Crazy Chinese 1 – Let’s go to toilet together

Wenjun: “hei, Annika, I want to go to toilet, would you like to go together?”

Annika: … WHAT THE HELL… “No, thank you”

Wenjun: “What! Ok, then maybe I wait a bit, I don’t want to go alone.”

Annika: …WHAT THE XXXX, crazy Chinese…

When I was small, my parents worked for local government in our village. In 1990s, if you were employed by government, your family got a small apartment right behind the municipality hall. We were about 10 kids at different ages living around the same yard. We gathered and played together almost every day. I was the oldest kid, so I had to make sure no one was left behind, otherwise there would be a drama. There was no toilet at home, only one public toilet in the wood. Ok, which means it was too scary to go alone.

When I reached school age, I remember that my father sent me to school the first day by bike. And then I went to school with a group of friends living close to each other. The school toilets were outside of the school wall, you needed to pass the school building, the yard, the back door, the street, and then you were there. We always find someone to go together, otherwise it’s so boring.

12 years old I entered junior high school. There was only one school in the whole region, many students have to sleep at school since it’s too far to walk home every day. Our school was very poor that time, there was no student dormitory. The school cleaned up a big classroom and 120 girls from 4 classes lived in that room. You can imagine, if there was a boys’ basketball competition between two classes, there would be a fight between girls in the night. It was funny though. Of course, there was no toilet in the building, instead it was on the top of a hill behind the school building. Certainly I would find a friend to go together.

You see, I grow up this way. I can’t help to ask friends to go to toilet together even if the toilet is right at the corner in the building. I also like to have accompany for exercises, travelling, and many other things. This is very common among Chinese, if they can’t find accompany, they may give up the idea. And they can’t give a logical explanation. 

Crazy Chinese 1 – let’s go to toilet together.JPG