VSN (Volunteer Support Network) Training- and Lessons in Squatting

I took the opportunity to go to training by the Volunteer Support Network a few weeks ago. The training mostly addressed how to be an active listener. This means listening attentively, not making people’s problems about you, and not giving too much advice. Essentially how do you, “Just Listen?”

We talked about different kinds of stress prevalent in Peace Corps Morocco. There is a wide range but some examples: trying to find work, integrating, negotiating cultural norms, trying to balance personal and work relationships, harassment, isolation, travel, feeling like you aren’t getting anything done, language using the Turkish toilet… the list is endless.

We talked about the different times during service in which certain stresses are most prevalent, coping mechanisms and other sources of support.

Some of the things I found most beneficial were getting to know certain members of my staj better, noticing the amount of diversity possible between 5 different PCVs even if they all appear rather similar on the outside, and most importantly that I may or may not have been using the squat toilet the wrong way for the last 7 months.

The latter topic is up for debate. Sometimes I wonder how I still manage to splash my pant legs every once in a while after living here for this long. Is it really possible that I still don’t know how to use a Turk? We were all sitting around and a second year Volunteer said, “Hey guys, you’ll never guess what I learned this weekend! Which way to you guys squat when you use the Turk!?”

If you have to go “number 2” it is obvious which way to face. There would be a lot of cleaning up to do if you faced the wrong way. Peeing on the other hand is a whole different story. Apparently it is best to face the hole of the Turkish toilet as opposed to the door of the bathroom. Splashing is significantly reduced this way. One volunteer made the point however that you have to be pretty darn sure all you have to do is pee if you are going to maneuver a backwards-facing squat. You also have to be comfortable with your back to the door, which is a rather unnatural feeling.

It’s funny; the Turk isn’t that hard to get used to (weather you are using it the right way or the wrong way…whatever that means.) It is however always one of the most common topics of conversation at the beginning of a PCVs service and it often requires support.

I ran into some of the new trainees the other day and they were bragging to me about how they still hadn’t taken a dump in a squat toilet as of yet. I asked how it was possible that they had been in country for a month and still not faced the Turk. They told me (basically as a collective group) that they all just put off business until getting to the classroom everyday, where they conveniently have a western toilet. All I could think was “Ah, Man! You better start practicing! You are going to have to face it at some point. Better now while there are still people to pull you out if you fall in!”

I remember during my training there were plenty of times when we cheered for each other’s success in getting off of the D-train (Diarrhea,) relieving ourselves after weeklong bouts of constipation or commiserating with one another when someone else hopped on the D-train. There is no support like moral support and knowing that your dear CBT buddy is just a shart (Shit/Fart) away from being a True Peace Corps Volunteer too! And on that note, I recommend avoiding the “active listening,” when providing squatters support, for your sake and theirs.