So I have decided to eat a piece of humble pie and keep a running list of the moments of major social awkwardness during this next year in Turkey. What better title to this post than, "Common mistakes foreigners make"?
1) March 17: My 1st "night on the town" with Umut. We went to a local cafe/hooka bar and he smoked an apple hooka (tobacco free) while I drink çay (black tea). After a few glasses, I needed to use the ladies room. Finding the restroom wasn't hard. Finding the light switch was...impossible. Fearful of looking like a fool, I shut the door and decided to take care of business in the pitch-black dark. I said a quick prayer and hoped to aim in the right direction. When I returned to our table Umut "enlightened" me by sharing that restroom light switches are always on the EXTERIOR of the room. Hmmm. Good to know. No more peeing in the dark for this foreigner!
this made me laugh. and reminds me of an experience i had last week in my local lifetime fitness rest room. the light switch is on an environmentally friendly motion sensitive timer. i went into my stall to use the toilet (and let me assure you, did NOT take an unusually long time) when suddenly the sensor decided i was gone and the lights shut off. here i am in the pitch blackness trying to wave my arms around to remind the sensor 'still here.' no luck. i had finish my task in pitch blackness and only when i opened the door to the stall did the lights kick back on. crazy environmentalists...
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