Going native

From 2010-01 Classmates in Minsk

One of my classmates, Barış, had long beautiful hair. Actually, he's got beautiful eyes and a beautiful soul too, but today I'm talking about his hair. When I first met him, he generally wore it pinned back so it would cascade to his shoulders but it didn't hide his face. Attempting a gradual transition toward his required service in the Turkish Army, he cut it to above his shoulders, but since he arrived with his hair unpinned, nobody noticed that it was shorter. Barış was disappointed that nobody noticed his haircut.

After a week or two, he went totally Belarusian. This time we noticed. It was fun to watch people's faces one-by-one as they came into the classroom. I don't think I was the only one who had to look twice to realize that he wasn't a new student.

I saw the same thing happen to the Americans on the staff at Copper Canyon Lodge in Mexico. They all grew moustaches after the local style. My own stylistic shifts have all been sartorial (Linen!) so I'm enjoying the boldness of Barış' shift.