Tonight was one of the few free evenings we're going to be getting, in between school, school activities and assignments. Many people decided to hit the town. I decided that a solo trek to the local beauty salon to get my legs waxed was the way to go.
So when I got there, no one spoke any English. They were nice as hell and really tried, and I really tried with my Mandarin but... interpretive dance it was. Anyway, after waiting for a while, they convinced me to get my (by then a little worse-for-wear) gel nails replaced. Chinese manicurists do a BEAUTIFUL job. My nails are fire-engine red and perfectly rounded. Although explaining to them that my right hand was peeling due to my latex allergy and a rubber-based pen grip was a bit beyond all of us.
Anyway, so I got my legs waxed in the corner of the salon, on an armchair and behind a curtain. Equipment scores: rather low, I'm afraid. And there really is no such thing as privacy in China. I had a girl on each leg and all the admin staff standing around watching. They were talking but the only thing that I could really pick up was "bai", which was said frequently and quite enthusiastically. Yeah, it means "white" in Mandarin. And I was wondering why the wax was a little pricey. It contains a whitening serum. SWEEEEET.
The girls also had this thing with pulling the wax off my leg, meticulously inspecting it in the light and then showing it to me, with all the triumph of a child that's caught a frog. That really threw me. Yes, you're doing your job, do I have to pay extra for this (remarkably hilarious) entertainment too? But all jokes aside, I'm getting my nails done there again. And probably my hair.
I'm going to shut up and eat my Pocky now.
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