Hanging Toilets

Talk about dreaming and chicken wings that never went flapping during the night brought to mind a time when there were some very superstitious people in the school. During those early days rumours abound that there were many unclean things around and every once in a while those rumours would be striking fear in some students.

I remember wardens reporting about junior form students being too scared to go out to the toilet during the night (toilets are separated from the hostel block). The only solution for those kids when they felt desperate and just could not wait until dawn was to climb up to the ceiling of the hostel to answer the call of nature and for some, the call was a long call. Guess they had more fear of the unknown than the punishment they would face if caught.

It is also probable that doing their business at a higher level is something acceptable. One of the former Principal of the school once told the staff about tandas atas pokok (toilet on trees) during his childhood. Its seems back in his village in those days, when anyone feels the urge to answer a long call, he will squat high up on a tree branch and he will have to shift about along the branch to avoid crowning anyone who might be passing by beneath.

I have learnt about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in history class during my school days but it was only a few years back that I learnt about the Hanging Toilets of Sarawak! There is no dispute, learning is definitely a lifelong process.