Don’t drop the soap-or how I learned to stop worrying and love the Turkish toilet

I at least was a little bit prepared. . . although I had never used one, I had at least seen one before in Alaa’s grandmother’s house in Jerusalem. I never really did figure out how that 105 year old woman could possibly still use it, but she had been doing it for a VERY long time. I wasn’t really prepared to use it every day, but when that is what is available, you adapt. It’s all about aim. As a girl, I’ve never had to worry about aim before. Aim and balance. Aim, balance and thigh strength. Seriously after just a few weeks in this country and I can already feel the difference in my legs. My friends and I also discovered additional challenges this week: using a TT with a hurt leg (my balance is horrible on one foot) and being sick. . .

My dad has a t-shirt from after his PC days that I always thought was funny (and a only a little bit embarrassing), but never really understood before. . .



Oh, ain’t that the truth. Thirty-five years later and some things about Peace Corps haven’t changed . . .


The thing I was least prepared for was actually the shower situation. Like some other places I’ve visited, there is no “shower,” but rather just a showerhead in the bathroom over a drain. Unlike other such places, the drain in this case also happens to be the TT. This presents certain unexpected challenges. Thinking that it would take up less of the very precious space in my suitcase, I brought bar soap rather than my usual body wash- now I have a very good reason “not to drop the soap.”

After language class one day last week we had a hilarious cross-cultural exchange as we tried to explain to our language teacher why you wouldn’t want to drop the soap in the TT and why you also wouldn’t want to drop the soap in prison either . . . and what exactly soap on a rope is.



Mos e hedh sapunin! (Don’t drop the soap)

Thank you to Chris for the hilarious cartoon!