When you're climbing up a ladder...

... and you're feeling something splatter- c'mon folks, you know how it goes- Diarrhea, diarrhea! 

I have found a very interesting cultural difference here in Thailand, surrounding this very phenomenon. In the States, we may sing about it on occasion, but we certainly don't talk about it.
Stomach's a little off. 
GI problems. 
Tummy's rumbling a bit. 

Or if we're being really brave and in comfortable company we might say I've got the runs. 

Or a million other lines we come up with to avoid that one horrible word that no one wants to say and let's be honest- no one really wants to hear about.

In Thailand, however, it's quite different.  If a friend asks how I am, I might easily tell them I have a headache, and Thais just as easily and nonchalantly say that they have diarrhea.  It still gets me every time.  Students have no problem coming up and telling me that they have diarrhea and might need to "make a run for it" in the middle of class.  I'm still slightly embarrassed for them. 

I'm not sure why the difference- why it's such a taboo word in American culture and yet so openly discussed here.  Maybe it's more prevalent here, but maybe all of the US has the runs and no one talks about it.  We'll never know...