A Bug's Life

Alrighty, in at least 2 of my previous blog posts, I have referenced how I have made friends with the dirt, or at least made peace with it. There is no fighting the dirt and dust here. Only quiet acceptance that it is part of life. On the other hand, I am not making friends with the bugs here and I have no intention of making friends with them.

Certainly, there are the bugs that are awesome to look at and different than the ones we have at home. Even the ones that are similar to the ones at home, that look interesting and are not dangerous, are fine. I enjoy watching the different butterflies and moths that float around the air. The butterflies here are much harder to catch a picture of than those at home. I even accept the moths that sometimes manage to get into my room, though they are promptly escorted out when I am able to catch them.

I have been fascinated by the different crickets that are here. There is a cricket that has spots on it that I find very pretty. Then there are the ones that look like leaves. They are very interesting to look at. I find them randomly different places. There are the crickets that look like very large grass hoppers. They are fun to chase around and try and grab pictures of. Sometimes at night their chirping is annoying, but overall, I don't mind any of the different crickets.

I have found other interesting bugs since coming to Africa. Again, they may be found in the US but they have been pretty cool to spot here. I found the very small, about the size of a quarter, praying mantis one day while I was sitting on my veranda. I also found a stick bug on the veranda wall of a hotel room I was staying at in Uganda. These bugs were pleasant to watch and take photos of.

On the other hand, there are the bugs that I wish I saw less of. One of the biggest (though physically small) bugs I absolutely hate seeing and hearing is, of course, the mosquitos here. I have already had malaria (you should know that if you've been reading these) and that was before rain season. Now that there is more rain and therefore many more breeding grounds for these obnoxious bugs, there are so many more mosquitos. I layer on the DEET repellant and wear layers of clothing, if possible, but mostly I pray. I don't want bites, and I REALLY don't want malaria again.

Other bugs I have come across frequently are cockroaches. I hate them. They are gross and all over and you shouldn't kill them inside your home because they often have eggs inside that, when you kill them, end up spreading and hatching in the house. I had one land on me when I was showering one day and I didn't scream (I am proud of myself for this) but it was gross. However, if I get up at night for any reason, I have to make sure I use lights to get around my room and bathroom because I never know if or where a cockroach might be.

There are not many but there is no stopping them from finding a way in. We try to stop them, spray and clean the rooms, but they find their way in regardless. Plus, any time you use a latrine here (which is the only bathroom option most places here) you will inevitably find a cockroach. Get used to it, but do not make peace with them. I now know more places to expect them which helps me not be bothered when I see them, which is good.

Thankfully I sleep under a net every night. I tuck my net around the edges of the mattress I sleep on. I try not to pull it from under it if I can, and then I pray and hope it keeps all the bugs out of my sleeping area. There is no way to make my room completely bug proof. They get in. And even my net has a few small holes and patch areas in it. But it seems to do its job most of the time. I check before sleep that I am safely enclosed in my net (like I am camping) before I sleep.

Another fun bug experience here is that when the rains first started there was a mass hatching of bugs. It was very weird to experience. It seemed like there were geysers of bugs shooting out of the ground and then these little white bugs were flying through the air everywhere. There were swarms of them. Then 24 hours later they had shed their wings and were crawling on the ground. There was a fine layer of wings everywhere on the ground. In the darkness, when bits of light hit them, they even sparkled.

There are so many different bugs here. There are these red cotton bugs that live near some of the cotton trees here. There are many types of ants. Some are able to be eaten. Others are small and annoying but harmless. Those ones are fun to watch when they swarm something that they use for food, carry it off, and then completely disappear. Then there are the ants that bite and sting and form ant bridges. I don't like these ones.

It has been an interesting experience with all of the bugs and little critters I have come across here. There are more than I have mentioned but these are the ones I seem to come in contact with most. And while I have not made peace with these bugs, I have accepted that they are a part of the life here so I have to have a plan for dealing with them, whether it is a plan on how to get them out of my room, spraying my room or myself with bug repellant, or how to just plain avoid them. It is all part of the adventure here!