A collection of my thoughts, ideas, and experiences from relocating from the southeastern United States to Southeast Asia. Hear about my trials, tribulations, and amazing adventures while living in Vietnam!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Please Put Down the Sprayer
I am regularly perplexed by what I have come to find is a common practice here in Vietnam and decided to share this with you in the hopes that you may have a great explanation for me. When I first moved to Vietnam, I posted a picture or two of the bathrooms I had the pleasure to visit. They were basically holes in the floor. After trying to figure out where to put my feet, and more importantly my pocketbook as most of these joints don't have those handy hooks for your stuff, I got used to the hole in the floor. Most of the bathrooms I visit are a step up from the hole and have actual toilets. However, they have this nifty little device that I like to call the hiney sprayer. It makes total sense when you think about it. It is more sanitary than wiping. Why spread germs all around when you can just spray them away with a high-powered washer? That's one way to reduce fecal contamination--don't touch anything! It also reduces paper consumption and in places where sewage infrastructure isn't top notch, it helps to keep the unnatural elements that go through the pipes to a minimum. So I get the purpose of it. What I'm constantly confused by is the mess of water on the floor, toilet, and sometimes even the bathroom wall. Is it necessary to give the whole place a bath while you're spraying things down? I suppose I could be stepping in much worse on a bathroom floor, but who wants to walk into a bathroom stall covered in water, especially when you're wearing long pants that slightly drag the floor at your heel, or even worse when you don't have a handy hook for your pocketbook! And who wants to forget to wipe the toilet down because you're in a hurry and have the immense displeasure of something cold and wet hitting your toosh. What gives? Am I missing something that will potentially impact public health here? Clean bathrooms are very good, yes, but you aren't cleaning with disinfectant. Do they think it gets rid of germs on the toilet seat that could cause disease? It has actually be proven that you can't get the majority of diseases that could be left of a toilet seat by sitting on it. They don't live on porcelain very well. I'm open to your suggestions! Until then, I'm thinking about starting a Facebook campaign: Hiney Sprayers: For Beautification of Your Hiney, Not the Bathroom.
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Too funny, Molly! Thank goodness I didn't encounter any of those holes in the ground toilets while I was visiting...as a matter of fact, I didn't come in contact with any of the hiney sprayers except on the boat. I wouldn't want to step into a place that's been sprayed down with the hiney sprayer! And those hooks for your pocketbook are priceless! I get so aggravated when someone has taken them off the bathroom doors over here!
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I have no solution to your dilemma! Just roll your pants up and wade on in! Oh, and always have a long strap on your pocketbook so you can hang it around your neck! :)
I first saw those sprayers in Japan. They have some fancy features in Japan, including a "sound button" so you can keep other people from hearing your business. :)
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