Fun Fact 1: Stairwell lights are one of my favorite features of life in China. Yes, it sounds silly, but let me explain… China’s hallway and stairwell lights are “Clap-On!” It is so awesome! Whenever I walk into my apartment or office building, the first thing I do is clap my hands three times to turn the lights on. (Which is more difficult than it sounds when you have an armload full of groceries; sometimes, I have to improvise and stomp my feet -- Mom has always said I'm good at that, haha).
The first couple of days in China, I looked around embarrassed because you have to clap pretty loudly to set the censor off. (I felt like I was making a scene and disrupting the neighbors). But not anymore! Now, I walk into the building and immediately start smiling and clapping loudly (call me Coach Z : ). Literally, every time I just grin and sing to myself, “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands, *clap *clap” and the lights immediately turn on. You know, sometimes it’s the little things in life that bring happiness!
One of the best parts about the Clap On Lights, is that they were popular in America in the 1980's. If you have never experienced the glory of Clap-On Lights, here is an original commercial. Enjoy!
