If you’ve ever lived in a foreign country, you quickly realize that simple things, such as picking up a few items at the grocery store or getting a dress taken in, are not so simple in a foreign language. Grocery shopping when I first moved to Germany always included my Google translate app in my hand, and trips to the seamstress or tailor included practicing uncommon technical seamstress phrases at home beforehand.
It’s not by coincidence that I’ve let my hair grow much longer in Germany than I would have ever let it in the states – it’s not that I can’t or am afraid to go, it just is that much more of a hassle (although the bonus is I realized that I love having extra long hair, so it ended up being a win). You go in, ask if they have anyone available, then have to explain the technical request for your hair, all of that is fine. I just always dreaded the small talk in a foreign language! 🙂 Back in the states, I loved my hairdresser and we would keep each other abreast about the exciting happenings in our life or things we were struggling with. In Germany, however, I know I don’t have the language skills to carry on a long conversation auf Deutsch so I just would awkwardly sit in silence for the 20 min! First world problems, I know, but still.
I really don’t get exposure to German as much as you would think – I can assure you I am fluent in food and restaurant German as well as basic conversations and any other experiences that I need or use in a daily basis, because that is what I’m exposed to! Otherwise I am chatting with my husband or friends in English.
Well with all of that said… I am proud to say that after living in Germany for three years (which only equates to my third or fourth haircut), I had my very first FULLY DEUTSCH haircut experience!! That’s right, I asked if they had time to take me, explained the haircut I desired, we had a back-and-forth about where to part my hair, and THEN chit-chatted together for (almost) the entire time, all in German!
She asked where I come from and so I explained, and said I don’t speak a ton of German, but she said she knew I understood everything fine. We chatted about what I was up to for the weekend, some about herself and her boyfriend, and that she is trying to practice English but wasn’t comfortable enough speaking yet, so we continued the whole time in German. I left salon feeling so happy – to finally have healthy hair again but for my small expat success. 🙂
Afterward I walked home and celebrated my mini victory with a glass of wine on our rooftop, soaking in the last bits of sun for the day with my husband. It was a great day in Germany!
xo