Today I went to a hair salon because I desperately needed a hair trim; itโs been almost a year since I have gotten a haircut so, I decided to go to a salon near my dorm. Now, Pragueย is dividedย up into districts, the district that everyone is more familiar with is Prague 1, this is where the Charles Bridge, Old Town Square, and the rest of those well-known landmarks are. I live in Prague 10 and thatโs an area where most of the locals live. I have noticed that there are less English speakers in this area.
I walk in asking for a haircut hoping that they speak English because myย Czechย is not that advanced yet. They donโt speak English so I canโt understand most of what theyโre saying. The only thing I can understand is how much it costs and what time my appointment is because Iโm very familiar with the numbers.
Before I come in for my appointment, I tried to check on google translate to see how I can ask for long layers but it didnโt make any sense. So, if the stylist didnโt understand me, I found pictures of the haircut that I wanted
I came back to the salon and I didnโt understand a word. However, I was able to tell where she was wanting me to go by seeing her handsย motionย to the sink. After she finished washing my hair, it was time to get my hair cut, we went to a different room and my hair was dripping wet so I couldnโt get up to grab my phone to show her pictures. I tried to explain in my very limitedย Czechย that I wanted layers. She looked unsure but I tried to show her how my hair was already cut in layers so I just needed to trim. She did a few hand motions towards my hair while talking and I think she understood. I suddenly got very worried so I closed my eyes throughoutย the wholeย thing. I always tend to get nervous when it comes to my hair, even more, when thereโs a language barrier. I finally opened my eyes when she stopped cutting.
When it was all over, I looked in the mirror and I was so happy that she cut my hair just like I wanted it. She did an amazing job and I believe she asked me what I thought of my cut. I responded by saying, โVรฝbornฤ!โ (great)
Even though we didnโt speak the same language, we were able to get through it with hand movements and body language. I was able to put my limitedย Czechย to the test and really work on my listening skills. It was a little scaryย at the timeย but looking back on it, it wasnโt so bad. I was glad that we were able to understand each other. It just goes to show that with a little patience, we donโt need to have a shared languageย to beย able to communicate with each other.
