Toilets
I'm booked into a hotel until tomorrow morning, and I'm utterly bored today because I am having the pains of choosing not to be a mother yet again. The migraine I have is not helping much either... This is also because of an absolutely in stimulating conversation I had at breakfast with one of our resident man-w***es.
While building up to his lustful declaration that was made on Friday morning, revived yesterday evening and reiterated today morning, I started thinking of how diverse toilets are in this world. I couldn't help it. Then again... Maybe it was because all the words this man spoke were an utter load of garbage, and my mind switched to waste management, specializing in liquid waste management, and zeroing in on the structures and conduits of collection.
Normally, a lot of people fix the fastest toilet structure that they can when they need it. I mean, when you gotta go, you gotta go. You might not think about how comfortable or uncomfortable the structure is until you are halfway through relieving yourself, and that is usually the moment you start asking yourself about your life choices so far. One of those could be musing on whether the slightly cracked door would allow people to see you, or if that space below the door was too big, or if the underwear you wore is too bright... Or even that money you lent a friend five years ago that he/she hasn't paid to date... Or you could find yourself thinking that the latrine could sink at any moment and if it did, you would be stuck regretting why you dashed to that loo in the first place.
Using uncomfortable toilets naturally makes people try to avoid answering the call of nature when they're in such places. Your brain is programmed to allow you to go when you're in a comfortable place, preferably somewhere you feel at home in. If not, you hold it in and that has been proven to be unhealthy by quite a load of scientists. Both for epidemic control and psychological reasons. When someone is afraid of using the toilet to relieve themselves, then know that they've probably had a terrible experience somewhere.
When I was younger, I went to a public toilet at school once or twice. It was big, with cubicles, old, not in tip toe condition and with lots of poop everywhere. It was one of the most traumatizing moments of my life. Fast forward to 2015, while having a flawed field trip to Nairobi, we got stranded somewhere near Burnt Forest and had to use the lavatory at a wayside motel.
The toilets were dark and dingy. The walls were covered in what could have been dust or poop and mold or all that. The fixing was old and partly broken, and the floor it was fixed into... Dear God! That was not the worst thing though... Because most of the bowl was already covered in what could be poop from previous users. The only good thing about this WC was that it was the kind you squat on, and that probably made things better by about 15-30%. The odours, the blocking, the terror, the discomfort... That made for between 70-85% of the experience. I will never forget the horror of trying to flash the toilet and seeing how blocked the toilet was.
*&*&*&*&
While most people underestimate the importance of pit latrines under such circumstances, it is truly only a good experience when you do not see the poop and everyone else's poop smiling at you when you try to flush or when you enter a toilet.
Which is why when you are considering putting up a toilet, you should factor the following into your plan:
• availability of water,
• maintenance,
• skill level of builder,
• convenience,
• existing sewerage system,
• population/expected number of users,
• material used to clean up (tissue, normal papers, leaves, water, maize cobs),
• type of soil,
• longetivity,
• building material,
• topography,
• cost.
Yes, a long list, but definitely worth it. Remember, this will also help you decide exactly what type of toilet you want, and where you want to situate it. A good toilet is one that makes someone answering a call of nature happy and content. Yes, the constipation might be tiring, but the comfort of pooping in a nice, clean, airy and private place is quite a relief, don't you think?
On this note, I hope you rethink the hurried building of a toilet, and put up something that could be quite helpful to everyone.
I will see you next time with another post about a different public health topic.
Sincerely,
Me.
While building up to his lustful declaration that was made on Friday morning, revived yesterday evening and reiterated today morning, I started thinking of how diverse toilets are in this world. I couldn't help it. Then again... Maybe it was because all the words this man spoke were an utter load of garbage, and my mind switched to waste management, specializing in liquid waste management, and zeroing in on the structures and conduits of collection.
Normally, a lot of people fix the fastest toilet structure that they can when they need it. I mean, when you gotta go, you gotta go. You might not think about how comfortable or uncomfortable the structure is until you are halfway through relieving yourself, and that is usually the moment you start asking yourself about your life choices so far. One of those could be musing on whether the slightly cracked door would allow people to see you, or if that space below the door was too big, or if the underwear you wore is too bright... Or even that money you lent a friend five years ago that he/she hasn't paid to date... Or you could find yourself thinking that the latrine could sink at any moment and if it did, you would be stuck regretting why you dashed to that loo in the first place.
Using uncomfortable toilets naturally makes people try to avoid answering the call of nature when they're in such places. Your brain is programmed to allow you to go when you're in a comfortable place, preferably somewhere you feel at home in. If not, you hold it in and that has been proven to be unhealthy by quite a load of scientists. Both for epidemic control and psychological reasons. When someone is afraid of using the toilet to relieve themselves, then know that they've probably had a terrible experience somewhere.
When I was younger, I went to a public toilet at school once or twice. It was big, with cubicles, old, not in tip toe condition and with lots of poop everywhere. It was one of the most traumatizing moments of my life. Fast forward to 2015, while having a flawed field trip to Nairobi, we got stranded somewhere near Burnt Forest and had to use the lavatory at a wayside motel.
The toilets were dark and dingy. The walls were covered in what could have been dust or poop and mold or all that. The fixing was old and partly broken, and the floor it was fixed into... Dear God! That was not the worst thing though... Because most of the bowl was already covered in what could be poop from previous users. The only good thing about this WC was that it was the kind you squat on, and that probably made things better by about 15-30%. The odours, the blocking, the terror, the discomfort... That made for between 70-85% of the experience. I will never forget the horror of trying to flash the toilet and seeing how blocked the toilet was.
*&*&*&*&
While most people underestimate the importance of pit latrines under such circumstances, it is truly only a good experience when you do not see the poop and everyone else's poop smiling at you when you try to flush or when you enter a toilet.
Which is why when you are considering putting up a toilet, you should factor the following into your plan:
• availability of water,
• maintenance,
• skill level of builder,
• convenience,
• existing sewerage system,
• population/expected number of users,
• material used to clean up (tissue, normal papers, leaves, water, maize cobs),
• type of soil,
• longetivity,
• building material,
• topography,
• cost.
Yes, a long list, but definitely worth it. Remember, this will also help you decide exactly what type of toilet you want, and where you want to situate it. A good toilet is one that makes someone answering a call of nature happy and content. Yes, the constipation might be tiring, but the comfort of pooping in a nice, clean, airy and private place is quite a relief, don't you think?
On this note, I hope you rethink the hurried building of a toilet, and put up something that could be quite helpful to everyone.
I will see you next time with another post about a different public health topic.
Sincerely,
Me.
Holding it in for a long period time can cause pain, discomfort and constipation. If you resist the urge regularly, it can even mess with the brain.
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