Sunshine Salon
Alor Setar, Malaysia, September 2013
There is no question Asia’s middle class is rising by the minute and Thailand is part of it. A strong middle class will give stability and a promise for a better future to its citizens. We have all read this statement somewhere in one of those financial and world economy magazines that are offered while we wait for our turn at the dentist. Yet it is hard to imagine why this happens when numbers and figures confuse our heads with data and financial facts that the common people like us do not really fully understand.
I have read several articles about it. But like real life, practice will help you grass the theory much better.
The Magic Starts
Meet Koy, a 32 year old stylist from Bangkok. She recently opened a new saloon in the street of Yan Chit in a neighborhood in the middle of Bangkok. This is the second saloon that she opened and she is planning to open a third one.
“ I love my job”, she told me while she was cutting my hair, “I like making people happy and see them smile when I finish”, she added. Her English was basic but easy to understand. I could feel the entrepreneur in her. While she cut my hair she gave instructions to her helper, kept the space clean and mastered the scissors as the professional she was. We knew that she worked hard, we lived with her. We met Koy thanks to our friend Brian, her flatmate. Both of them offered to host us during our stay in Bangkok.
It was not uncommon that sometimes in the middle of the night Koy would take a shower and head to work. I once asked in curiosity, what she did so late at night.
Viola the great Result
“Weddings and graduations”, she responded. “The bride must look dazzling for her special day in the morning”, she added. She explained to me that in order to do a proper makeup and hair cut she needed at least 4 hours and of course it was good money.
She then proceeded washing my hair and another client came inside. In line for her services was Annika and a boy whose mother wanted his hair done. It was already 7 o’clock at the afternoon and I knew that she could have said no, but she didn’t. The salon always felt busy, people came in and out, the radio was on and it played the favorite pop songs of the country. The wall were decorated with little mirrors and the owner of the facility sometimes uses the doors inside Koy´s salon to access his own house. I felt comfortable all the time.
She gave me a small massage, made me feel VIP. Then she dried my hair. “I hope you like it.”, she said to me with a smile. She combed my hair and Voila the best haircut I have had in years. I could not wait to see what she would do with Annika who was substantially much more graceful than I am.
Happy Koy doing her job
I was able to meet several people like Koy in our neighborhood in Bangkok. Like the tea lady who was always there every morning to prepare drinks for the hot weather. Or the mechanics who were all the time working on cars, bikes or whatever motor they could get their hands on. Walking the streets of our neighborhood I was meeting the protagonists of the strong middle class that supported this country; the ones that were featured in so many financial reports all over the globe without a mention, the ones who work hard for a promising future for their country.
Koy made a wonderful Job with Annika
Data sometimes misses to praise the daily work that honest people do every day. At least today I have the chance to honor one: Koy. Not only did she give us such great haircuts but sometimes when she came back from work she managed to cook delicious Thai food for us all. You can’t beat that.
Recent Comments