Battle of the Bugs

I’m not really into killing.  I mean, I don’t know many vegans that are…But, ever since I made the executive decision to stop my malaria medication (much to the chagrin of my family) I have been on a personal mission to crush each and every mosquito that crosses my path.  The only problem is, they are fast.  Fast like flies.  The mosquitoes in Mississippi are perhaps abnormally lethargic but I have never had trouble with this task in the past.

Our bathroom, conveniently, is quite the breeding ground for these monsters.  I find this especially unpleasant as I am bathing (aka pouring cups of water on myself) – and trying to simultaneously swat them away.  I am constantly amazed, in the most annoying way possible, by there speed.

Another battle I’ve been fighting in that very bathroom is with a ridiculously sneaky spider.  As some of you might remember, during my first week in Haiti I came in contact with the BIGGEST black widow, brown recluse hybrid to ever exist.  Fortunately this most current enemy of mine is A Lot smaller than that original guy. Regardless, he is equally as evasive.  On our first meeting – he was spotted on the toilet seat, I made a few weak attempts to brush him into the water, but again, these Haitian insects are FAST! On our 2^nd meeting – he was spotted right around the base of the toilet, This time I got smart and trapped him under a plunger.  I left him under there to die of “natural causes”…Two days later, the plunger remained suctioned to ground, untouched, and I assumed it was still entombing the spider.  It wasn’t.  I spotted him again, at the base of the toilet.  The plunger being really the only option I gave it another shot, but this time he got smart and made a run for it up the wall.  He lucked out.  – Today, our most recent meeting, he was spotted right outside the bathroom door. His willingness to explore outside the safety of his toilet bowl region tells me one thing…he is getting a little to big for his britches and something MUST be done.  I did my best sandwich the little guy between my shoe and the ground, but he seized my hesitation as his opportunity to escape yet again.

This nemesis of mine, and his little malaria transmitting friends, may have lived to see another day…but this fight is not over I tell you.  It will never be over. 

Happy Bird Day

The things I would have never before considered “normal” are rapidly becoming the occurrences that make up my daily routine.

Awaking each morning to the crowing of roosters is pretty sensible, however the complete neglect of time or scheduling these roosters seem to live by also results in my being lulled to sleep each night by their screams.

Another oddity to which I have grown so accustomed that I now almost regard as mundane is the scampering of rats and mice throughout the entire house.  Their games I first noticed in the kitchen.  (Not an ideal location for rodents, I realize, but far enough from my room to keep me at ease.) As the weeks grew on I began to observe their hide and seek shenanigans elsewhere.  In the living room, under my chair, right across my feet, in and out of bedrooms (not mine!) they seem to be having such fun that its almost enjoyable to watch. 

One more scenario that I have found to be far from occasional is the attendance of toddlers to my college level English classes.  On days when my students have no one to care for their children, the kids just tag along. As well behaved, as any children I’ve ever encountered it really poses no problem for me to administer an exam with a test taker’s baby on my hip.

Then there’s shower time.  Upon first moving to Haiti and realizing that showering, as I knew it would not be happening…ever again, I experienced a brief moment of panic.  Filling my five-gallon bucket with ice cold water every night, and pouring cup full’s over my body did not initially seem like an ideal circumstance.  However, it was almost immediately that this outlook changed.  The pivotal moment was my second day in the country, feeling especially filthy and covered in dust, I ventured into the bathroom to douse myself with water.  One giant scoop of water poured directly over my face, and that was it. A feeling of refreshment I had never before experienced.  It was so revitalizing that I could not help but to grin.  I was sold. I now smile, every single night, as I shower.

The regular power outages would probably be considered the most inconvenient aspect of my new way of life, or at least by many standards.  The frequency of blackouts in Haiti is the antithesis of sporadic.  The timing of these outages can be accurately pinpointed down to the minute.  This is because here in Haiti, we lose power, on the minute, every two minutes, for an average of 30 seconds.  The loss and return of light at such a high rate of recurrence ensures that after one day of experiencing this glitch it becomes a part of the subconscious. 

My favorite element of living with all these hassles is the total absence of frustration surrounding me.  I can positively state that there is not one individual in Haiti who would throw up their hands in the face of these hardships.  Roosters, rats, power outages, bucket showers, they are nothing.  This of course is because there are far bigger fish to fry for the people of Haiti, but the ironic fact remains that their willingness to accept reality and still enjoy their days produces a far more relaxed and stress free environment. I’ll take it!

Crown On the Ground by user2355813

by: Sleigh Bells