¡Ojo! MAKE NOTE OF THIS IF YOU EVER PLAN TO TRAVEL TO LATIN AMERICA

I learned recently that in Ecuador, one does not flush soiled toilet paper into the sewer along with waste, but rather places it neatly in a garbage can adjacent to the commode.  This knowledge was quite timely, as I’m sure that I was only a few flushes away from clogging the plumbing.  Had this happened, I would have MORTIFIED, caught in a literal sh*tstorm of embarrassment.  Furthermore, learning this was quite the revelation for me as

1. I had marveled previously at the thickness of the paper, a luxurious 20 ply, I would say, and
2. the trashcan next to the toilet seemed needlessly large and
3. there is always a bit of an odor in the bathroom that I share with Josina (the Dutch volunteer).  It pains me to admit to having made some snap judgments about the source of the smell, based almost entirely on stereotypes of European hygiene.