Beyond the statistics

Submitted by Turkcekonusanamerikali (United States), Nov 2, 2011 at 19:50

Absolutely correct. Let me bring the statistics alive. I lived in Turkey when I was in my early 20's. I arrived weighing 159 lbs--close to ideal for someone 5 feet 8 inches--and in excellent physical shape. I left Turkey 2 years later weighing 137 lbs and looking like I had been through a ringer. From from my first day in Turkey to my last I had "stomach problems". That would be bad enough anywhere. But in Turkey it was the rack because of the toilets. They were unspeakable, merely holes in the floor which you had to squat over. They had no toilet paper, just small faucets which often weren't running. You could imagine what they were like when they got plugged up. Fortunately I made a lot of friends and they would invite me to their homes with toilets which were at least clean. Even better I lived in Ankara and worked at Orta Dogu (Middle East Technical University). Orta Dogu miraculously had toilets which you sit on rather than squat over, toilet paper, and sinks. But there was still the evenings and the weekends--not to mention the mornings.

Orta Dogu went from a blessing to a house of worship (since it was on its own water line) when the water was turned off in Ankara for BELIEVE IT OR NOT 12 days. Can imaging no shower for twelve days? You don't have to imagine. Just take an Ankara-Istanbul bus and you will experience the feeling vicariously I won't even get into the food and my near death experience with food poisoning from "kadin budu kofte". I don't remember what it is, but I'll never forget the name This goes on and on. I could make a living writing horror non- fiction based on my experiences. But here's the silver lining. Only ONE DAY after I disembarked from my Ankara to London flight, I was eating like a horse, digging the London rock scene, and sleeping in a bed bug free bed, and best of all my stomach problems had gone forever. I didn't even notice how nice the toilets looked.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".