This past weekend my friend Iris (Finland) and I accompanied Cindy (China) to Guangzhou, China’s third largest city after Shanghai and Beijing. Cindy’s National Interpreters Certification exam was on Saturday, May 8, and the exam was held at a university in Guangzhou.
It is very easy to get to Guangzhou from Macau. First, we took the public bus to the Macau-Zhuhai Border Gate, which we do all the time to go shopping at the large underground mall. After going through immigrations, we stepped out on the other side in Mainland China and immediately went to the lower level entrance of the mall, where a bus station is.
For about USD $10 we got a bus ticket to Guangzhou, which is less than a two-hour drive from the station. And the bus was incredibly nice and clean, with relaxing Chinese music playing over the intercom and plush, reclining seats.
About an hour into the trip we stopped at a large gas station/rest stop. Iris, Cindy, and I got out to buy snacks and water, as well as to take a bathroom break. I bring this up because, as it turns out, this bathroom break ended up becoming a momentous occasion of my study abroad experience.
I peed in an Asian toilet.
This was one “cultural experience” I’d been avoiding since I got to Asia. Usually I’ve been successful since there are always at least one or two Western toilets. Unfortunately, however, this particular rest stop did not have a single Western toilet, even though there were dozens of stalls in abundance.
My time had come to immerse myself in Asian culture and learn how to overcome this slight obstacle in my study abroad experience. At first, I wasn’t really sure how to use it, since peeing while standing up is not something I’m used to doing. I turned every which way, trying to figure out where I was supposed to stand. And was I supposed to stand up straight? Crouch? Face forward or backward?
For a moment I thought about getting back on the bus and waiting to pee in Guangzhou. After all, it’s a big city, and I could be sure to find a more familiar toilet situation there. However, I was in the middle of nowhere, in a strange country, and it would be at least another hour before reaching the city, and even longer before we checked into our hotel.
So, I sucked it up and just went for it. Yes, it was awkward, and I’m not even sure that I did it right. But I got the job done, and without making a mess.
I was actually very proud of myself. This was something I knew I would have to face before coming to Asia, and just another part of my study abroad experience. Even the little things, like going potty, can become a hardship when traveling to unfamiliar places. Different cultures have very different ways of doing things, things that we simply take for granted in our home countries. Learning how to live and do things differently is just a part of living the culture.
But all I can say is, lucky for me I didn’t have to go “Number Two.”
Love,
Kati
P.S. Coming up next: more of my adventures in Guangzhou, including a cheap stay at a 5-star hotel!
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