Hair on the Bus....

When I first arrived at Gallaudet more than 20 years ago, we all had to take orientation classes, and some of us stayed in touch after that and became friends.  One of my first friends at Gallaudet was a woman who grew up in Minnesota and married her middle-school sweetheart, also and obviously, from Minnesota.  If you've ever been to Minnesota, you'll know that many of the residents have roots in Scandinavia--Norway and Sweden, mostly, but also Finland and Denmark--and many many are blond.  My Minnesota Gallaudet friends had a 6-year old blondie, Carl, who got his introduction to black hair when he arrived here.  Carl was not happy.  The kids with black hair had intricate braiding, often incorporating trinkets, and Carl's hair was fine, flat, straight, and blond.  His hair would not support braids and trinkets, and he was bereft.

I've always been fascinated by the black hair styles, too, especially on the bus, where people don't pay attention to old women with cameras.  This woman had gold dyed hair woven in with her braids.  And this couple had magnificent long hair--his dark brown & braided, hers reddish blonde and straight.