Hair Arrangement Christmas Event -An attempt to create "Zero to One" together with local people and in line with local culture-

Yurika Yamauchi, 2023/7th

I will show and embody that arranging hairstyles contributes to the improvement of hairdressers' income and independence, while at the same time empowering hairdressers and their clients -. This is the goal I want to achieve while I am in Timor-Leste. In my previous article , I introduced the potential of beauty in Timor-Leste and shared the story of the Tanabata event that was completed with hairdressers working at a local salon and students attending the salon's training course. This time, I would like to write about the "Zero to One" journey we undertook together toward the next stage.

After the Tanabata event, the training course for the students scheduled to graduate in December was nearing its climax, and November came around in the blink of an eye. In Timor-Leste, the rainy season begins around December and lasts until May, bringing heavy rain for a few hours almost every day, so we had a strong desire to hold a new “Zero to One” event before the rainy season begin to ensure both safety and turnout.
While I was thinking about good ideas, I came up with the idea of holding an event for Christmas. With 99.1% of Timor-Leste’s population identifying as Christian, Christmas is a significant celebration. On Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning, people attend mass, with many women wearing special dresses and styling their hair to match. Similar to Japan, women in Timor-Leste often visit salons for the hairstyling when attending weddings or parties. However, during Christmas, most businesses including salons close, much like the New Year holidays in Japan, leaving women to style their hair on their own. That’s when I thought: why not organize an event where women could learn hair arrangements from hairstylists at home for Christmas mass?
When I shared this idea with colleagues at the salon, they were thrilled. "That's a great idea! I'm sure everyone will love it!" they said.
Although we had no specific date or venue yet—and November was already here—I knew the only chance to organize this Christmas event leading up to the Christmas mass before the rainy season was within the month. Determined to "find a venue somehow," we began practicing hair arrangements.

In the previous Tanabata event, I had created the hairstyles with input from everyone. This time I decided to let them create on their own. We researched current trends among young people, classic local hairstyles, and preferences of local women using social media. Based on these findings, they combined the techniques I had taught them so far to create "new hairstyles likely to appeal to locals."

And then, something amazing happened.

One day while we were practicing, one of the colleagues said , "I heard there's going to be a Christmas market soon. Wouldn't that be a good opportunity for the event? I'll talk to the manager about it!" True to her word, she negotiated directly with the event manager, and we secured a spot at the Christmas market. More than securing the spot, I was amazed and thrilled by their proactive efforts to gather information, seize opportunities, and take action for the event. It even made me feel a little embarrassed about my earlier determination to "I will find a venue somehow."

On another day, I found them arriving at the salon early for morning practice in preparation for the event. These were the same women who often spent their downtime watching TikTok or YouTube for leisure. Now, they were diligently practicing. Holding back tears of joy and pride was no easy task.

When the event day arrived after intense preparation, the venue was bustling with customers. Many enjoyed on-the-spot hair arrangements or learned new hairstyles for Christmas. The hairstyles they created based on their research were a hit not only among locals but also with international attendees.

In my previous article, I wrote:
“I will continue creating new values as much as possible for these women to shine as hairdressers. Eventually, I want to help them increase their income and promote their independence so that they will be able to create the opportunity by themselves in the future.”
They have already started creating opportunities for themselves.
While event success is important, it’s easy to focus solely on the "results." However, what truly matters is the process—the proactive actions they took, such as creating new hairstyles, proposing the event, and starting morning practice. These are the moments that resonate deeply with my life's purpose. Taking initiative builds self-confidence, which in turn broadens one’s life choices.
This Christmas event became a pivotal moment where I witnessed their transformation firsthand. I am deeply grateful for their warm acceptance of me, a stranger from a distant country called "Japan." Thanks to them, I, too, am embracing challenges and exploring new possibilities here in Timor-Leste, expanding my life choices.
Moving forward, I am committed to boldly taking on "Zero to One" challenges in collaboration with the local people, adapting to their culture every step of the way.