In
the Philippines, we had a bucket. We had a toilet too…but we flushed
with a bucket. There was no running water at all, so we took 3 scoops of
water from one massive bucket and put it in a smaller bucket…no more
and no less…3 scoops. From several feet above the toilet, you quickly
dumped the smaller bucket and watched as, hopefully, your “stuff”
flushed down. If it didn’t, well…good luck with the next bucket.
And
God forbid the food didn’t settle well with your stomach…and you were
left with an empty bucket…now that was an interesting predicament!
we’ve become acquainted with the infamous Squatty potty…a toilet in
the floor. We’ve also become more familiar with the idea of aiming. Can I
just say that guys have issues if they can’t make it in the toilet…if
we can do it, y’all most CERTAINLY can!
The next thing that has
baffled every one of us is the fact that they don’t have toilet paper
in ANY bathroom! Next to almost every toilet, you can see a toilet paper
holder…but no paper. So if you’re as absent minded as some of
us…you’re left up a creek without a paddle if you’ve forgotten the
paper AGAIN.
Which leads me to the next interesting fact. In
every stall, you can find a hose hooked up to a faucet through the wall.
You might be asking yourself “what in the world?!” but…it is
to clean yourself off…with no other than your customary left hand. So
this is why Malaysians don’t eat or do ANYTHING with their left hands!!
And once you’ve rinsed off with the hose, you’re left to air dry or whatever else you can figure out!
All
this to say…I LOVE normal toilets!!! And toilet paper!!! And running
water!!! But God has called me to another way of using the loo and, by
golly, I’m gonna use whatever I’ve got!
A couple days ago, I came across one of Asia’s most ingenious ways of solving their hose problem…
On
the side of a REGULAR toilet (praise God!!), there was a little dial
that said “off,” “low pressure,” and “high pressure.” I think my brain
had reverted back to the Philippines and the lack of running water. I
thought that in order to flush, you turned the dial to low or high
pressure. So when I stood up to flush, I turned the dial…and got a
nice little surprise when I was covered by a steady mist of water.
Apparently,
because of the lack of toilet paper, you’re supposed to turn the dial
as you sit to rinse off…lesson learned!! I think I understand all the
rules of Malaysian toilets now:
1. Don’t get left without toilet paper.
2. Aim well.
3. Remember a towel if you have to rinse.
4. Don’t touch anything except the flush button…unless you need a shower.
