Sunday, March 22, 2009

The New 'Do

Spring is trying to spring here in Istanbul; Saturday was a crisp, clear day with more sun than the city has seen in a long while. It was also Salon Day for Karen, Christina and me and in a fit of spring celebration, I cut off all my hair. Okay, not all of it, but it is the shortest I remember ever having it.

Me, Christina, and Karen with our new 'dos


Turkish women are a high maintenance bunch so the salon is quite the event. Remember the scene from The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and crew get cleaned up for their audience with the Wizard - with all sorts of people doing all sorts of primping to them at the same time? A high end Turkish salon is much the same. At any given time, you may have upwards of 5 people working on you - 3-4 working on your hair (the main stylist and a couple of "interns" whose job it is to hold the blow dryer for the stylist), 1 giving you a manicure/pedicure, and one shaping your eyebrows. It is a common to watch a woman with the above noted entourage working on her while she chats away on her cell phone, deigning to notice the people working on her just long enough to give directions to the stylist from time to time, while sipping on a diet Coke.

Salon Day, while definitely needed, had another purpose - preparing for the Presidential visit happening in April. Hair is being styled, clothes are being purchased, and the entire consulate is in a state of mostly-organized chaos. Visits of this magnitude are labor intensive to say the least. It has been amazing to watch all the moving parts - motorcade, baggage control, passport control, site selection - come together. The folks at the consulate definitely know what they are doing - official visits are nothing new to them and they all have similar needs regardless of level. Nevertheless, the next few weeks are going to be very busy!