Whether or not I tolerate them, we all know about, or have experienced my ridiculous fear. So the other night, I was heading to bed, minding my own business, when all of a sudden I saw something strange out of the corner of my eye. I looked at the black thing on the wall, initially thinking it was a fly. And when I looked from across the room, I thought, there is no way. But as I got closer……oh yes way. There was a black scorpion staring at me. So I shuddered, grabbed my pink plastic shower sandal, and smooshed it. I was slightly shaken, but then relaxed, thinking that the chances of me finding another such bug were unlikely. So I sat on my bed, looked up, and on the wall next to my books was a rather large spider with 8 longggggg legs. I almost screamed. Now, this guy was pretty big, and spiders are my weakness, but after 3 or 4 tries (and chickening out), I grabbed my hiking boot and smooshed the spider. After a few hits, I confirmed that he was dead. So then I was way freaked. Like very very very very freaked out. But I didn’t have a choice. It was almost 12 and I needed to sleep. So I reached for one of my bags to grab my toothbrush………….and out comes running an oversized black beetle looking thing. That time I did scream, and never even got to kill it, it ran away so fast. Away, and under my bed, never to be seen again. To make a long story of pain and stress a little shorter, I ended up sleeping in my sleeping bag, tied all up so that only my mouth and nose were exposed. Granted, I slept on average in 20 minute increments…………….talk about scary!
So then the next day, I did my best to express my horror to my host family. Instead of understanding, they were laughing their heads off! To them, being afraid of bugs is a ridiculous notion- as ridiculous as being afraid of, I don’t know, a shoe, or a book. Nonetheless, I convinced them that I will never be able to sleep again if we do not do something. So, that evening, we all cleaned out my entire room, moving the ponjes (the sponge-y bench things lining the walls of my room), and picking up the carpets. All in all, I believe we found 3 giant spiders, and about 10 scary big black beetle things. It was quite a relief for me to see them die, and even better, I now sleep on a cot in the middle of the room….so that the bxoy (bugs) cannot climb up to me. I was so excited, that night, I thought I would sleep like a baby………except that my bxoy-free room happened to coincide with the worst gastro-intestinal issues I have experienced since arriving in country. So I didn’t sleep well…in face I woke up 5 times during the night……and proceeded to be incredibly sick for the following 48 hours. Oh well, you win some and you lose some.
On a positive note, the day of the bxoy-cleaning, in the afternoon the I accompanied 17 girls and women from the community on a 5-hour hike/picnic to the top of one of the mountains nearby and back. It was spectacular. Peace Corps emphasizes the importance of community building to its volunteers, and the need to acknowledge that without strong community ties and a desire to work together, sustainable development just is not realistic. So for me, to see my community want to be together, to “skr ryada” (do sport) and make an afternoon of it, is beyond my wildest dreams. Not to mention, the view from the top of the mountain was indescribable.
Just on a side note, I would like to mention a little something about laundry and the progression of laundry in my life. J
In USA: Laundry is something that can be done at a moments notice….it takes little time and effort, just moving clothes from the washer to the dryer. You can even leave the house to get something done while the laundry is being done. Takes very little time out of the day, and leaves clothes feeling soft and fluffy.
In my training site: Laundry is a bit more obtrusive as an activity. Takes maybe an hour plus drying time, next to the tap with a constant supply of water. Includes physical effort, but again, not too bad. However, it is a bit of a surprise to feel how stiff the clothes are after drying. I remember thinking, yikes, will my clothes be this stiff for the next two years?
At my site: It is called laundry DAY for a reason. It fills up an entire morning or afternoon….and takes a few hours. Much more physical, as there is often no water coming from the tap (ur gis waman!) so it is all about conservation. Rinsing standards are lowered (there are just a few soapy bubbles!) and I now begin to question my previous statement about soft clothes…..these clothes feel fine…I don’t even recall what “softened” clothes are like……….
In other news…….I have come to the conclusion that there is something liberating about being elbow deep in cow dung. Let me explain.
I often enjoy accompanying various women to the fields for a bit of work and conversation. Today, I went with my host mom to one of her gardens down the road. We brought the mule, and on its back was a very large container full of cow dung. We arrived, and I realized she would be using this as fertilizer, to mix with the water in her garden. At first I watched as she scooped up big handfuls of dung, and smooshed it into the dirt, and although I usually participate in the field work, I thought, no way, there are lines, and this is one of them. There is nothing wrong with me not getting myself full of cow dung. I will only go so far to participate in community activities. Lines, there are lines! And then, I thought, well, what the heck…..forget the lines. And I rolled up my sleeves, hiked up my skirt, and dug in to the dung. And instead of being horribly disgusted, I felt good….liberated! To experience a moment wear I had thrown all inhibition to the wind, and decided there are no lines……….it was nice. J
Needless to say, I got back to the house, washed my hands 5 times, changed my clothes, and I still smell cow dung. Or maybe I am just imagining it.
Ps I ate rabbit heart and liver. Yikes! They didn’t tell me it was rabbit til later!
