I have adjusted, in my opinion, extremely well to many of the factors of day-to-day life in China. I can efficiently eat rice with chopsticks and I’m using them like its second nature, I don’t silently choke when I walk down stinky alleyways anymore, I can cross the busiest of intersections now and have my hair blown as a truck wizzes past me without even flinching….but I simply can’t get used to the squatters.
I debated even writing this post because toilet talk is not, well, lady-like. You can stop here if you would like but if you continue reading, remember to think of this as an educational cultural post, nothing else.
Here are my qualms with the squatters (they may seem angry but I am fresh off of a frustrating experience):
I'm really not enjoying toting toilet paper around and I'm really bad at forgetting it places. This can only lead to unfortunate events. Also, and much less severe, everyone knows when I need to make a trip to the “WC” (as it is called) as I have to grab a pack of toilet paper before I’m on my way.
I reaaaaaallly need to learn the proper etiquette. Are those 8 mops hanging on the wall for cleaning up when you are done? Do you clean up every time or only if you miss? Is this something I can even ask someone?
I really wish I could wash my hands. Personal hand wipes aren’t cheap, ya know.
I also wish I had a place to put my backpack when I pee. The floor is always wet (with God knows what). I have to put all my belongings (jacket, bookbag, etc.) in my “lap” when I am squatting. As if squatting isn’t awkward enough!
Most especially, and most personally, I am frustrated with trying to control where it all goes. The toilets at school do not have a front guard. They are super shallow porcelain bowls so when you go, it splashes up. In most public washrooms, they have guards in the front of the bowl that prevent this from happening. For some God forsaken reason, they didn’t put those on our toilets. Instead, I get to do an awkward squatting dance while trying to prevent splatter. NOT fun. To put your minds at ease, I am pro at not getting anything on my shoes but my God, I need help keeping it from splashing forward. At first I thought it was me, but after googling to (yes, I just googled how to pee), it turns out I am not alone! (http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2012/03/squat-toilets-whats-your-position/). Perhaps my favourite part of this site is that the poll at the end had 155 votes which means others are just as miserable and are looking for help as well!
There are so many things I will miss dearly about China. The toilets are not on that list.
I debated even writing this post because toilet talk is not, well, lady-like. You can stop here if you would like but if you continue reading, remember to think of this as an educational cultural post, nothing else.
Here are my qualms with the squatters (they may seem angry but I am fresh off of a frustrating experience):
I'm really not enjoying toting toilet paper around and I'm really bad at forgetting it places. This can only lead to unfortunate events. Also, and much less severe, everyone knows when I need to make a trip to the “WC” (as it is called) as I have to grab a pack of toilet paper before I’m on my way.
I reaaaaaallly need to learn the proper etiquette. Are those 8 mops hanging on the wall for cleaning up when you are done? Do you clean up every time or only if you miss? Is this something I can even ask someone?
I really wish I could wash my hands. Personal hand wipes aren’t cheap, ya know.
I also wish I had a place to put my backpack when I pee. The floor is always wet (with God knows what). I have to put all my belongings (jacket, bookbag, etc.) in my “lap” when I am squatting. As if squatting isn’t awkward enough!
Most especially, and most personally, I am frustrated with trying to control where it all goes. The toilets at school do not have a front guard. They are super shallow porcelain bowls so when you go, it splashes up. In most public washrooms, they have guards in the front of the bowl that prevent this from happening. For some God forsaken reason, they didn’t put those on our toilets. Instead, I get to do an awkward squatting dance while trying to prevent splatter. NOT fun. To put your minds at ease, I am pro at not getting anything on my shoes but my God, I need help keeping it from splashing forward. At first I thought it was me, but after googling to (yes, I just googled how to pee), it turns out I am not alone! (http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2012/03/squat-toilets-whats-your-position/). Perhaps my favourite part of this site is that the poll at the end had 155 votes which means others are just as miserable and are looking for help as well!
There are so many things I will miss dearly about China. The toilets are not on that list.