WC Indonesia Vs WC Amerika

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560" caption="Typical toilet in our country (source: http://cache.virtualtourist.com)"][/caption] Back in Indonesia, I used to talk with my colleagues about issues around us. Sometimes, we talked about political issues, like how intrusive the U.S. is in dealing with other countries. Other times, we simply discussed trivial issues, like how public restrooms are privately exploited for commercial purposes, like those at the bus terminals, train stations and other public spaces.

At one event, a senior lecturer who had spent a couple of months on a scholarly visit to several American universities commented on how we should have free access to any public facilities, one of which is the restroom. In Indonesia, for instance, we have to pay Rp. 1000 (back in 2006. I frankly have no clue how much we should pay to use restrooms now), or around 10 cents, per restroom visit in most of public spaces. To the lecturer, it showed how hopelessly inept the government is in providing freely accessible facilities for its people. She stressed that such won't be the case in any developed countries like America.

Furthermore, she was dissatisfied with the fact that most restrooms in public spaces are not properly taken care of. She didn't expect them to be modern. Rather, she simply hoped that with the money paid, we would have somewhat more comfortable and a little cleaner (and hopefully odorless) restrooms, with better hygiene, and more proper hand soap.

At that time, I fantasized how pleasant it would be to stay in a country where public facilities are freely accessible for all. I didn’t have any clear image of what restrooms in a developed country like the United States would look like though.

In my old departmental office in Indonesia, there is only one (arguably) decent restroom on the third floor. As a matter of fact, there are two altogether, but the other one is in horribly awful condition. There is a big hole in its roof, the drainage is atrocious and it is also cramped. The so-called “decent” restroom is relatively cleaner and more spacious. At times, it's a bit slippery though, and quite frequently there is no water. There is no such thing as a urinal or sink. It has a quite big cubical water container with a small pail instead plus the squatting toilet. Clearly, the floor is wet. So, you have to be sure to pull up your trousers or long skirts.

On October 23, 2006, I was nominated as a Fulbright grantee, meaning that I would be going to America. At the same time, though, I was accepted by AusAID to pursue my masters at the University of Sydney. I puzzled for quite some time about where to go, and asked my colleagues and parents for advice. After some thought, I decided to go the U.S., a country which I had always dreamed of going to. I was advised I would have a wider variety of specialization choices in the U.S. than in Australia. Plus, the knowledge and technology is seemingly much more advanced in the U.S.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="259" caption="Typical restrooms in the US (source: http://t1.gstatic.com)"][/caption] While getting used to using the restrooms in the States, it came to my attention that all the restrooms are so clean and dry, much unlike those in my village that are dirty, messy, slippery and smelly. Best of all, restrooms in the U.S. cost me nothing.

When I came to the University of Iowa for the first time and used the restroom, I found a separate place for the handicapped. Extra utilities, such as a hand drier, are also readily accessible for them. It is amazing that this country highly appreciates everyone's right to accessibility in the public domain. This is something I have yet to find in Indonesia. Almost all public facilities are exclusively for abled-people. It seems to me that the handicapped are not considered to have equal rights in regard to the facilities. This is pathetic, obviously.

Perhaps, the U.S. has been developed partly because it continues to appreciate everyone’s rights and access to public sphere such as restrooms, something that our country must learn to do.