Squatty potties... revisited.

Yesterday I went to a coffee afternoon, hosted by the Pakistani attache spouses, for the Beijing Military Attache Corps spouses. (These are monthly events hosted by different countries on a rotating basis.) The event took place at a wonderful restaurant at a new mall I'd heard about and had been looking forward to visiting.

I arrived by embassy car about 30 minutes early and happily hopped out of the car and entered the mall, eagerly anticipating the shopping experience. (Yes, you can imagine what comes next...) I was quickly disappointed when I saw it was not a western style mall, but rather a Chinese style mall. The stores are all small, square in shape, with glass fronts, one worker per stall, each one filled with over-priced, Asian fashions... Five stories high!

So, I made my way for a cushion-covered bench overlooking the escalators, only to realize that the current occupant was flossing her teeth! I went up one more level to find a vacant bench and happily listened to my ipod until my Australian friend joined me to wait for the proper time to arrive at the coffee.

Once we entered the event, I decided to take advantage of the fact that the festivities had yet to begin and after setting my jacket and bag on a chair, I followed the signs to the restroom... about a 3 minute walk back into the mall. Upon entering the restroom, I immediately sensed trouble... Fearing the worst, but hoping for the best, since it is a new building, I peeked into each stall... 5 in total... My fears were realized. All five were squatty potties, not one of which had paper, or even an empty paper dispenser! I contemplated my options and in the end, decided it was not worth my time to make the trip back and forth to my bag to retrieve paper (seasoned expats know to always carry tissue in our bags), nor worth the effort or risk of squatting in my 7 1/2 month pregnant condition... Mind over matter!

Always listen to your mother, use the bathroom BEFORE you leave the house- especially if you live in China!