coffee shop adventures

Yesterday I had quite a bit of studying to do, and also wanted to just be in a different environment than my desk, so I hopped on my bike and headed to a nice coffee shop. I ordered my coffee, then settled into a comfortable chair for the morning. After a couple hours of studying, and drinking coffee, I got up to take a break and use the restroom. I walked into the little one-room bathroom, but there was no light on. I looked around for a light switch, but didn't see any. Thinking that maybe it was on the outside, I stepped out and looked on both sides of the door, still failing to see the light switch. There's gotta be a light switch somewhere, I thought to myself, stepping back in the bathroom, beginning to wonder what other costumers were thinking about this foreigner who kept walking in and out of the restroom. Finally, I decided that I would ask somebody to help me (because obviously the light was not activated by motion!), and walked up to the employee. I asked him, with my limited knowledge of these Chinese vocabulary terms, where the light was. Just then the coffee shop received a call, and he hurriedly said something to a bystander, handed her his cell phone, and rushed off to answer his call. Now I was really confused, and looked to the girl holding the cell phone, hoping to be able to understand her explanation. There wasn't too much to understand, though, because she said two words, in English: No power.

Alright, I thought to myself. I have a few options. I can go home, but I was planning on staying for a while longer, so I don't really want to do that. I could maybe go somewhere else, but the chances of finding another restroom are slim to none, not counting the fact that it probably would not be too clean, and I would have to pack up all my stuff. The last option, which I chose, was to use that restroom...light or no light. I stepped (again!) into the dark room. There was an outer door for the sink area, and another door separating the squatty potty and the sink. Maybe I can close one door and leave the other one open to get a little light. I closed the outer door. Pitch black. Nope, not going to work. Let's try the other way around. I opened the outer door and closed the stall door. Pitch black.

I don't know if you have ever used one of these...

...but I wasn't too excited to use a squatty potty in the dark. (Those of you who haven't used a squatty potty or don't know how to use them :), you put your feet on the sides, and I think it's fairly self explanatory from there!) A little too scary for me. As I opened the restroom door for about the 37th time to leave, I saw the girl who had spoken the two predicament-causing words standing just outside, waiting for me to arrive at this conclusion, and holding the cell phone the employee had handed her. I looked at her, then at the cell phone, and then, only then, did I realize that the cell phone had a tiny little flashlight on the end of it. I smiled, probably turned red in the face as I realized she had been waiting for me that whole time (which actually only last about 15 seconds or so), and took the cell phone/flashlight from her. The squatty was much more bearable with even the tiniest light, and I had to laugh at the solution for no electricity. Now I can say that I have used a squatty potty... in the dark...with a cell phone as the light!