Toilet Paper 101

#2. I HATE DIRTY HANDS/TOILET PAPER AND SOAP 101

You are at a bar or discotheque in Chile. You have a couple of cocktails, maybe some water. Uh oh--your bladder's full. For me, that's an every 2 hour occurrence.

You excuse yourself from the group or like me, just point towards the Loo (bathroom). As you make your way through the crowd, a little pee escapes from your overworked bladder. You are desperate and suddenly finding yourself facing an unexpected problem--No, not a long line but a demand of payment for usage.

That's right; you must pay to use the bathroom. This isn't an absolute but very common in bars, public restrooms, malls and markets. And as an added icing bonus, there is no toilet paper in the stalls. Sometimes there is a lady standing outside the bano holding neatly folded sheets of toilet paper which comes with the price of admission.

So, you are standing at the BANO searching your pockets for 200-300 peso (40-60 cents) to pay the piper with your bladder wishing for a diaper when yes--the change is found--paid and you rush in--plop down--excuse me--crouch down and then it's like SWEET RELIEF!!!

That is until you realize that there is no toilet paper in the stall or any stall--no one to "spare a square" and you were so frantic you rushed past the toilet paper lady! Your stomach sinks as a knot forms because you just peed out a lake without any dry land to stand on.

And this... is an awful moment of truth with one’s self--meant to be kept with one’s self. But lets just say I got over the hand issue.

But I quickly learned to carry toilet paper with me or squirrel away restaurant napkins in my pockets because YOU NEVER KNOW!

Soap dispensers were sparse and never did you see paper towels--THAT IS A LUXURY! I sometimes carried hand sanitizer but grew tired of the bulk in my pockets.

What I thought was a given or necessity in life--toilet paper in stalls, free restroom usage, soap and paper towels, is well, not a given everywhere else. Those "necessities" are expensive upkeep, sometimes inaccessible and maybe not as necessary as I believed.

And I believed, pre-Chile, that washing my hands or avoiding touching dirty things or possibly bacteria covered objects or well lets be honest, children, was a necessity to staying healthy.

But I didn't get some horrible disease or lose use of my faculties while living in Chile. I wasn't poisoned or constantly fighting colds or the flu. In fact, my body felt stronger and healthier from the inside out. Which I found odd.

And I'm just wondering if being 100% sanitary clean is healthy or if healthy comes from a resilient immune system that knows how to deal with a little dirt?

Either way, I'm lucky. I'm lucky because I live in the States with easy access to the tp and I'm lucky because I went somewhere and learned how little necessities I really need.