Kabul Beauty School

Kabul Beauty School

Adult nonfiction
"I left for Afghanistan in May 2002, that first spring after the
fall of the Taliban. I didn't have any idea that I'd still be here
nearly five years later doing spiral perms and the art of pubic
waxing...I imagined I would spend the month there bandaging wounds,
splinting broken limbs, clambering over the rubble, and helping people
who were still hiding from the Taliban climb into daylight...
Very little of that trip met those expectations."
Deborah Rodriguez, author of Kabul Beauty School, first entered
Afghanistan as a member of a team from a nonprofit organization called
Care For All Foundation. When they settled in she quickly began to
feel superfluous. Her teammates were medical professionals, some of
whom were experienced in disaster work. As they addressed serious
health care needs she could do little more than laundry for them.
What would a hairdresser have to offer?
Plenty it turns out. When the team was introduced at a meeting
of about 150 other folks from away, she got the wildest applause.
Good hairdressers were in short supply. The Taliban had destroyed the
country's beauty salons. Pretty soon people were hearing of
Rodriguez's skills by word of mouth (there was no phone service) and
coming in droves for much needed hair care.
There were some hairdressers who catered to natives. But they
had only the most basic skills and no formal training. That was when
Rodriguez decided to take her skills to the next level. A beauty
school would help women get the skills to earn good money in a
business not dominated by men. Some would even get the financial
independence they needed to get out of abusive marriages.
"With the idea for the beauty school, it seemed that all my
dreams came together. I'd never been satisfied to be only a
beautician, even though that's a fine life. I'd always wanted to be
part of something bigger and more meaningful--something that gave me
the feeling I was helping to save the world."
Of course turning the dream into reality is a lot harder than it
would be state side. There's the language barrier. Electricity and
running water are erratic. Bureaucracy operates in strange and
confusing (by our standards) ways. There's the matter of funding for
such an unorthodox enterprise. And a lot of people in that country
associate beauty salons with brothels. Kabul Beauty School, in
telling the story of setbacks and overcomings, is an enlightening and
inspiring read.
If you're thinking Rodriguez is some kind of a saint,
sacrificing a life of relative plenty in the states for one of
privation and danger, you couldn't be more wrong. To her arriving in
Afghanistan felt like coming home. Her new country people, especially
the women, became a family to her, a family that enabled her to heal,
believe in herself, and discover her passion.
"...Afghan women have so much healing to do themselves. They
have been held in the dark for so long, and during the darkest years
they suffered more than even I can imagine. But the darkness has been
pulled back a bit. The light is starting to fall on them now. They
need the rest of the world to look, watch, and make sure nothing puts
out that light again."
On a personal note, yesterday Anna reminded me to sign onto
authorization to work at Wells over the summer. Much to my surprise,
there was also a paper for the 2019-2020 school year. I am very
grateful that Anna chose to commit. I'm not sure I would have in her
situation. Since I've learned about the cancer my brain has seemed to
divorce my body and soul. Um, not signing on for this. See ya.
Maybe. I'm doing fine on Joey care. My work ethic and ability are
untouched. Reading and reviewing is my no prescription needed
morphine. But anything else? It's like, when did I wash those
clothes and forget to put them in the dryer? Eew. Better wash them
again.
A great big shout out and deep appreciation go out to Anna, champion
of rescue dogs and humans, who has taken a very big weight off my mind.
jules hathaway



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