29 May 2012

Toilet performance "fame" in the South of India








Next to the temple, I spotted a small rural village. Where cows and children were walking in the street. Being with Padma, the manager of the merchandise company for Yvie, it was easier to enter one of the houses and this lovely family welcomed us and offered us food and a view in their life. The food was just harvested and spread out on the floor. The children slept on mats on the ground, the grandma in a single bed in the spare room and the husband and wife slept in a single bed in the living room. After talking to them for an hour I really needed to go to the toilet. I was directed outside and told to follow their son. A whole group of women and children gathered around me. They where all directing me to the toilet, which was behind one of the houses. The toilet was a hole in the ground and did not contain a door. I am not very shy in general, but my 20 followers decided not to leave and instead decided to regard my toilet visit as some kind of happening. Although I had viewers, I really had to go to the toilet. After trying to politely get rid of them, which didn’t work very well, did I squat down, put my hair in front of my face (like that would help) and went to the toilet. While I was using the bathroom, one of the ladies kept throwing water in the toilet, sort of between my legs. Awkward. Being back in the house I asked Padma if it was a common thing in India, to accompany people going to the bathroom? She laughed and said that they were just too curious and probably had never seen a white women pee. She thought I could possibly become  a returning story of the village. I watched the film Fame many times when I was young, and clearly remember the scene in which the actors had to perform on stage how they go to the toilet. I suppose "Fame" is where you least expect it. 

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