Blonde, Again

Yesterday, while visiting my market ladies (something I do daily here at site), one asked if I wanted to change my hair color. Now, I REALLY did not want to change my hair color- especially, in a small village in rural Cambodia. I especially didn't want to because I have finally arrived at the stage of hair growth where I have discovered my natural color- after years of not knowing. Now, I've been asked before if I color my hair and if I want to here, but always I've said "yes, I did in America, but here I don't want to change it to black. I like my hair its natural color". This has usually satisfied people in the past. However, yesterday all my usual excuses did not work and it became clear they weren't going to take no for an answer. Also, I'm going to a wedding with them on Tuesday and, apparently, you must color your hair for weddings. So, after insisting that I was "scared" to color it black or red, they found two boxes of "blonde" for me in the back of the shop with dust on them. Both had hair samples attached so I could see the end result. One had a greenish tent and the other looked blonde. So, I let them do it. I let them color my hair blonde right there in the market. I was a bit apprehensive at first because the bowl and toothbrush that they used had leftover dye that was black. As I was sitting there, I was thinking about how disastrous-not to mention stupid- this truly could be. However, luckily enough, all went well and I am- once again- a blonde. After I washed it out I returned to the market and everyone loved it. When I went this morning they have already begun asking when I'm going to color my hair red. I think I'm going to hold off on that as long as possible. Another woman who was there yesterday when they were coloring my hair, stopped by this morning with cool-aid colored red hair (apparently they had talked her into going red after they got me). She was buying black dye to cover it up. I think her "fire colored" hair was too much and definitely a lesson for me to not venture into the realms of red hair......