A few observations made...

I made a few obeservations the other day noticing small differences in the way of life here....

So one of the things we have noticed was the ability the Chinese have to make themselves comfortable almost anywhere. I told you before about the squatty pottys(see note from spring break trip one of those 'days") and now it's obvious why they are some comfortable with the squatty pottys. At Intel, the actaully have both styles of toilets and wouldn't you know it, most of the time, the squat pots are in use? But think about it? it knida makes sense? How many of you actually sit in a public restroom if they do not have the seat protectors? or are telling your kids, DO NOT SIT DOWN ~ IT'S DIRTY! sure the squatty potty eliminates those issues but it's still different and not as easy. Isn't that what we Americans like? no change and easy??? A thought for you to ponder but the reason why I bring up the squatty potty is not to debate that issue again but to bring up an observation that many Americans made here and we have talked about. The Chinese have the ability to "squat" anywhere and be comfortable doing it. Their feet are flat on the ground and they are squatting with the butt as low to the ground as humanly necessary and it's NOT a work out for them? You would think these people would have theighs of steal and the size of tree trunks!!! My theighs are tree trunks and I can't sit in the postion for more than a few seconds! IF I can even get into it! I can't seem to get my feet to stay flat on the ground, therefore I am balancing on tippy toes if I try and stay in the squat position, again, not comfortable! All ages do it and both sexes. Waiting for the bus, waiting for the line to move, waiting for just about anything or just plan hanging out. You see it along side of the roads as you are driving by, it really is everywhere! Suonllen tells me that some of the other Expats call it the "KimChee Squat" so that is what our family is now calling it, it's too funny....The other night when we went out to eat, I noticed it again and this time we noticed even a DOG was doing the "KimChee Squat". Can you believe it? The dog was laying down by his owner and instead of laying on its' side like all other dogs I have seen do, it was laying on it's stomach with ALL FOUR LEGS spread out! I have never seen an animal lay like that unless it was gutted! It was just hanging out with its' owner watching the people go by and every once in awhile it would put it's head down to sleep but we were convinced it was the animal version of the KimChee Squat. We tried to get a picture of it because we were laughing so hard but again it was night, only had the iPhone with us and that camera is not worth much in the dark.

Observation number two, you do not need a net to play badmitton AND it can be played anywhere! We have observed this sport being played in the squares, on the streets and rarely have we seen it being played on a court! We watched two boys play that night as we were outside the restaurant. Not sure how and if they keep score or if it even matters. When it went on top of the roof of a building, I thought for sure the game would be over because they did not have another birdie. No, it was the one who hit it up there that went into the store front and came back several minutes later with it in hand after going up to the roof. The boys seemed to have a great time playing and were very careful not to hit any of the people walking by. They laughed and tried to outdo each other making the other scramble within a small area to get to the birdie. It seemed like a simple way to pass the time. I have been told that badmitton can be played at the gym with a net...guess that's where the more serious players go.

#3, Fireworks are not just for holidays! they are set off ALL the time and appearently for ANY reason! for example, it is 7a here and I just heard the loudest fireworks for a minute only a block away! Guess my am schedule is for a reason here, although I think once I adjust to the time, my night owl tendencies will come back and then who knows what observations I will make!

One thing that I have told many friends before coming over here was that the Lees were going to find their Zen. Of course I was saying it as a joke because who really knows what their ZEN is or how to find it. I think but looking at the three examples of the most recent observations it shows a few things. The KimChee Squat, demonstrates you need to be comfortable where ever you are and at any time. relax and get comfortable. I may not be able to do the KimChee Squat because I am convinced they do something to their hips to let them be in that posisiton, but I CAN find another way to chill... as for the badmitton lesson. No I am not going to be playing badmitton on the streets. I am not making fun of it(I played JV in high school as a freshman if any of you remember and Ms. Horst whooped everyone's butts!) but maybe the lesson there is to just have fun! no matter where you are playing or what it is. Competition is good, wanting to win is good but it's not always about winning. And that I think goes for anything. Many times, Suonllen and I have talked about "winning" an arguement and not really winning anything at all. Finally, the fireworks. You do not need to wait for a holiday to celebrate something...EVERY DAY is a day to be THANKFUL for! We often think things are so bad we forget to find the good in everyday situations. EVERY AMERICAN is guilty of this! Maybe sometimes we just need to be happy we are living and have people that love us around and can just take each day as it comes. CELEBRATE that you are healthy, that you woke up that day! How about that you do have things that are positive, you may just need to be happy with what you have rather than always wanting more. This is of course what happens, even when you realize or try to make it different. OLD habits are hard to break, work towards making things better by accepting little things to be thankful for. The title of this post started out something totally different for what I wrote about today, I had to go back and change it after finishing this. It's amazing how things come out when you just start typing...I think ZEN is just around the corner...