Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Creepy crawlers

As expected, I have already been introduced to some of Africa’s most unsavory characters belonging to the class “insecta”. While I don’t consider myself a rugged outdoorswoman, I also don’t consider myself a priss.  I think I nurse a secret self- image that pays tribute to my obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder. My inner prairie girl, however, is nowhere to be found when I am confronted with a slug or a big hairy spider.

Last night I went into my bathroom only to realize that it was already occupied... by a centipede (millipede? billionapede?) that was literally 6 inches long and half an inch thick. It looked like a long, slimy grub with thousands of legs. I was literally paralyzed. I slowly shut the door and called Gus who mercifully removed the offending intruder from my bathing quarters.

But I shall not relax my vigilance. Before I arrived no less than two tarantulas had been spotted on the premises. Thus I approach every room with some degree of trepidation and drift off to sleep with visions of arachnids dancing in my head. I comfort myself that even Laura would permit herself some degree of vigilance.

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