[ID:8891] One Crossroader shares his reluctance to try the Indonesian method for everything:

"The WCs have no toilet paper. A shock for Westerners, but people use their hands and water or a washcloth and then wash up. They would regard our way as unhygienic, but most of us are grateful to use the familiar western commode. We regrettably are passing up on another cultural experience — squatting over a ceramic basin set in the tile floor."

We take many products for granted that are used and reused in other parts of the world, says one volunteer in Africa:

"Ghanaians are starved for books and papers. We bring all of our papers to the life-guard at the beach. From there it seems paper reading parties materialize, with everyone reading and sharing the material. It is amazing to see 10 people all huddled under a palm hut on the beach, reading and reading, not a word being said. There is so little reading material in this country and with such a high literacy rate everyone is starved for something new...