Bathroom Lines
Today was the Japanese Proficiency Test. Me and Marilia went down to Waseda University to take the first level. Well, I was mostly there to support her, since I didn’t study TO the test myself (so most probably won’t make it). But besides using more unusual/difficult words/grammar, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between JLPT levels 2 and 1.
However, what really impressed me were the HUGE lines for the female bathrooms in the test breaks. The test is divided in 3 sessions (vocabulary/listening/reading-grammar), and there is a 40 minute break between each session.
And at every break, each and all the female bathrooms in the 6 story building where the test was taking place had lines with more than 15-20 people in it.
The “female bathroom line” phenomenon is something that always makes me wonder. The few times that I ever saw a line in a male bathroom (like in Central Station in NY), the first thing that comes to my mind is “Gosh, so many people using the bathroom at once, it must be filthy by the time my turn comes” - and by then I just decided that I could go to the bathroom once I’m back home.
And bathroom filth should be something that does not affect males as much as females!
Now, doing some quick numbers, suppose six bathrooms, in three breaks, and suppose the line only goes over only 1 time during the break - 20 people per break per bathroom -> 20 x 3 x 6 - 360 girls going to the bathroom. Now, suppose we got 10 rooms with about 60 students each -> 600 students, and 50% of each room are women.
It means that on average, each girl goes 1.2 times to the small, overused, dirty bathrooms during the tests!*
It really makes no sense.
(I’m probably underestimating the number of people taking the test at my building - but I’m also underestimating the number of people who go to the bathroom - and I think the second underestimation is more conservative than the first)
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:23 am
MhUaHuAhUaHuAhUaHuAhUaHuAhUaHuAhUaHuA!!
“fenômeno das filas de banheiro” foi ótimo!
… mas vc esqueceu de contar com um detalhe: as filas só se formam nos banheiros femininos porque as mulheres demoram mais pra fazer o “serviço”.
Os homens têm esta mania de dizer: “não sei por que mulher demora tanto no banheiro. Devem ficar fofocando lá”.
Não sei se os homens dizem isso por pura preguiça de pensar ou se realmente não têm idéia nenhuma sobre a anatomia feminina pra saber que tecnicamente é impossível a uma mulher ir ao banheiro em tão pouco tempo quanto um homem.
Por este motivo a quantidade de banheiros públicos para mulheres deveria ser maior que a masculina. (principalmente se a população feminina for maior que a masculina)
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:40 pm
Pois eh… daria ate pra escrever uma tese de doutorado sobre as filas em banheiros femininos, nao? Apesar que nao eh a nossa area… hahaha!
Sei sei… Quem achava que nao ia passar no 2 kyu tb?
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Mas ai eh que esta, Jaque, eu NAO estou comentando no tempo que elas levam… mas sim na sujeira!
Fala serio, quando voce ve 10 pessoas na sua frente na fila do banheiro, voce nao fica com nojo?
December 5th, 2007 at 5:20 am
ah, Claus, eu fico com nojo TODA VEZ que vou a um banheiro público… pra certas coisas, “there’s no place like home”… hehehehehhehee…