Toilet Toils

Seeing how I have no homework to work on this evening, let's talk about toilets.  There are some great distinctions between American and Moroccan toilet systems, namely the "squatty potty".  The four most noticeable differences are as follows:

My current restroom.  The curtain intrigues me.
I have not had to use it yet.
This toilet has only a bidet spiggot, see the
hose on the right of the toilet.

1)  Toilet paper is uncommon.  What is common is the bidet.  From the first day in the hotel until moving into my new host family the bidet has become commonplace in my life.  As I have been told this is widespread in Islamic culture because nothing in this world contains purity such as water.  Therefore water is used to clean everything and paper is seen as inferior.  After some research on this subject it sounds like a wise invention.  But I am still terrified to use it.

2) Toilets flush with intensity.  There is no rhyme or reason to this fact.  It simply is a notable intensity which appears like a huge waste of water in an area so consumed with the conservation of water.

Another cheap imitation of a real picture,
but oddly enough, I did not feel
comfortable whipping out my camera
in the womens locker room of my gym.

3) Bathrooms are very noisy.  Or so they feel while you are inside.  Everything is made of tile and there are very few padded rugs, large towels, and the like to pad the sound.  Bathrooms seem to be the one room not covered with decoration.  However, they are usually hidden between multiple doors, so little sound escapes.  This is a plus because each classroom at our school has its own bathroom within it.  Who wants to use the bathroom when everyone can hear you?  This is a new concept I call "double door security".  These walls must be bulletproof.

4) The squatty potty. This new concept to my western brain is actually one of the oldest forms of civilized waste removal, as one could imagine.  I have heard it referred to as a Turkish toilet, an Eastern toilet, and even a Natural-Position toilet.  While it is clear that its use spans the majority of the world, I had to do some research after discovering that this disposal method will play a role in my life. Today I found my first one, hence this blog post.  And where did I find my first squatty potty?  The gym.  Sanitation at its peak.  At least my first one won't be on a train.

I worry that I will be scolded for this post, but we all know that you were dying to know the intimate details of Moroccan life.  Bslama.