A Cross-Cultural Story

Here's a cross-cultural story about the international incident I almost caused. It just goes to show that you never know where cross-cultural misunderstandings can flare up.

A few months ago my family and I went on a brief vacation to the Jordanian coastal city of Aqaba. On the way we stopped at a gas station/rest stop in the middle of the desert. I stocked up on junk food, then asked some of the locals if there was a bathroom. They directed me to an adjacent building, which was apparently part of the rest stop. The men's room was clearly marked. I went inside and saw a sight familiar to any American: a long trough against one wall, with a few spigots for rinsing/flushing. Ah yes, the trough urinal. I stood looking at it. Something didn't seem quite right; I'd never seen a trough urinal in the country before. I decided to explore a little more. Deeper in the bathroom I found ordinary urinals, took care of business, and left.

I didn't think about it again until I stopped at the same rest stop recently. The parking lot was packed. Men were pouring into the building. This was a mosque, I realized; the nondescript building must house a prayer room for travelers. I went inside to use the bathroom, and saw a crowd of men standing in what I'd mistaken for a trough urinal--washing their feet to cleanse themselves before prayers.

I have no idea what the consequence is for peeing in the ceremonial foot-washing trough, but I'm happy I didn't find out.