Leave your pride at the door

Launching yourself into a world of new cultures, new experiences and new adventures often has a price tag. Sometimes it's a foolish financial venture, sometimes it's a food that makes you run for a puke-bucket or an activity that puts you in a precarious position where you don't know if you'll make it out alive. But sometimes, living in another cultural realm forces you to reevaluate your own cultural norms and attempt to get over hang-ups, no matter how private or ingrained they may be.

Just a warning... this might be too much sharing for some.

It was about an hour before the race, and we'd just arrived at the Great Wall race site at the Huangyaguan section of the Wall. All the people around me seemed to be speaking a million different languages, were donning their Great Wall race shirts, and were abuzz with talk about where they were from or what kind of training they had done or what event they were participating in. Hugs and high fives were passed around everywhere and anyone around could feel the energy humming through the crowd.

Just like every morning, I had just plowed through my standard yogurt/muesli/fruit/coffee breakfast before getting on the bus, and just like every morning, it was time for me to make a pit stop at the loo. Normally (and obviously) this takes place in my nice, tidy little bathroom in Kaifaqu. But being race day and being 6:30am, approximately two hours outside of Beijing, I'm working with what's available.

"Anyone know where the toilets are?" I enquire.

"Ya, T. They're over there off the far corner of the square. And just so you know, they're 'traditional'," my friend MW said.

"Traditional" typically refers to the fact that most standard toilets in Asia are what are normally called "squat" toilets that rest on the floor. Luckily, I've become somewhat proficient at using these and that was fine. Off I went to the YinYang Square's WC.

As I walk in, my expectations were sent flying out the window. What "traditional" meant to MW and what I was assuming he meant were... well... totally different.

On one side of the men's "toilet" building was a trough-style urinal. Common enough.

On the other side was another open area. And 4 holes in the floor. And nothing else.

Yes, friends, the pictures in your head are the reality. The toilets for "No. 2" were 4 holes in the floor spaced evenly apart with no barriers or privacy walls in between. And no, these weren't separated from the urinal area. Heck, if peepers wanted to, one could even see right through the front door of the building to our area. But what's a person to do? I had 21.1kms ahead of me that morning, and I sure wasn't going to start a 2.5-3hr race without taking care of business. So, I did exactly what the title of this post said... left my pride at the door, dropped my shorts and that was that. Yes, other men were squatting beside me. No, there was no conversation or eye contact. One poor guy who seemed to be waiting for a spot at the trough urinal was actually waiting for one of the other locales. I think he was a bit shy and wanted to wait for total vacancy but it was close to 45 minutes prior to race time. Get real.

I survived to tell the tale. Let's thank the heavens that I packed myself some tissues and hand sanitizer. And for the record, I felt amazing for the entire run, as far as my digestive system was concerned. :)

Another China moment, friends. T.I.C. (This Is China).

Say a prayer of thanks tonight for clean, western toilets.

T