Gratitude I

When moving overseas, there are always a lot of really "big" things to get used to. Like speaking another language, living in a different climate, and trying to figure out how on earth your new sprinkler system works. But sometimes it's the little things that seem to make a world of difference. Those small, seemingly insignificant differences that make you smile. If I were to think hard, I could probably list a hundred little things that have changed my life in a good way. But today I am going to limit myself to just a two: doors and public restrooms.

First of all: doors. I should have specified that: doors in public buildings. For those of you who have been to Europe, you are probably all to familiar with this little scenario. You walk up to a building, try to pull open the door, and can't. You peer in through the glass, and the fact that there are people inside staring back at you make you realize that, yes, they are open, and yes, you do look a bit odd. So you yank at the door again, only to find that it still won't budge. At this point you're starting to wonder if maybe the door has been accidentally locked. But then it dawns on you, maybe, just maybe, you need to push at the door. Carefully, you push against the door, and lo and behold, it opens. You have now learned your lesson, and make a mental note that in Europe, doors in public buildings open inwards. But then you come upon another building, only to go through the entire scenario again, only this time in reverse, because here the door opens outward. There is no logic to doors in public buildings in Europe. They open inwards and outwards, completely at random. I've always wondered who decides these things; the architect? The construction engineer? The man who screws in the hinges?
Anyway, you can imagine my delight at discovering that here in the US all doors open outwards. When you're on the outside of a public building, you have to pull at the door to get in. When you're trying to get out, you push. This is the same for all fifty states (or at least the twenty or so that I've been to), and I've been told it's actually a federal law. For a country which cannot agree on a national elementary curriculum, or national driver's license requirements, this is a little miracle. But a miracle nonetheless, because people like me no longer have to surreptitiously pull at a door to see which way it opens, we can just confidently yank at the handle, and never look like an idiot again!

Second, public restrooms.
I can't tell you how happy it makes me that here in the US there are a) public restrooms everywhere, and b) they are all free. I have yet to go into a store where there isn't a customer restroom easily available and for no charge. Honestly, and not to get abrasive here, but what is up with restrooms in Europe? I can't count the number of times I would walk into a store, even larger multiple-story clothing stores, and there is not a bathroom to be found. When you ask the employees, they look at you as though you have just absolutely lost your mind, and off-handedly point out that there is a McDonald's a few doors down. And then when you do find a bathroom (such as inside the afore-mentioned McDonald's), you have to pay to use it. Sometimes a quarter, but sometimes closer to a dollar. And there's no getting out of paying either: most of these restrooms have a stern-looking older man or woman man sitting at a tiny little table with nothing on it but a small saucer and a sign listing the amount you must pay, preferably before using the facilities. The man or women in charge pretend to be reading an old magazine, but should you try to sneak out without paying, they will call you back in. The worst part is, some restaurants sometimes even make you pay. So you're enjoying dinner, you want to use the restroom, and you have to pay to do so. It's a bizarre world.

So thanks to the man, or woman, who decided that all American customers have an unalienable right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, the free use of public restrooms, and one simple way to open a door.