Cosmopolitanism

I have been teaching Appiah's essays "Making Conversation" and "Primacy of Practice" to my first year comp class. Each time I read the essays I like them more and more. My students feel differently. Some of the basics in the essay include a definition to cosmopolitanism, why conversation is important across cultures (not to change our values, practices but to get used to people who have different values, practices) and how and why societal change usually comes about. I'd recommend reading these essays, or his whole book, Cosmopolitanism, just for life.

In an act of what I'd like to call cosmopolitanism and not cheapness, I walked into the Korean beauty parlor around the corner from my new Chicago apartment because I'd always been intrigued by their make shift sign, with letters askew that read. Eyebrows. Waxing. Threading. $5. I walked in and immediately felt good about myself: new city, new experiences. A Korean woman greeted me and told me to wait in the salon chair, while she, 3 other Korean women, and 1 Latina finished the curls of an elderly Korean lady. The Latina was speaking very loudly making all sorts of suggestions, and getting supplies and curlers, while the other women spoke in Korean, about I don't know what. I believe the elderly lady getting her hair did was off to a wedding. In the front of the store, 3 middle eastern men sat on a couch and barber's chair, discussing guns in English. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people. By that logic, my car should be outlawed, its a ton of death-causing metal and glass." I really wanted to add my two cents in: Yes, its true, people do kill people, with guns and with cars. That is why we have car insurance, driver licenses, and other precautions on who can drive. And cars are not intended for death, while guns are. And guns make it much easier for people to kill people. But I did not, I was in beauty parlor afterall, and I leaned back in my chair and listened to the Korean / English CCM (Contemporary Christian Music).

When one woman came over to do my eyebrows, she was very kind and we did not speak much. Threading in my experience, has always been quick, and therefore the pain is relegated into a few seconds of zipping thread. However, this woman was very slow, put a little bib on me (to catch all the eyebrow hair??). When she was done, she put vaseline on my left eyebrow and said, "You have very light skin. It's okay? $5." I looked in the mirror, and my eyebrows were indeed shaped very nicely. But the left one was bleeding and right one was nearly bleeding. I paid my $5 and gave her a small tip. "See you next time," she said, and I smiled politely.

I would have liked to spend more time in this very cosmopolitanism beauty parlor, but I prefer the skin of my eyebrows to remain in tact. The scab is healing well. I think I will try the $9 place further down the street, where I saw a man threading eyebrows. A man!?

I miss Eyebrow Style in the Bloomington mall. My good friend also went there to get her eyesbrows did, and now is learning how to cook Indian food from her stylist. Conversation across cultures; getting used to new practices-- I couldn't imagine it tasting better.