So This One Time..

I haven’t really updated my blog in a while, and until I can properly sit down (Between attending various shows and activities for Carnival and writing proposals and sponsorship letters) I just wanted to share some stories about some encounters I have had.  But be sure to check back after Vincy Mas (July 9^th) because I will have a lot to say (carnival rundown and many new updates!)!

I think for the most part, most people know that I abhor nearly all bugs, especially spiders, centipedes, cockroaches, and the various new creepy crawly things I have encountered here that I have given names (ex: spawn of satan) because I am unsure of their proper name, not that it matters, because chances are you wouldn't know what it was anyways.

This story pertains exclusively to cockroaches.

A little while back, I had taken a break from rugby.  Therefore my cleats (known here as Studs) sat unused for a few weeks in my spare bedroom.  When I finally returned to rugby, I put the cleats in a plastic bag, put them in my bag and off I went.  When I reached the playing field, I took out my cleats and thought nothing other than putting them on to get ready to play.  So I'm sitting down and I put my right shoe on.  It felt a little funny, my small toe was all squished, but I thought since they were new (I had only worn them a few times) that they still needed to be broken in. I got up and tried walking over from the bleachers to the playing field. But after only a little while it was too uncomfortable, so I went back to figure out what was poking my toe.  When I took my shoe off a cockroach came flying out! And it was still alive! I screamed, naturally, and made a fool of myself in front of a bunch of the rugby guys.  From now on, I always shake out my shoes and clothes before I put anything on.

As if that wasn’t bad enough.  Not too long ago, I was sleeping.  I have a bug net, but sometimes I leave one corner tied up so that it’s easy to get in and out, since the bugs usually aren’t too bothersome. Well this particular night I was sleeping and was rudely awoken around 3am by something ramming into my shoulder.  By what, you ask? None other than a ginormous FLYING cockroach.  Did you even know that they fly?  Yes some do.  The big ones.  So I spent the next 20 minutes trying to get this flying cockroach out of my bug net.  It’s always really difficult to get bugs that get trapped inside the net, out. Especially when you are screaming and trying to hit them from 5 feet away.  They get stuck in the folds in the net and in the corners. It took a long while to get back to sleep after that.

I honestly don’t know what I would do without my bug net.  Some volunteers don’t hang theirs up.  Though, a lot of volunteers don’t live in the bush like I do, so I don’t think they have as many bug issues.  My house is completely surrounded by tall bush and various fruit trees. My bug net is like my security blanket.  I wouldn’t be able to sleep without it. Between the beetles, crickets, cockroaches, and other random bugs, who knows what would happen.