Everybody staying at a certain place long enough needs to know where the toilet is. I tried to find one when I first visited the Divinity School Library， the oldest school in Yale University. I tried to find the signs with words such as WC， Ladies， Bathroom， and Washroom. I used all the knowledge I had about toilet， but I could not find one. My common sense told me that it was impossible not to find one in the library， so I kept trying. Eventually I found a door on which was a single word： WOMEN.
　　Although it did not look at all like a toilet， I assumed¹ it must be one. And because I couldn’t wait any longer， I had to try it. As I opened the door， I was sure I made a mistake， so I came out immediately. For what I had entered was a room much larger than my living room in Beijing， with a standing lamp by an antique-like² table on a beautiful green carpet. On one side of the room， there was a very decent brown sofa， above which there was a wall mirrored up to the ceiling. There were two other sofas， by the side of the table. In one corner was a clothes hanger and in another corner was a big pot of green plants. It looked like a sitting room or lobby³ in a hotel. There was no sign of a toilet. But it was the only possible place a toilet could be. Then I remembered that there was another door in the room， so I went back in and opened the door. And there it was！ What relief！ I found it at last！ The toilet room was only half the size of the outer room. It had only two seats with two sinks⁴. What luxury！ It was like a two-room flat.
　　After I relieved myself， another question occurred to me： since it was impossible for such a big library to have only one toilet， I had to ask someone about toilets. A “Rest Room” is also a toilet. The “rest” had only one seat and it was unisex. Both women and men could use it by locking the door from the inside.
　　To refer to a toilet as a “rest room” is miles apart from the Chinese idea of a toilet. I never related the “rest room” with a “toilet”. Here at Yale， when I use a toilet designated⁵ “women”， I feel myself a queen and enjoy looking at myself in a large mirror to see if I am properly attired⁶. And when using a “rest room”， I do have a feeling of rest， because it is clean and has a window with a beautiful view.
　　My experience with the toilet at Yale has enlightened me as to why American visitors often asked for the toilet when they arrived at our university—they may have needed to relieve themselves but they may have needed more to make sure that they were presentable⁷ before meeting our president. It is a kind of moment of privacy that they need. I can imagine how disappointed they must have been when they found no mirrors in our toilets！ Their toilets have more functions than ours.
　　


　　任何人在一个地方停留一段时间，都需要知道厕所在哪里。当我第一次到耶鲁大学神学院——耶鲁大学最老的学院——的图书馆时，我就想找厕所。我首先找“WC”，“Ladies”，“Bathroom”和“Wash-room”等字样，我几乎用了我学过有关厕所的所有词汇，但还是没有找到。生活常识告诉我，这么大的图书馆没有厕所是不可能的，我又继续寻找，最后找到标有“WOMEN”字样的门。
　　 尽管从外表上看一点也不像厕所，但直觉告诉我，这就是厕所。我确实也憋不住了，不得不去试一下。当我推开门时，我认定我弄错了，就立即退了出来。因为我看到的房间比我在北京的客厅还要大。房间里铺着漂亮的绿色地毯，古色古香的桌子旁有一个落地台灯。房间的一侧放着一个相当漂亮的棕色长沙发，沙发上方有一个覆盖了一面墙的大镜子，一直顶到天花板。房间另一侧的桌子旁是一对单人沙发。房间的一角放着衣架，另一角放着一个种有绿色植物的大花盆，看上去像个豪华宾馆的休息室，一点都不像厕所，但是这又是惟一可能是厕所的地方。纳闷时我记起这个房间里还有一个门，我决然走进去，把门打开。如释重负！我终于找到了厕所。它只有外面休息室一半大小的面积，有两个便座和两个洗手池。这太奢侈了！像个两居室住所。
　　 完恭后，我又想，这么大的一个图书馆不可能只有这么一个厕所，我不得不去请教别人。“休息室”，是厕所的另一代词。它只有一个便座，而且是男女通用的，谁进去只要把门反锁上就可专用。
　　 “休息室”与中文厕所的概念相距十万八千里。我从没把“休息室”与“厕所”联系在一起。而在耶鲁，当使用标有“Women”的厕所时，我真有点像当上了皇后的感觉，在休息室大镜子前面自我欣赏一番，整理一下自己的衣着。当我使用“休息室”时，确实领会到休息的实在含意，因为它窗明几净，窗外景色迷人。
　　 在耶鲁大学使用厕所的经历，使我明白了为什么以前美国来宾到我们学校时，总会问“厕所在哪里？”——她们可能是要使用厕所，但更可能是要在去见校长之前梳理化妆一番。她们需要一点“隐私”的时间。我可以想像，当她们发现我们的厕所里没有镜子时，会多么沮丧。她们的厕所功能远比我们的多。
　　林子 摘自World