of Privacy and the Lack Thereof

I've been in the US two weeks now and I've noticed something that's strange to me; toilet privacy.

A very important aspect of our lives, regardless of where you're living, and a place I consider to be the sanctum of solitude; the toilet. Personally, I grew up in a place where toilets are the one place that when you're in it, should be yours and yours alone. Go to any toilet in a shopping mall and chances are, you won't be able to see the feet of the person in the next stall. Heck, go into any toilet in a Malaysian home and you won't have frosted glass on the door that's semi-visible. When I go into a toilet; it is mine for the duration I'm in it. I don't care if the shower is an isolated compartment with a shower curtain, the entire toilet is mine. No you can't come in and wash your hands. No you can't come in and take your brush. No. Mine.

The first thing I realized when I come here is that I'd have to toss that notion of privacy out the window if I wanted to live to see Spring. Holding such strong ideals for toilet privacy just won't fly here. Toilet privacy isn't what it's like back home. Here, I can see the feet of the person in the stall next to me and if I tiptoe, I can also see the person in the stall next to me. You hear everything. Back home, you entered a toilet and you entered your personal Narnia. Not here, nope. Communal showers are separated by a mere shower curtain that isn't wide enough to completely cover the entrance thus allowing for an inch of exposure. God forbid your feet look ugly cause they're exposed too.

I'm not saying that one is better than the other (though I'd much rather keep my feet to myself, thanks), it just this sparked curiosity in me. When I come up with something intelligent to say about the matter, I'll write it here. Until then, I'll just leave it as something strange I've noticed.