It is a feature of most modern house to have an inside toilet, this is a luxury that most households have got used to. Many just can't do without it. The reason this subject is raised is quite simply I'd never thought of having a toilet anywhere else other than in the home until I got to live in Bulgaria.
When I was young we lived in a Victorian styled house and had a brick outside toilet. I remember having to go to the toilet my brother, as I was scared of spiders. Later when I was big enough to cope with that I remember having to walk through snow to get there one winter. Needless to say little time was spent on the throne during winters in the UK, not much was remembered about it, it certainly wasn't a problem at the time.
After marrying we bought a modern house with an inside toilet and for 20 odd years this was the norm, part of what is expected and that's where the thoughts of outside toilets disappeared until recently.
Moving to Bulgaria really brought home some more reasoning behind why we have inside toilets. Pardon the pun, but it is purely for convenience, nothing more; a daily requirement can just as easily be managed outside, but it would be far too much trouble and the comfort zone removed.
The turning point for me with thoughts about inside toilets was on a particular day where I had a village man come to my house. He had lived in the village all his life and had never seen an inside toilet before, let alone use one. When he realised my house had one he said, "It was disgusting that people go to the toilet in my house!" Just saying that now sticks in my mind each time I use the toilet indoors. He is right; going to the toilet in your home is quite disgusting, just think about it for a while.
I still have my inside toilet but I also have an outside on and use this whenever I get an opportunity. Using that outside toilet that is just a hole in the ground without a flushing system just feels right and so much more environmentally friendly. Added to this is the fact that toiletry goings on in the house just doesn't seem right after, especially in a village where no one else other than expatriates have indoor toilets. My Bulgarian guests here never want to use my inside toilet either, they themselves feel that this 'business' is an outside activity and they could never get used to conducting it inside a home.
The inside toilet is essentially the same as the outside toilet. The outside just drains into the land the inside is flushed away to the outside sceptic tank and then also drains away into the land. The only difference is the vast amounts of fresh drinking water used to move the deposits from a to b. What is the point of that?
So, the bottom line (another pun I'm sorry) is, if I happen to move and renovate another house, I will ensure that I have an outside toilet built alongside, it will make me feel better using it.
If you have never used and outside toilet, then I fully recommend you try it, not for the reason of anything else other than appreciating your inside toilet. Anyone who does this will know what I mean. If you use an outside toilet frequently and regularly, there is not really any hardship in this system, it's just getting used to something new (or old).
No comments:
Post a Comment