Finally braved the hair salon, to come out 'dry washed'

Getting a haircut can be a nerve-wracking experience, as you're left wondering whether your wishes are going to be interpreted correctly by the stylist.

Now imagine relaying instructions when the person wielding the scissors only speaks Chinese and your zhongwen is limited to taxi Mandarin, and you have a whole other anxiety-ridden scenario.

I knew I couldn't go a whole year in Beijing without getting my hair cut. But memories of bad haircuts in Canada where the stylist understood perfect English yet managed to screw up my requests haunted me - how could telling a Chinese stylist how to cut my hair when neither one of us can speak each other's language not end badly?