Computers， prayer beads

A year and a half ago my laptop quit and I had to buy one here. I was directed to a nice little man in a huge selling complex.  Three weeks ago my Windows download alerted me that my license had expired. I assume it was a pirated English version and brought it back to the computer man….7 times now. He downloaded another version but the wifi and Power button drives were not activated. Then he downloaded Windows 7, rather than Windows 10. As I sat waiting for an hour and a half yesterday morning, I took this picture.  (that I ended up not being able to downloadThis is a 12 story building with 100’s of itty bitty kiosks selling anything electronic or mechanical you can envision. This is China capitalism at its best. Haha

I watched the man across the aisle from our computer man. He had a kiosk selling pliers, small flashlights, and mobile phone cases. During the hour and a half I watched him he constantly rubbed his Buddhist prayer beads. Two people stopped to glance at his counter and he ignored them, and he looked at his phone 3 times. Other than that, he sat with his prayer beads. I do not know how much spiritual, emotional, mental energy he was expending on these beads. I tried to “outlast” him by praying during this time, but he was more consistent. (As if prayer should ever be a competition.) I ended up framing this blog post in my mind and watching the people.

Clothing was interesting. I am always taken aback by the women in t-shirts, tennis shoes, and ….tulle skirts. I did not see a single other person with a sleeveless dress or shirt on. (I keep forgetting this and often leave the house in all my sleevelessness.) Yesterday when we were waiting, there was a man walking around in a medical scrub coat and two large mail size bags on his shoulders yelling, loudly. He obviously had mental health issues, but no one seemed concerned about him and he was just ignored. At no time that we have visited this building have I seen another foreigner. We get stared at. Just the way life is.

Back to the man who was still worrying his prayer beads. I consistently compare the lack of Buddhism here as opposed to the other Asian country in which we lived. I find much that I thought of as Chinese may have been Buddhism, like the particulars of holidays. But I do see prayer beads for sale and now and then someone using them. Habits die hard. I have no idea how much this meant to him.

Please remember computer problems。 Right 弄完 I阿门only getting characters 哦你。