Star Scene

By Layal Hasrouni

When this concrete jungle we call Beirut has me feeling trapped in a concrete box of emotions I like to leave the city for a while.  When I have time to leave, I like to go to the EcoVillage, mainly because of its hammocks hanging in the trees and their yummy food.   If I don’t have time to leave, I daydream of being in the forest and my mind always takes me to a place that looks like a scene from Fern Gully.

In these daydreams, I usually picture myself alone.  I never once thought about being in an entire forest community which is probably why I never imagined what would happen when everyone reaches the inevitable point of having to use the bathroom.

Although from the outside EcoVillage’s idea of bathrooms seemed to fit the modern notion of a bathroom, it is not until I went inside and my gag reflexes activated that I realized I was in some sort of pre-modern torture chamber.  A sign in the bathroom explained why the bathroom was basically an eco-friendly melting pot of waste and that I was not kidnapped and are being tortured, but it did not compensate for the reality of the situation.  If you make it to the end safely without a bug or fly violating your sanctity, make sure to sprinkle the wood chips available in a bucket on the side of the toilet on top as a symbolic gesture to replace the flushing motion.

If you do happen to go to the EcoVillage and for some reason the bathroom is occupied for an extended period of time, perhaps someone else thought it was a torture chamber and is holding someone for ransom against their will.  Remember:  initial gag reflexes, normal. The sound of someone getting beaten for information, torture: It’s a thin line…

Picture taken from www.ecoecovillage.com