aid and scholarships. I think that might reflect the “new reality” of the Chinese economy: slower growth and less liquidity.

After my talk, a few students came up to me to ask about emigrating to America. The conversation was a little awkward, because I was promoting U.S. higher education, not brain drain. But I tried to answer their questions without encouraging them either way.

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Dancing around the emigration question.

 

Diplomatting about American Marriages

The Consulate here in Shenyang holds a lecture every Thursday night. Members of the Consulate community share information about American culture. For the public, it’s an opportunity to hear a lecture in English, interact with Americans, and learn more about America. For monomaniacal loudmouths like me, it’s an opportunity to spout off on things that we are interested in.

This week, my wife and I talked about intercultural marriage. We shared some statistics about the number of interracial marriages in America, some of the (not so good) history regarding relevant laws, and then spent most of the time talking about our own personal experiences with marrying across cultural borders.

During the Q&A, the questions that the audience asked were mostly very respectful and thoughtful. Some people asked if we experienced opposition from our families, some people asked about bridging cultural gaps regarding raising our children. It was a good opportunity for us to share our (mostly good) experience in a multiracial marriage in America.

Plus, I got to talk. Which I love to do.

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