Hola chicos!
Do you know what a "squatty potty" is? Well, neither did I until I came to Senegal! I've been camping before and used outhouses. I've dug my own toilet when living sustainably in Guatemala. I've composted while up in Maine. However, the "squatty potty" as I have heard it called in English here is apparently very natural for your digestion system but also very
confusing for a first time user. Now, I know I constantly remind you that different is not bad. So I want you to remember that even though this toilet is not like anything we have in the United States, I want you to remember that it is not a "bad toilet". It is just different. But that also does not mean that you can't be totally confused when you first use it and laugh a little while you try and figure it out. I am not going to lie, when I went in to use the bathroom today at school I was unsure of what to do. Do you face the wall or the door? Why is there a cleaning brush there? (I still don't know the answer to that one...) Off to the side there is a bucket of water with a cup in it. What do I do with those? I think I spent 10 minutes just thinking to myself what I should try to attempt to do first. The poor student that walked me to the bathroom probably thought I either 1. was an dumbo and couldn't figure out how to use the toilet (true) or 2. had serious digestive problems. Turns out, I survived but after googling how to do it, I realized that I still made some amateur mistakes. So to save you from the trouble, I am attaching a "squatty potty" guide for you to read up on so that when one day you come to Senegal or other parts of the world that use this type of toilet, you will be more prepared than I was!
On another, less bathroom-y note, I had another successful day of teaching today! In the past few days I have been teaching English and Spanish classes. Most of my classes have been 10th and 11th grade but tomorrow I have my first 5th grade class! The students are all eager to learn and practice with American accents. They are also super interested in learning about my own students back at home.
The students do a great deal of grammar work and reading and writing in English. The classes I taught were reading full American news articles in English and answering complex comprehension questions. They knew much more about the grammatical side of the English language than even I did! One thing that Senegal schools struggle with is access to native speakers. In addition, the internet access is not as readily available in the school buildings and it is difficult to practice actual English conversations. Because of this, teachers tend to stick with the reading and writing parts of the language. Noel, my co-teacher, and I reminded the Senegalese teachers of the importance of being able to actually use the language to converse with others both inside and outside of the classroom. We modeled how to do partner conversations and practice speaking in small groups. We also set up online accounts for the Senegalese teachers in order to help them expand their language learning resource base. Thanks to some of your suggestions I also taught the teachers about things I do in my own classroom such as Duolingo, the fly swatter game, Quizlet, Flipgird, etc.
Lastly, we got to visit the Louga Cultural Center. This center opened in 2003 and has been a vital part in the language and cultural learning of Senegalese students in Louga. The center has a library, Chromebooks, a gym and karate center, a garden, small restaurant, auditorium, and other office rooms. One of my favorite rooms is called the American Corner. This room has a ton of English books and a few computers (with fast internet!!) for students to use. It is also AIR CONDITIONED and in the 98 degree days here, I was praying for an air conditioned room. This room is run by an awesome woman named Yaya (pictured above). She provides activities and classes for the community to participate in to practice their English. I showed her the Flipgrid of my CIS kids and she is very excited to try it out with the students that visit her at the American Corner. We tried to make a few videos so check them out on Flipgrid!
Hope all is well back in the USA!
Senora Traub
Now I know how to use this. Hope you have a great time. It might be odd put that a good thing.
I like the idea of the squatty potty, but it does look confusing. I had to look at the guide of the squatty potty. I learned a lot. Maybe to much.
Sounds like the squatty potty is a work in progress haha...we could use some 98 degree weather here. Enjoy Senegal!
I want to use the squatty potty because why not
When I showed all the kids at the table the "Squatty Potty" there faces where so funny. It looks so weird, but cool. I bet it was uncomfortable. Have fun in Senegal!!!!