Korean
Lessons
Restrooms And Toilets
~ by Tim Myers
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a foreigner who lived in Korea for a few years I have more than my share
of stories to tell. But I think my experiences with Korean restrooms and
toilets are easily some of my most memorable. Surprised? Then you have
not been to Korea!
Now, I am not
a connoisseur of restrooms and toilets. I have used some nice restrooms
in my time of course; even ones with an attendant present to hand you a
towel. I have used toilets with phones attached, or with that oh-so-nice
extra padding in the seat. But as a first-time visitor to Korea, and the
orient, I gave no thought to restrooms. Why would I? I just assumed everyone
in the world had the same type of facilities. Wrong, wrong, WRONG! And
let me tell you, such ignorance of the world does not go unpunished.
My first experience
with a Korean style restroom was at a hotel in Daegu, Korea's third largest
city. I walked into the open, door less, entrance marked Men's room and
went to the urinal. I thought it odd there was no door, but didn't give
it a second thought. Once at the urinal, I happened to glance around and
notice that I could clearly see out into the lobby of the hotel. My lightning
fast brain quickly surmised that if I could see out, then the people in
the lobby could see in - and see me taking care of business. Fresh from
America, I must admit I found this uncomfortable. Lesson Number One: Korean
restrooms frequently do not have doors and have a clear line of sight to
the interior.
Oh, but I had
much more to learn. For as I am standing at the urinal, looking into the
lobby, in comes a woman from another doorway and walks right past me and
enters the stall next to my urinal. Let me tell you, I was shocked. What
the hell was going on? I thought. Then, before I had time to react, the
woman closes the stall door and, well you can use your imagination. Needless
to say, I quickly exited the restroom. Once outside I double-checked the
entrance. Did I make a mistake? Did I go into the Women's room and it just
happened to have urinals? What was going on? In fact, there were two entrances,
one for Men and one for Women - both led to the same restroom. Lesson Number
Two: many older
style Korean
restrooms are unisex. |
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A
few days later I was walking in a local community park. I came upon a restroom
and went in to use the facilities. I went into the Men's room (checking
that is was ONLY the men's room) and went into a stall. But there was no
toilet in it; just a hole in the floor. I went to the next stall and found
the same thing.
Hmmm, I thought.
They must be remodeling. Or vandals destroyed the toilets as often happens
in America. Too bad.
So I decided
to use a toilet at a restaurant near the park exit. Again, I went into
the stall and sure enough, there was a hole in the floor. But this time
I noticed a pair of footprints painted on the ground, straddling the hole.
Hmmm. That was interesting. Again, my lightening fast brain, after a long
period of contemplation, arrived at a startling conclusion. The hole was
the toilet! Ah crap, I thought. No pun intended. Lesson Number Three: Korean's
use squat toilets. But you know the saying: "When in Rome, do as the Romans".
So I went ahead and used the toilet. Now, Koreans are very accustomed to
squatting since many sit this way in the home (where many do without western
style furniture and instead use the floor for eating etc.). For me, a Westerner,
who had never in his life used anything but a porcelain throne, the squat
toilet was quite a challenge. Without the well-developed leg muscles and
sense of balance that comes from years of practice (like the natives),
I nearly fell over. The thought of such an accident was sobering. However,
I made it. Then I went to reach for the toilet paper and ... Lesson Number
Four: Koreans usually do not put toilet paper in the stalls. |
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Some time
after this incident I again had to use the toilet, this time in a modern
building. I knew the ropes by this time though. Toilet paper was either
hanging on the wall inside the restroom or for sale outside the restroom
entrance. Nothing could happen to me now, I thought. As I approached the
restroom I stopped at the vending machine outside to get toilet paper.
I put in my money, and not yet able to read Hangul (the Korean language),
picked a stout-looking package from the large selection. I was beaming
with confidence. Yes, I was a foreigner, but I had become a seasoned traveler.
I was a pro now. Or so I thought. I smugly entered, and used, the toilet.
Then I opened my package of toilet paper - only to find a sanitary pad!
Lesson Number Five: The bathroom vending machines sell more than toilet
paper.
I have learned
a lot since then. For one thing, I can read Hangul now. And to avoid any
possibility of error I carry several packages of toilet paper (each one
about the size of a pack of cards) in my daypack. Today in Korea, at least
one western style toilet can usually be found in most modern buildings.
But you will have to search them out in most places. And in small country
towns just forget it. The best places for western style thrones are in
western chain stores such as McDonalds, Burger King and TGI Fridays. So
when you go to Korea, beware of the restroom. Good luck! .
To contact
Tim Click Here
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To see Tim's
previous article about living in Korea Click
Here
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