This country has a week off in the spring called "New Day." It's sort of equivalent of our Spring Break, but unlike Texas, where they break up the weeks when each school takes off, here, the whole country breaks at one time to celebrate this holiday.
This results in a traffic nightmare, especially outside the city.
Everyone is trying to enjoy their national pasttime...picnicking.
To do that, everyone travels outside the city to the mountains, the streams, and the fields.
I took Keira swimming at an all-female pool on the first day of "New Day." When we finished, I washed her hair in the shower there, and she started scratching her head. She'd been scratching it for three or four days, but at this moment, I happened to be with a mother of three little girls who had all had many bouts of lice between them.
For the first time, instead of thinking, "dry skin," I thought, "Maybe???"
I didn't look then, but before she went to bed, I looked, and there were bugs crawling everywhere.
I was horrified, but I knew it was too late to do anything.
I had the HARDEST time getting to sleep knowing what was in her hair!!
What a gift to bring home for Spring Break!!!
These are a couple of the bites that I saw the next day.
Poor thing!
I set up an ipad to play videos on a table outside.
We set up chairs, had towels, combs, an oil agent from a neighbor, and went after those little buggers.
At the same time, I had all bedding and stuffed animals and clothes, etc. bagged up air-tight waiting for their turn in the washing machine. Ugh!
Three hours later we were finished and all the girls and I headed for a 12:30 lunch appointment with a friend who owns a salon.
Keira had to let the solution set in her hair for at least 8 hours. It had already been in there for two.
When we arrived, my friend had just finished getting a massage and needed to wash her hair, so my friend's daughter offered to do Keira's nails for her.
All hands given a manicure at this salon get their hands photographed and put on instagram.
Keira was very willing!
It was close to three before my friend was ready. We had tea and took a tour of the salon while she got things done (including getting her hair dried and curled).
She also asked me if I would like to get my hair curled, so I accepted. However, when she walked over where a man was working on me, she said, "Did you know you have a lot of grey in your hair? Why don't you color it? It would help you looking younger."
If I haven't told you before, in this culture people always tell you if you are fat, old-looking, ask you your age, how much you make, etc.
They hold nothing back.
It's great for a person's self-esteem :)
We finally made it to lunch around 3pm!
We were starving, but the food was really good. We had tabouli, hummus, saj (kind of like a panini in a tortilla), fried eggplant, falafel, and fries.
Afterward, I drove my friend to the bank to do some business, and then we all went back to the salon where Kylie got her hair curled.
When we finally left, we had been with them for about 5 1/2 hours. It was such a fun day.
However, when I got home, I realized, that we were only 30 minutes away from reaching Keira's time-limit for how long the solution had to stay in her hair. I began to think I should have had them wash and cut her hair at the salon.
I called my friend, and asked her if that is something they would do, and she said, "Certainly." They had throw-away towels, and they wouldn't mind at all.
So...we drove back and stayed there another hour.
Keira got her hair washed and cut, and her head massaged. She felt like she was at a spa (and told my friend so).
After Keira, Karis also got about 6 inches cut off.
I've been back to visit my friend at her house and her salon since this day. She is a lot of fun, but the salon keeps her busy.
I waited two hours for her to go to lunch last week, but I was offered tea and coffee and another free hair fixing. I declined it all, but it's still a fun place to go and practice my language with someone who is a joy to talk to.
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