Toilet Talk

While in Estonia, a great blog topic came to mind. I've spent most of my life in Argentina, the United States, Bolivia, and now, Lithuania. The culture that I experienced in Bolivia was mostly U.S. American, so I won't talk about my experiences there.

Everywhere were I go I see differences and similarities between the three cultures. Certain sights and sounds trigger my mind and take me homes, while others are just out of this world. Even small things, such as bathroom etiquette, can be quite different.

For example, all bathrooms in Eastern Europe have little brushes to clean up after yourself if you've left a mess. You won't find that in either Argentina or the United States, and aren't necessarily expected to use it at the same extent as you are here.

A major bathroom observation that I've made includes the bathroom door. Argentina: keep door closed at all times and knock before going in. If someone is in there, they yell ''OCUPADO!'' In the States: the door is left open when unoccupied (if even a crack) and closed when in use. A knock is appropriate if you are unsure, in which you will get a ''Almost done!'' In Eastern Europe: the local customs dictate that the door always be closed and that you do not knock, but directly try the door handle. If you do knock (which I have tried on various occasions), no one will ever answer. Therefore, the only way to know if the bathroom is unoccupied is by trying the handle. I'm not sure what would happen if a bahtroom door didn't have a lock...

I'm still not used to it, so whenever someone tries the handle (which from the inside usually sounds like someone is going to break down the door) I yell out, ''OCUPADOOOO!''

:)