Pests

Ironically, I find that it's not the giggling of little kids as I pass, the women throwing their veils up to stare at me or the disgusting grins of men looking me up and down that bother me the most here. Nor is it the lack of what we consider "necessities," like toilet paper and the ability to change the temperature in the shower, or even have a shower with a shower head. I've noticed this time around that what I am truly having issues with, aside from acclimating with the heat of course, is rodents and insects. Granted, I had a heck of a time with them the last trip too, but I am noticing it more now already.

I was standing in the kitchen last night, something I rarely do as it is small and my Mom is usually cooking in it, and a rough scratch went over the top of my feet. I looked down to see a giant lizard or iguana or salamander (or something reptile-like!) slithering away. Naturally, I screamed. Naturally, my family came running. I explained to them what I saw and my little brother immediately fell to the grown in hysterics while my mother said jokingly in Hindi something along the lines of, "What? You haven't met our other pet yet?" I shrugged it off and laughed with them, as my heart returned to its normal pace.

I was going to buy some material to have a salwar suit "stitched" this morning and decided to bring my little brother (12) with me as not only a translator, but for advice of which materials were "cool." I figured he was young and could help me choose ones that wouldn't make me look even more foreign. On the way there, walking out of our colony we encountered an enormous pack of large, HUGE, black ants. They took up the entire street and it went from gray pavement to black. There was no way to walk on top of them without them getting on you, and no way to get around them either. I started to get itchy just looking at them. My brother looked at me, started laughing and walked over the top of them. I felt as though I should have been at the circus, sprinting over the top as if they were nails or hot coals.

I learned the hard way last time what happens if you leave clothes (moreso underwear) out in the open bedroom. Rather, my homestay sister learned, but I learned from her mistake. I officially have a pet rat. A big one. A really big one. Nothing like the little mice we used to catch with cheese in the basement at home. It eats things, leaves droppings everywhere, and has the ability to make me jump out of my pants as it scurries across the room. I keep my clothes in stuff sacks and everything is locked as best as possible from the little mischief.

It is these small things, that are only to get much worse as I move out of the city and onto the desert farm tomorrow, that seem to strike me the most, make my heart beat fast and make me the most uncomfortable. I love walking through the city, I don't mind not having toilet paper, and I can handle the scalding hot water in the summer and freezing cold water in the winter. It's the little pests I hate.