Potty Humor

In light of what I shared last week, you can appreciate why more than ever I need a good laugh. Is there anyone who doesn’t? “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine….”

Please forgive me for shifting gears now and resorting to potty humor. Yes, you read that right. Potty humor. Don’t tell me you haven’t had your share of laughs regarding the diverse and interesting bathroom facilities in the country where you serve. In fact,IRL I am counting on you to regale us with some stories in the comment section.

One memorable funny of mine dates back to my first overseas assignment as a young single woman in Thailand. My mother and grandmother came to visit, and I attempted to demonstrate the squatty potty technique to them. What made it impossible for Nana was that she refused to dispense with the control top pantyhose. (I want to say girdle, too, but my mom is out of town and I can’t verify this fact before being guilty of exaggerating again!) Besides that, her American feet were too big to fit in the stall once the door was shut, forcing her to perch on top of the potty to yank her undergarments back up.

Now that I am more “mature” (downright old depending on your vantage point), I pity both my mom and Nana with their shaky leg muscles trying to balance themselves on a moving train, using a non-western WC. And to think I laughed. I should be ashamed. Bless their hearts! (snicker)

Another incident on that same visit happened at my host family’s house. Nana’s southern sensibilities could not comprehend why the bathrooms were not stocked with toilet paper. Instead they only had a bucket of water with a scooper. When it was time for supper the first night, I was mortified to hear her loudly proclaim in her east Texas accent, “Well, say, HERE’S the toilet paper!” and to see her pick it up off the dining room table and haul it to the wash room.

I don’t know which was more embarrassing, explaining the bucket of water to my grandmother in Thailand, or explaining the purpose of a bidet to my preschool boys in Guatemala. Of course, being the prude I am, I told them it was a foot washer. Later they discovered a box of big white poofy “stickers” under the sink, which they used to make a mural across the bathroom wall. Talk about an expensive art project… but I digress.

Here in Mexico we live in a desert, so our house is outfitted with an “ecological” or “composting” toilet to preserve water. I can’t imagine what my prim and proper grandmother would have thought about having an outhouse INSIDE the house, but hey, at least we have toilet paper! (And a toilet seat, too, I might boast.)

Others are not so fortunate, as you can see by these photos of other Mexican commodes.

Now it’s your turn. Do tell.

IRL*the photo says it all.