After three long days of touring Stuttgart, Germany, it was finally Friday and I was in for a night on the town. German night life was one of the more exciting events of my three week foreign exchange, especially the first Friday of the trip. 8:30 P.M. my exchange student, Kat, and I were on a train twelve stops away from the center of downtown Stuttgart. We were all dolled up ready to dance our night through some discos and party the dark of night away until the drowsy light of dawn came.
The air was fresh as my group clicked their heels down the pavement. The smell of cologne and shampoo fought hard to overpower the ecstasy and excitement of the crowd. Girls in their chicest outfits and tallest pumps, boys dressed their best and clean shaven, our group had party mode on.
Kat, her friend, Julia, and I were behind the group gossiping about the American vs. German boys when our car-free night was abruptly blind-sided by a captivating looking couple. The pale woman had waist long silver hair with straight bangs and the man was much shorter, olive toned with bushy side burns matching his thick dark glasses. They introduced themselves saying they worked for the hair salon, Tony and Guy, a high fashion place with the latest cuts and trends. The woman casually twisted her fingers through my ringlets and spoke to Kat in German. They asked if I would be interested in doing a hair photo shoot that Sunday. At that moment all my adrenaline was aimed for the night of dancing ahead of me, so I didn’t think twice and complied. The rest of the night was full of throbbing beats and bright lights; we danced until the last train came to take us back to Kemnatt.
At 8:20 Sunday morning I was on the train heading down to the city again, but this time it was not for dancing, I had a photo shoot for the most highly regarded salon in Stuttgart. Four days in Germany, and I was going to be a hair model! My life went from ordinary to a surreal dream in the matter of a couple days in a foreign country!
I arrived at the salon with my anxiety crawling up my throat, making me nauseas. All the people working the shoot looked like characters from reality TV with their loud make-up and fierce styles. Their stereo typical looks of the fashion world did not come through in their attitudes; they all were kind and helpful making me feel completely at ease.
All the cloths, hair products, and people piled into a car like we did it was natural and drove to a studio deeper into Stuttgart. I walked through the door and immediately was shuffled off to make-up where I was air-brushed and primped. The man I met two nights earlier came over to tell me that they would be making my hair mane-like. The idea of my hair being bigger than its natural volume was almost unthinkable, but 20 minutes, some gel and three diffusers later, my hair was sticking out two feet in all directions.
The photo shoot was a president of my view of the people of Germany. Authentic beings just as genuine as can be. I loved Germany and every day I spent there. I went to plenty of historical spots, castles and clubs, but what stuck out the most was how I was treated. Stuttgart was amazing and the fifth day of my trip opened my mind making me see a new culture.
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