Knowing My Limits, and Still Trying to Be Feminist "Friend"

To all my female friends, from International Correspondent: Patricia Loomis...

THE Art (or is it science?) of Changing a Tampon over an Indian Toilet

Julio has shared so much about his travels on his blog (http://brazilbean.blogspot.com), but there are some things he cannot know. Some things that may be uncomfortable for some readers, therefore:

READER DISCRETION ADVISED. The content of this message is rated R for discussion of the female reproductive system, graphic scenes, and some coarse language.

First, let me describe what an Indian--or squat--toilet is like, for those of you who may have never encountered one: It's a toilet stall, usually with a door, where the "seat" of the toilet is not raised English style, but rather is flush with the level of the floor, meaning that it is not a seat at all, but more like a hole in the ground, or the floor, wherever. Speaking of flush, there is none. At outdoor facilities like this, there is very rarely a sink with running water, usually no garbage can, and the floor is literally puddled with "misses". I always roll up my pants legs before going in because otherwise, when I squat down, they would get wet.

Second, a little information--kind of on the personal side--is needed before I continue. I use applicator-free tampons. Why? They're compact (useful when back-packing), they create less waste and I never had a problem with using them (some women are uncomfortable with the concept). In the squat toilet world, they are a bit of trouble though. Your hands need to be clean to put in the thing (organic, bleach-free cotton, of course... you can take the bourgoise (sp?) girl out of the developed world but you can't take the bougie out of the girl, at least when it comes to certain things)... but as soon as you touch the bathroom door your hands are no longer clean (and they weren't to begin with). And finally, you need to be able to clean your finger after inserting the tampon.

Third, what do you do with the old one when there's no garbage and the toilet empties out into something that goes somewhere where it's not treated? You take it with you of course, but that seems messy...

The solution to all this?
Baby wipes!!! Strategically stored baby wipes and a few squares of toilet paper... This is where cargo pants come in handy. But this must all be carefully planned out before getting near the facility.

The Steps:
1) Make sure you have the supplies you need: tampon, 1-2 baby wipes, and a few squares of TP.
2) Roll up the pant legs.
3) Enter the stall and take a deep breath, or then again, maybe not... breathe before you go in and try not to breathe until you're all done.
4) Remove your supplies and hold them in one hand while undoing your pants. Squat. This will create a lap shelf to put the supplies on.
5) Remove the old tampon and do any necessary related business. Wrap used tampon in toilet paper and put on the lapshelf. (I know, but it's better than putting it on the puddled floor.)
6) Use a wipe to clean your hands (hand sanitizer is a bad idea... ouch! it's alcohol based!).
7) Unwrap and insert tampon.
8) Clean up with baby wipe or TP.

Done!

"Into the Woods to Find the Giant..."
www.brazilbean.net