International Words for the Bathroom - Annie

When traveling abroad, I always try to learn at least a few phrases in the local language. My favorites include: hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and "please give me chocolate ice cream!" However, the most useful phrase of all is: WHERE IS THE BATHROOM? Since I began my toilet paper ambassadorship a few weeks ago, I've continued to collect different ways to ask for the bathroom in as many languages as possible. New York has a fairly diverse array of people, so it has been a really fun project… although it has been a challenge to find an appropriate way of writing it with English letters to convey the correct pronunciation, so please excuse my spelling!

Actually, in English alone, we really do have quite a few options. We can say that "nature calls" or ask to powder our nose. We can ask for the restroom, the washroom, the can, the john, the toilet, the throne, the commode, the powder room, the facilities, or the little girls' room or little boys' room. If we're British, we would ask for the water closet, the loo, or the WC. I hadn't heard of "the bog" until corresponding recently with a friend from Canada, but that's an option too. Apparently, you can also say: "I need to spend a penny!" (Assuming, of course, that the other person understands what you're talking about!)

Every language has numerous ways to ask, so my list was getting long. Just today, I realized that I might be able to find more by using the incredible tool known as the internet, and my list has suddenly expanded even further! Thank you, Wikipedia! My new favorites include the Tagalog language (from the Philippines), which calls it the "comfort room" or "the CR" and the polite Japanese way of asking, "may I wash my hands?" Other useful ones might be the Pig Latin, "Excuseay emay, erewhay isay ethay athroombay?"

Take a peek:

In Afrikaans: Waar is die toilet? or Waar is die badkamer?

In Albanian: Ku është banjo?

In Arabic: Wain al hamam? or Wein ha mam? or Ayna Al Hammam?

Egyptian Arabic: Men Fadlak, Fen El Hammam?

Moroccan Arabic: Fin el bit al ma?

In Austrian: Tschujdigung, wo isn dees Scheisheisl?

In Bengali: Bathroom Kothay?

In Bulgarian: Къде е банята? Kade e banyata?

In Catalan: On és el lavabo?

In Chinese:

Cantonese: Ching men, sei sou gan (washroom) hei been? (polite)

Chi soh (toilet) hei been? (casual)

Mandarin Chinese: Qing wen xishoujian/cesuo zai nai li? Qing wen, ce suo zai nar?

In Creole: kot twalet la ye?

In Croatian: Oprostite, gdje je kupaonica?

In Czech: Kde je záchod? or Prosim Vas, Kde jsou toalety?

In Danish - Hvor er toilettet? or Undskyld mig, hvor er badeværelset/toilettet?

In Dutch: Waar is de batkamer? or Pardon, waar is de W.C.

In Esperanto: Pardonon, kie estas la banejo?

In Estonian: Vabandage, kus on tualet?

In Fijian: Au sa via mi (i need to pee)

In Finnish: Missä on kylpyhuone(vessa)? Missä on vessa/WC

In French: Où sont les toilettes?

In Gaelic/Irish: Ca bhfuil an leithreas?

In German: Wo ist die Badezimmer? Or Wo ist die Toilette, bitte?

In Greek: Parakalo, pou ine i tualetta? or Pou einai i toualeta?

In Hebrew: Slikha, ehfo hah sherooteem?

In Hindi: Mere ko bathroom jaana hai? or Saunchalay kahan hain?

In Hmong: Honm naj nyob qhov twb os?

In Hungarian: Elnézést, hol (van) a vécé?

In Icelandic: Hvar er salernið/klósettið?

In Indonesian: Permisi, di mana kamar mandi?

In Italian: Dov'e il bagno?

In Japanese: Toire wa, doko? or more politely, Otearai wa doko desu ka? (Where can I wash my hands?)

In Korean: Hwajangsil odie issuimnika? or Huajiangsiri eodiyijjo?

In Lao: Hong nam yuu sai?

In Latin: Ubi est latrina?

In Latvian: Atvainojiet, kur ir tualete?

In Lebanese: Waynil hemehm?

In Lithuanian: Atsiprašau, kur yra tualetas?

In Malay: Tandas/bilik air kat mana?

In Malayalam: Bathroom evide ah?

In Maltese: Fejn qiegђed it-toilet?

In Mongolian: Uuchlaarai('ʊ:tʃ|ɑ:ræ )

In Nepali: Baatroom snaan kaksha kahaan cha?

In Norwegian: Hvor er toalettet? or Hvor er doen? (casual way) or Hvor er dassen? (teenage way)

In Persian: Bebakhshid, dastshoee kojast?

In Polish: Przepraszam, gdzie jest toaleta?

In Portuguese: Aonde esta o banheiro? or Faz favor, onde é o lavabo?

In Punjabi: Bathroom/Gusal Khana kithe hai?

In Romanian: Unde este toaleta, va rog?

In Russian: Gde tualet? or Skazhite pozhalusta, gde toalet?

In Samoan: E, 'O fea le faleuila?

In Senegalese: Fun moy douche bee?

In Serbian: Izvinite, gde je kupatilo?

In Setswana: Kopa toilet or toilet e kae?

In Slovak: Prosím vás, kde sú toalety?

In Spanish: Dònde està el baño?

In Sranan Tongo: Pe a wc de?

In Swahili: Choo iko wapi?

In Swedish: Var är toaletten? or Ursäkta mig, men var finns toaletterna?

In Tagalog: Pwede po bang malaman kung nasaan ang banyo? or Saan po ang baño? or Saan po ang CR? (for "comfort room")

In Tamil: Bathroom enga irukku?

In Telugu: Bathroom ekkada?

In Thai: Hong nam yu nai kha/khrab? or Hong suam yuu thi nai? or Hong nam yoo tee nai?

In Tigrinya - Sha'uq abey alo?

In Turkish : Toalet/WC nerde?

In Urdu: Bathroom kidhar hay?

In Vietnamese: Cho hoi, nha` ve^. sinh o da^u va^.y?

In Visayan/Bisaya: Asa ang banyo?

In Welsh - Pardwn ble mae`r ty bach?

In Zulu/Xhosa/Siswati: Celi itoilet? or Ikuphi itoilet?

(note the "c" is a click. sort of like the click in English when chastising, usually spelled "tsk tsk.")

These phrases should help you find a bathroom, wherever you find yourself on Earth. But of course, if you find yourself in outer space, you might need the Klingon phrase from Star Trek: nuqDaq 'oH pacha''e'?

If you have questions or comments, write to me at: annie.thegoteam@gmail.com !

My visit to a Montessori school -Joan

As I gather potty training tips for moms, what an ideal place to gather this type of information but at a school, so off I went! This particular school is located on the Upper West Side. I found that they were very proud to share the information. One thing that I have noticed is that there are many tips that you can try, however your child and you will ultimately decide the best tips that work the best for the two of you. So here goes:

* Commit to a plan. Arrange your schedule so that your child can spend most of his time at home near the bathroom (at least for the first week). Prepare yourself and accept that there will be many accidents, missteps, and changing of clothes. This is part of the process.

* Take your child to the store to choose the new underpants. Let him/her know that soon it will be time to wear underpants instead of diapers. Purchase enough underpants to allow for at least 8 to 10 changes per day.

* Take your child to the bookstore and choose books about using the toilet. Some suggested books might be Everybody Poops, Once Upon A Potty, and Lift the Lid, Use the Potty.

* Separate your diapers into "daytime" and "night-time" stacks. Allow your child to see that you are about to finish the last of the "daytime" diapers and it will be soon be time to wear the new underpants. Be sure to let your child see and celebrate that he/she is using the last daytime diaper! Once it is used, make the commitment that daytime diapers are gone forever.

* When ready to begin the process, remove your child's nighttime diaper and allow your child to sit on the toilet as soon as she/he wakes up when you think they may be having a bowel movement, before a bath, etc. If this is successful, allow them to flush.

* If possible, during this process, allow your child to wear minimal clothing (only underpants and a tee-shirt is perfect). Shorts and pants can be an obstacle to making it onto the toilet in a hurry and will only increase the the amount of clothing you will need to launder.

* Your child will have many accidents. They need to feel the sensation of urine running down their legs and some discomfort before they can be successful. When this happens, assure them by saying, "That's okay. You will soon learn to get the potty before you get wet. Let's get you into some dry underpants."

* Allow the child to remove the wet underpants, clean up (with a little help), and put on new underpants. You want to send want to send the message that you are only helping them to take care of their body all by themselves. Assist them in cleaning the floor or carpeting where the accident occurred. These are all lessons in cause and effect.

* It is important that you don't send the message that accidents are terrible mistakes, icky, gross etc. Try to use a calm voice with positive reassuring words.

* Stick with it. Eventually, even your child will tire of being wet and always changing clothes and cleaning up. All children can be toilet trained when adults are committed, positive, and consistent.

* Limit liquids before bed and tell your child to tell you if he/she needs to to use the toilet during the night.

Until next time!

- Joan

Interviewing Rock Stars from Kazakhstan - Annie

Over the weekend, I was extremely lucky and totally amused to meet Mikhail, my new best friend from Kazakhstan. I was helping Antonio with some interviews for his blog, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a guy with a lone cameraman, who was lip-singing and dancing with the backdrop of the flashing lights of Times Square behind him. I thought that he might be shooting a music video, so I went over and introduced myself. I said, "Hi, I'm Annie, and I'm a Toilet Paper Ambassador. Are you famous?" Mikhail was absolutely thrilled to meet us, and said, "Why yes, I am Mikhail and I am from Shymkent. I am a rock musician, recording my music video here in New York!" I was trying to not think of the movie, Borat, but I couldn't help it.

I was really thrilled. How often in life would I get the opportunity to get paid to interview a musician

from Kazakhstan about toilets from around the world? I asked Mikhail about his favorite toilet, and he immediately told me about one in the capital city of Astana, which was imported from Japan. It had a heated seat, and buttons on the side with which you could control the temperature and pressure of the spray of water for cleaning afterward. (Sound familiar? If you have been reading my blog, you should already know all about these electronic toilets from Japan!) I'm not sure if this particular kind of fancy toilet is common in capital cities in Central Asia, or whether this is just a special toilet for politicians and rock musicians.

In any case, Mikhail then asked me and Antonio if we would dance on his music video. (I'm really not kidding.) So, we took off our overcoats to reveal our Charmin Brand Ambassador jackets and shirts and lapel pins… and we boogied down with Mikhail, right there in Times Square, as his cameraman rolled the camera. I really, really DO hope we make it onto his music video in Kazakhstan!

Check out this small segment of my interview with Mikhail… you can see that we were both very, very excited. (If you don't see the video, click the red link "Read More" to take a look!) Otherwise, please continue to send me your international bathroom anecdotes and stories. Email me at annie.thegoteam@gmail.com!

Funny Man Cody: Yes it's FREE!!

So, living in NYC can make you a little skeptical sometimes. When someone tells me something is free in this city I say, "ok, it's free, but what's the catch?" The the biggest reaction I have been seeing is: raised eyebrows, pursed lips, and the famous question, "why is Charmin doing this?" Trying to find a clean free restroom in New York City seems almost impossible most of the time, and with holiday shopping season upon us, it is. If you live here, you know you have to buy a cup of coffee or pretend you will be eating at a restaurant to try and use a single stall restroom, which most likely has a line of others just like you. You can start to feel here like you are getting nickeled and dimed to death!

My favorite thing here at the Charmin Restrooms is the GIANT toilet, where a Charmin team member takes an awesome pic of you, and then you can pick it up on your way out FOR FREE!!!! Every single person who approaches asks, "how much is it?" We say, "free" and they are absouletly SHOCKED! DISBELIEF on their faces! They just can't believe it's free. It's really cool to be able to give people visting New York City during the holidays a truly awesome, FREE experience.

I recently met Hailey Hightower and her father Trenton. This was Hailey's second time here at Charmin. Trenton told me they had seen

two Broadway musicals and the Rockettes (and spent hundreds of dollars for this fancy New York entertainment)... and his daughter Hailey would not stop asking to come back to the Charmin Restrooms. Hailey explained this was the most fun thing she had done in New York -- she especially loved the toilet paper roll jumping pit! Trenton was proud of what Charmin was doing because his Grandfather worked for P&G his whole life with Zest Soap.

Moral of the story is: sometimes in life, there IS a free lunch. And, usually when you buy your child an expensive toy, they want to jump in a toilet paper pit instead!

Your Prince Charmin

Cody Melton

International Bathroom Discussion: Squatty Potties! -Annie

In all of my travels abroad, I've encountered a pretty diverse array of toilets. The first time I went to Europe when I was twenty, I was puzzled and embarrassed when I had to ask for instructions on how to flush… the solution was a pull cord that used gravity to drop the water down from the ceiling! For me as an American, this was a totally novel idea. Now that I'm somewhat more experienced as an international bathroom user, I pride myself in being able to figure things out. Whether it's a pedal on the floor, a hidden flush button, or throwing a simple bucket of water, I can usually manage to flush successfully without consulting the locals.

Here in the Charmin Restrooms, I keep asking people for their favorite international bathroom stories. Now, after a few days here, I've started to accumulate some pretty interesting anecdotes about restrooms from all over the world! Just the other day, I met a girl from Montana named Hannah. (Not Hannah Montana, but Hannah from Montana.) Anyway, Hannah was explaining to me that she grew up in Taiwan, where the normal toilet is a "squatty potty." I'm including some photos to help you visualize, in case you've never seen one.

I've encountered these lovely toilets in Asia, Africa, and South America, so they're pretty common… but to an American, they can be kind of intimidating the first time you use them. They are basically a porcelain-lined hole in the ground, with pedals for your feet. Yep. You've gotta squat, balance, and not fall over in the process. For men, it's easier, because they can just stand up, but for women, it really exercises our thigh muscles!

In Taiwan, Hannah had regular western toilet in her house, but this was new to many of her Taiwanese friends who had never seen one, and had always exclusively used the squatty potties. Hannah said that frequently after her friends visited, she would find footprints on her toilet seat from their shoes… because they didn't understand that they were supposed to sit down, and they balanced on their feet and squatted instead!

Through the power of the internet, I have discovered that this phenomenon isn't completely unique, and you can actually buy an adaptable toilet seat for people who prefer to squat, rather than sit! I guess when we're looking at the amazing diversity of the world, going to the bathroom is just part of the mix!

Send me your international bathroom stories! You can email me: annie.thegoteam@gmail.com!

-Annie

Happy Thanksgiving! -Annie

Thanksgiving Day has been festive here at the Charmin Restrooms -- the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade went right past our front door all morning long! Now we have people from all over the country, and from around the world, coming in to 'Enjoy The Go' and get some relief from the chaos outside!