Return to the US. What’s First?

I’m back in the US (for good?) and am still trying to adjust to life here.  Here’s a quick rundown of some of things I need to constantly remind myself of:

1. Don’t hold money with two hands when paying for things
2. Say “Hello” and “Thank you” instead of “Ni Hao” and “Xiexie”
3. Don’t cross the street where ever I damn please in the midst of traffic
4. Don’t expect to see little kids peeing on the sidewalk and people spitting on the floor at my local deli

You know, the important stuff.

Anyway, I have had one thing on my itinerary of things to do upon my return for a very long time.  And what’s that?  Why, get a haircut of course!  It has been 2 years and 6 months since my last haircut, I think it’s about damn time.  In fact, the barber who cut my hair jokingly said I had to pay extra because I haven’t been supporting his profession properly.

So I went from this:

Yes, I am the kind of nerd that owns a Sega Dreamcast shirt. And I love it.

To this:

One goofy expression free with proof of purchase and mail-in rebate!

I’m surprised at how short it is.  It’s definitely going to take a while to get used to after having long hair for so long.  But one thing is for sure, it’s amazingly convenient to hop out of the shower and not have to worry about brushing/combing your hair.  How awesome is that!  To me it’s like a completely novel idea.  How much time I save!

Like few of the things I do, there was a reason behind me going for so long without a haircut.  The reason was so that I could donate my hair to a charity called Locks of Love.  From the organization’s website:

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

I became aware of this charity group when I was at school in Buffalo.  I participated in several 24 hour dance-a-thons to raise money for Camp Good Days and Special Times. During the course of the dance, there is a group of people who are identified as going to donate their hair. At some point they leave to get their hair cut. When they return they wear masks and caps to cover it up, and are only revealed at the end of the dance. It was such a heart-warming experience and I knew that some day I would do that.

And now I’ve done it!  I’ve donated my hair to charity and hopefully it will go towards helping a child lead a happier, more comfortable life.  At times I may miss my long hair, and I will look little silly for a while (as in, a bald spot where it was cut too short), but that single reward will always outweigh any possible negative I can imagine.

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