Thursday, December 30, 2004

You know it's always after mission trips that I realise how fortunate I am. In Thailand it's always an agony to go to the toilet because

1. They have no seat toilets, only squat pans. So most of the time you get leg cramps from squatting for long hours on end. Especially if you have constipation.

2. They don't have flush. So you have to do it yourself. As in use water to flush everything down. And for that it requires alot of skills 'cause you may end up splashing everything out of the bowl instead of into the bowl.

3. You cannot throw used toilet paper into the toilet squat pan. W hich means you have to transport your used toilet paper out of the cubicle into the rubbish bin outside. Which is, in my point of view, rather disgusting.

4. There are spiders, ants, lizards, and what other creepy crawlies in the toilets lurking around waiting to surprise you.

5. The toilets are always dimly lit. (Only a single lightbulb hanging and swinging. Kinda like the type you see in horror movies.)

Imagine my joy when I was back in the toilet of Changi Airport! It was so brightly lit and nice smelling, and the toilet bowl, it was so nice and invitingly clean! And I really miss the pushing the "flush" button.

Then there's the heater problem. The weather in Thailand is like Genting/Cameron Highlands all day, and when night comes, it's like winter! And the village we stayed in, I guess heaters are not the in things because I never saw one. And everyday, showering is a total torture because all we have is freezing cold water. So everyday during showertime I think our screams when we splash cold water on ourselves could be heard half a mile away. Some more the water supply can just suddenly cut off in the middle of no time, and we have to wait in the buff in freezing cold teamperature with soap and suds all over for the water to come back. Pure torture I tell you.

I should think after a whole week in Chiang Mai I would have gotten used to the ice-cold water shower, but no leh, after so many days, I'm still shrilling everytime I bathe. And guess what's the first thing I did when I came back home to Singapore? I took a nice hot shower with a fully functional heater.

I never knew how blessed I am to just have a flushable toilet bowl and a heater until I went to Nongwai village.

You know there's a saying: you never learn to cherish until you lose it.

How true.

writing at 11:16 PM

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