(you can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger)
Bet you didn't expect to see that picture at the top of my blog! Comments have been pretty sparse lately, so I wanted to make sure I got your attention.
When Susan Jane and I went to Europe 3 years ago, the tour company sent us reading material to prepare for the trip. One recommendation from that material was that when traveling in a foreign place, instead of complaining about everything like a typical American, you should "appreciate the differences" you encounter in your travels. That phrase became a running joke with us during that trip and I still think of it when I see weird stuff in a new place.
Overall, I'm approaching my time in Asia with an open mind. I'm trying new foods, studying different languages, and learning as much as I can about the culture. But one thing I am not yet comfortable with is the hose in the toilet stall (on the left side in the above picture).
The short explanation for the hose is that Muslims are supposed to perform Istinjaa after using the toilet (cleaning with water). Actually, if you're interested, there is a well written set of toilet considerations for Muslims listed here. I was looking for general information, but I ended up reading the whole page. I mean no disrespect to Muslims or the Islamic traditions and laws by writing about the toilet hose. From what I understand, many countries include a toilet hose in their bathroom stalls (I saw several in India) and many non-Muslims probably use these hoses as well.
My issue is more with using the stall after someone has already used the hose. If you think about it, spraying cold water on a generally delicate area is probably awkward at best. As a non-hose user (most stalls have regular toilet paper too), it appears that water often gets sprayed on the walls and floor of the toilet stalls. I can't imagine that I'd be any more accurate, but I also wouldn't like to be the next to use that stall.
There is a drain in each stall, usually just below the hose. Imagine you are a heavy-set expat using the facilities. After maneuvering yourself into the cramped space, you take extra precaution not to let any clothing you're wearing touch the walls or floor. Then as you are getting yourself back together, your phone accidentally drops and lands on top of said drain. Are you going to think twice before putting that phone against your ear next time it rings? Or are you just going to buy a new one? No wonder phones are so cheap over here!
I'm sure this is the type of thing you get used to when you've lived with it your whole life. After all, every Mosque in the country broadcasts prayer chants over loudspeakers 5 times per day (starting at 5:45 am and ending around 9pm), and people seem to get used to that. But for me, I don't know if I'll be here long enough to be able to use a stall with a wet floor. Just in case, I better stick to bottled water for a few more weeks.
Last week I promised a picture of cars with their windshield wipers lifted up. Here's a picture from the parking lot at work today (there are 3 cars with their wipers up in this picture, it may be hard to tell).
And one more curious item relating to vehicular travel. People on motorcycles and scooters frequently wear their jackets backwards. This may be to keep the front of their shirts clean, but I can't think of any other reason. This is so common, I've even seen some people wear jackets like this inside air conditioned buildings when they get cold. Apparently, they get so used to how it feels on the motorcycles, it starts to feel normal again. I took several pictures during a recent drive home - see if you can make any sense of it. Don't you think this would make it very difficult to drive when the jacket slides down towards their wrists?
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