Bathrooms


Before we moved to Samoa in 1961 I don't remember having any issues with bathrooms. After we came home, I have had nightmares to this day and I really don't like having people wait for me while I am in the restroom. I dream I'm on the toilet in the middle of the grocery store or other similar public place and people are walking all around me. It's ghastly! I have these dreams several times a year.

When we arrived in Samoa the restrooms had no stalls around the toilets. No big deal, at first. However, the Samoan kids had seldom seen white kids and apparently thought it was funny to watch me 'go'. They would gather round and point and make comments. It got so bad I had permission to always go during class time so I could be alone. On top of that, when we would go other places on the island and have to use outhouses, they were out over the ocean. We had to walk down this long gangplank to the outhouse and people could see everything drop into the ocean. More humiliation!! My dad made the school order stalls for the restrooms, but they arrived with no doors and we had to wait for them to arrive. Both he and my mom totally understood my humiliation as they didn't like using the outhouses either. Anyway, the damage was done to my psyche and I live with it still.

Another experience : one night a babysitter who had probably just seen the movie 'Psycho' snuck in the bathroom while I was in the shower. She threw open the shower curtain and pretended to stab me. Until I was probably at least 40 I was afraid every time I opened the shower curtain to get out. More psychological damage!

 Posted 19th March 2014 by Kristine Castro

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