Kinyozi = cheap haircut

I normally cut my own hair, but due to Kenyan law, it makes it very difficult. There is a law that there can be no electrical outlets in the bathroom. Because of that, I have to cut my hair using two extension cords and then the clippers. Then another difficulty is that the clippers don’t function the same as in the States. I think that this is because of the cycles that they use here for the electricity.

Sometimes, instead of cutting my own hair, I would go to the Indian barbers. There, it costs about $5 for a haircut. So a few weeks ago, I decided to go with Pastor Safari to a local barber. My very first Kenyan haircut was an adventure in itself. I explained, with Pastor Safari’s help, that I wanted a military haircut. The next thing I know, the razor is going and I have no hair on the side of my head. The Kenyans like short hair, so that’s what I got. After he cut the hair on the sides and back of my head, the power went out. Nice timing! You never know how long it will be out and I was under a time crunch, so we gathered the barber’s things and went to the church. We have a generator at the church, so if we didn’t have power there, then we could use the generator. Luckily, there was power. Once he finished cutting my hair, it was time to clean up. The barber boiled water!! I looked at Pastor Safari and asked him, “Isn’t that going to be HOT?” I was a little worried about my head. The barber used the boiling water and mixed it with cool water and then cleaned my head. It was an interesting experience and I got a good haircut for a grand total of less than $1.00 (50 Shillings).