That’s nice.

 Regarding most of the things that I do in a bathroom, I’ve been trained not to do or talk about in public. Whether its illegal or socially unacceptable or just considered private, it doesn’t matter because none of those restrictions exist in Lesotho. While volunteering in Lesotho, I’ve been accustomed to witnessing or discussing the following items:

Peeing: Latrines are a pretty recent development in Lesotho – a few recent PCV’s who live in the very rural areas installed latrines at their school. I live near Maseru, so people are more modern and receptive to using them; however, it does not prevent people from peeing practically everywhere. Taxis stop for men to go on the side of the road; I’ve seen males peeing on sides of buildings, in bushes, just out in the
open, I hardly notice anymore. This also applies to little children. I don’t see women peeing in public, but I have seen one of my female students squatting to pee right outside of school when everyone is leaving.

Pooping: Aside from Basotho culture, I think that Peace Corps culture drives volunteers to want to discuss their bowel movements. This is not something that I participate in, but since the food and water is of a lower standard than in America, having stomach problems is common. So for a few volunteers that I’ve barely met, I know their pooping in their pants or awful diarrhea story.

In Basotho culture, it is also common to talk openly about bowel movements. I know when my colleagues are constipated; and they also share when they have to poop. Some volunteers have even seen little children pooping in their villages out in the open (I’m ok with not being a witness). But my favorite pooping conversation happened during class.

A girl who sits in the very edge of my classroom towards the back comes up to me while I am talking in the front of the class.
        Girl: Can I go to the toilet?
        Me: Have you finished taking notes yet?
        Girl: (hesitantly) No.
        Me: Not until you finish taking notes.
        (The girl sits down and three boys who sit in the very front of the class raise their hands so I call on them.)
        Three boys all at once and very loudly: She has diarrhea!!
        I told her she could go and the boys were shouting at her: Go! Go! (And other things in Sesotho)
        One boy turned to me to inform me: She might poop in class.
        (I may have laughed a little but I was definitely trying my best not to.)

Snot: The one time I got really grossed out was when one of my boy students blew snot out of his nose onto the ground. I’ve only seen that once, but picking your nose anywhere is completely normal. I’ve had full conversations with people while their finger is at work up a nostril. It is still one of the most distracting cultural differences for me, but I try my best not to notice.

Other: One time during training, I walked into my host family’s one room house to find a woman completely naked bathing. I didn’t know her (she was a relative of the family) but she was the only one there and just continued bathing like it was no big deal. I’ve also seen one of my student’s (during class!) picking a zit of another student. And both girls sit in the middle of class.

Families often share a one bedroom house with no bathroom, so people are more open about their bodies and bodily functions. Peace Corps staff did a good job of preparing us for these cultural differences and how to handle them and it’s funny how much I have grown accustomed to. I still enjoy my privacy but it’s been interesting to see how little privacy Bosotho have at all.

I don’t have any pictures related to this topic….

Fields that surround my village

Me at the trading post