There aren't a lot of huge cultural differences that have really struck me while I've been here so far. It's more the small nuances that make me look up and say, "Huh, that's different." And then it sits with me for the rest of the day bringing about a chuckle as it pops into my head.
The one that has struck me today was the bathroom situation -- both public and private. At the school where I teach each floor has a bathroom. Each bathroom is unisex and has three stalls. The stall at the end is for the Teachers only while the other two stalls are for whoever may need to use them be it boy or girl at anytime. I've heard of unisex bathrooms in the workplace -- albeit was on the show Ally McBeal, but I'm sure they exist in some Fortune 500 companies out there, right? Be that as it may, there's something just a bit awkward for me when I'm having a "movement" and in the stall next to me is a preschooler named Vivian! Maybe it's just me.
Beyond the whole unisex thing at work is the general "open door policy" at most male /female specific bathrooms -- public or private. And it's exactly what you think it is. They leave the doors opens! I saw this in action when the school took kids on a field trip and while we were on a break one of the boys used the single-person bathroom. He left the door wide open and proceeds to do his business..."Matt! Close the door!"
Then there are the Metro bathrooms. Very clean. Maybe the cleanest public bathrooms I've ever seen. Maybe that's because of the old woman that is stationed in there to clean all day long! No one even notices her. I almost thought she was someone's grandma that went in the wrong door for a second.
"Huh, that's interesting."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I've used a unisex bathroom in England before. I have to admit it was a little strange waiting in line next to your professor for an open stall. Granted all the stall doors were closed. But it still seemed a little wierd.
unisex...hmmmm don't know if i could do it. constipation may be a better option.
Too much information. I guess you just have to grin and hold it in or let it go.
Perhaps you could hand a Q-Tip to everyone - that would be a way to clear the bathroom?
Post a Comment