Intercultural Toilet Behaviour

On this trip I have been noticing many cultural habits of my neighbours from other countries. Usually small subtle things like kissing the cheek twice and being late to everything.

One aspect of culture, which I had never really though about was toilet behaviour. Kate thought she had a cultural toilet because on the floor in front of hers was a Cosmopolitan in Latvian. Well she had nothing on what I experienced. One morning I started my day with the usual trip to the bathroom. I sat down and discovered there was something new and different in the toilet room, and it wasn’t a Brazilian FHM. It was a clear plastic bag with rubbish inside of it. Being the nosey mischievous person that I am I peered inside, only to discover there was scrunched up toilet paper soiled with Brazilian skid marks.
I can’t remember my initial reaction. I think I had just smiled to myself. I had travelled to South-East Asia previously and knew that there you have to put used toilet paper in the bin, as they don’t have the plumbing system to sustain toilet paper.
I remember telling Kate and my Swedish friends who thought it was hilarious, all thought it was funny but like myself, was understanding as that was the Brazilian culture and what they had grown up doing all their life.
However, for the next 11 months I wasn’t about to put up with having dirty smelly toilet paper next to me every time I took a trip to the toilet so I raised the issue with my Brazilian friends. I think they were a bit startled and confused when I told them they could flush toilet paper here. I explained to them that they do it in Australia and pretty much in all the developed nations in the world. Still a bit dazed and confused they eventually understood as they had another Brazilian friend with them, who had been living in France for 6 months already, who could translate what I was saying. They guy’s name was Tiago. Tiago looked at me and said he had always flushed.

I sigh of relief came over me as I had know I had dealt with a highly awkward situation. Probably the first awkward situation of my trip but it will defiantly be one of many….