We take a lot of things for granted in America. Adjusting to other countries' lingo and cultures can take you by surprise. Take a walk with me as I get personal in a situation you just might experience during international travel.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. – Part 2: Dubrovnik, Croatia, April 2023.
The Good:
Traveling with my wife, sister, and her husband in the second half of our explorations of the beautiful seaside.
The Bad:
We tend to take for granted “Public Restrooms” in America. Just assuming walking in, heading out, and going about our business. This is not so in some European countries.
The Ugly:
I was walking along the sites of the “Old City” where the HBO series “Game of Thrones” was filmed. I needed to “go”, and the rain was not helping to ease the urge. I walked into a quaint shop with high hopes of a “quick pit stop” and discovered there are no “public restrooms”. I had to hold it in … I know, cry me a river.
Directions to What?:
We stopped at a local information center, and the nice attendant said, “Oh yes, there’s one around the corner from the yogurt stand. But, we don’t call them restrooms, we call them toilets.” In America, most signs are “Restrooms”; therefore, when we asked the basic question, we received an odd facial expression from the local Croatians.
There was a line of course. I noticed a woman in her 40’s built like a football linebacker, sitting in a chair close to the entrance. This is something we have all seen in foreign films. The reality hit me when she asked me for “entrance and usage fee,” which equated to 1 euro, or $1.17.
The money wasn’t given to her; you had to deposit it in the coin slot near the urinal. That would be gross if we gave her money after. Keep in mind the “toilet monitor” is watching you like a hawk. I tried to mentally “prep for the go”. I couldn’t do it. I started to slip away, but not before she almost tackled a guy for saying he wasn’t going to pay to go. Obviously, I agreed.
Run Fast or Swallow My Pride?:
I ended up doing my business because I couldn’t hold it any longer. It was weird for her to watch, and I wiggled around to remain as private as possible as a proper American gentleman.
I thought, what are the qualifications to have her job? A certain fitness regimen? Martial Art classes? Specialized training. Who knows.
It was a weird feeling, but I escaped feeling better.
In the end, I didn’t want to spend time in jail for 1 euro, nor the humiliation of being tackled to the public restroom floor by a lady who could take me down.
The Moral of the Story:
If you need to pay for the restroom, loo, toilet, lavatory, or privy, whatever it's called in the country you are visiting -- just do it.
Respect their culture as we are learning while we visit what is very normal to them.
Thanks for reading.
Stay tuned as Bella, my copywriter & Digital Marketing Manager, invites you into her extensive world of Disney.
Best,
Ramon
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