Mastering the Choo

2012.07.16

Mastering the Choo

Or “Choo kiko wapi?”

The choo. The choo is a place to semi-relax. I say “semi” because one cannot really relax while in/on the choo. For many people, like myself, the choo may take some getting used to. But, as many people find out, it is quite a necessity and should be used every day.

What is this choo? “Is it something I want to know about?” you may ask. I would say, yes, it is something you want to know about, especially for when you visit me in Tanzania. You will learn to love the choo. The choo is what we call the toilet in Tanzania. But it is not a sit-down toilet. In some places, it looks like a western-style toilet that has been sunk into the ground, but in other place it is not much more than a hole in the ground. It reminds me of the public restrooms in the subway stations of Japan, where you turn around and squat to do your business. It’s pretty much the same here, but sometimes you need to aim a little. Target sizes vary from place to place. I have gotten very good after a month, but I do miss my longer sessions back home, where I could browse through an issue of Mechanical Engineering or Make: Magazine. I can’t even stay down for more than a few minutes here, which is probably a lot better for me. Oh, and be careful not to fall backward.

I have learned to fully embrace the choo. I have to admit, I was a little scared at first. I took full advantage of the western-style toilet at Msimbazi Center in Dar es Salaam during our first week in-country. Now I’m pretty impartial, since both have their advantages. I’m still very interested to see how the countryside might be where I’m placed in two weeks. I’ve heard stories of bathroom buddies, so I’m curious as far as stage-fright in front of say…a cockroach, rat, or even bats. We’ll see. Well, hopefully not, but I am super excited to see where I go. Less than two weeks until we find out! ^_^