Monday, January 25, 2010

Bathrooms of the World

     Some topics we keep private yet there comes a time when one must cope with a culture shock in the ladies room. In America we are fairly certain we will have the standard toilet with the only occational challenge is midnight and someone left the seat up. In our home we try to faithfully put the lid down universally. The airplane toilets was a bit hard for the girls being so very small and it wouldn't stay still. Flushing makes such a loud sound its best to warm a little one or they'll have wet pants for sure. We avoid them at all costs.
     In Korea we give them the award for the most unusual and creative. At TGIFriday's there was a kids seat anyone could use to keep the child from falling through which we did have happen occationally early in my youngest daughter's initial education. Mother's shouldn't laugh for it only upsets the child even more. Some seats had computerized pads on the side but we had no one to translate. Not knowing what each was for I warned the girls against experimentation at that critical time. We did find that one button warms the seat. At the fancy restararunt there was a large red button. It rotated the plastic cover making it way more sanitary. Our most surprising experience was when the youngest daughter pushed a button and to her horror this white pipe moved forward and before she could alert her mother to save her and ended up almost on the ceiling when the water hit from below. She refuses to go back there!
     Once at the airports we encountered some of both Chinese and American. The girls have done quite well coping with the ones in the floor. In preparing for a trip like this I feel its essential to educate the children of what they may encounter. In China there is NO paper in the stall and rarely soap of ways to dry your hands so keeping your own pack of tissues and hand sanitzer is critical. Now we are here for a while they realize that coping with a squatty will be a regular event but back at the hotel its American Standard as usual. Waiting at the Notary office the facility looked to be a glorfied out shed connected to the dingy government building. I carried Chase all day except for diaper changes so when it came time to assist the girls, Aus has no idea the obstacles we overcame by fitting all of us there so Mom could help each not fall in the pit in the floor, face the proper way and be in the proper position to complete the process without error. I know he was even more amazed when we returned with our jobs completed and Chase never left the baby carrier. Just don't tell him when he's older!
 
Marie

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