Toilet Paper, Shower Curtains, and Hot Water

There are a lot of luxuries at home that I never really thought of as luxuries until they were taken away upon my arrival in Senegal. The bathroom situation in Senegal is interesting to say the least. First of all, Senegal is one of many countries in the world that doesn't believe in toilet paper. Instead, they use these little teapots filled with water, along with their left hands, to clean themselves off. While you can buy toilet paper in most superettes, the toilets aren't really equipped to handle flushing paper. Air drying after every time you use the bathroom isn't exactly what I call fun, so I have been purchasing toilet paper since I got here.

Shower curtains also aren't often used in Senegal. In fact, I have seen one since I got here and that was in our hotel at Toubab Dialaw. Every time I take a shower, the bathroom becomes covered in water. The first week we were here, while we were staying in hotels, my bathroom constantly had a couple centimeters of water in it. It was great. On showers, there is not hot water in Senegal. I have not had a warm shower since leaving France. It's not the end of the world but it is also certainly not comfortable and I am not enjoying showers at all. A lot of my friends of gotten used to it at this point, but I can't get used to the cold shower thing. I have been trying to determine the best time of day to take a freezing cold shower, and so far it is looking like directly after a long walk in the hot afternoon sun.

I also definitely take the ability to drink tap water for granted at home. Here, I have to drink only bottled water. My family is required to provide me with water that I can drink and they have been buying these huge 10 liter jugs of water for me. It gets awkward when I run out, though because then I have to ask someone to go the la boutique and buy me some more. And they usually take their time with getting me water, so I am stuck with nothing to drink for a while.

Washers and dryers are also a luxury that I miss. All laundry in Senegal is done by hand, which I knew coming into this. My maid washes my clothes every week, but I have to wash my bras, underwear, socks, and bathing suits by hand. This isn't the end of the world but it's definitely a pain in the ass, especially when I wait a few days and have to wash a bunch of underwear all at once. It is definitely better to wash your underwear everyday while you're in the shower. As annoying as hand washing is, I bet the ladies at Victoria's Secret would be happy to hear that I am finally taking their advice and washing all of the bras I have bought from them by hand.

Choice in what I eat is something that I definitely miss. Here, you eat what is prepared for you when it is prepared for you. There is no culture of snacking, or of not being hungry at meal time. Don't get me wrong, I love the food here. I could eat ceebu jen everyday for the rest of my life and be content. It's things like Sunday night porridge that I am not as stoked about. Every Sunday, every family in Senegal sits down for rice porridge with sweetened sour milk. Personally, I am not a fan. The texture and taste are both weird. But I don't really have a choice, so I suck it up and eat my whole bowl. I really miss being able to walk to the refrigerator and just grab a snack, so I have taken to keeping food stored in my room. Unfortunately, my little brothers have discovered this fact and Mohammed has taken to walking in and saying "Donne-moi des bons-bons" (give me candy). That got old real fast, and I have taken to saying no unless he says "si-te-plait."

As much as there are comforts of home that I miss, I am loving life in Senegal. The only thing that I am not sure I will ever get used is the lack of hot water...