Uganda Day 8: Company

Yesterday evening, after I'd posted the blog, I was sitting at my kitchen table when I saw something sliding across the wall. Apparently a lizard had taken the liberty of letting himself in. Now, I know lizards are a fact of life in many places, and I'm cool with that, but that doesn't necessarily mean I want to give him free reign of my tiny apartment if there's a chance I can catch him. Besides, I think if I was a lizard, I would prefer being outside.

So I grabbed a glass and tried to trap him on the wall, but the bugger was fast. But he was still within reach. This little game probably went on longer than it should have, but I can't help it if I don't want lizards in my kitchen. Unfortunately, he eventually ran up the wall and got on the ceiling, which is around fifteen or twenty feet high. At one point he looked like he got caught in a web or something, dangling in mid-air, but somehow he got free. I tried to keep an eye on him but it didn't last long, and I haven't seen him since.

What I did see was the second lizard darting across the floor and into my bedroom. Ceiling in the kitchen? Fine. Sneaking around in my bedroom? Not a chance in hell. Thankfully, blessedly, I was able to catch this one almost right away (you know, now that I had experience lizard-hunting). I took him out front and set him free.

If that was all, I'd be fine. But lizards were just the first plague to fall upon my humble abode yesterday evening.

It's no secret that I don't like spiders, or bugs, or other creepy crawly things. My aversion is directly proportional to the number of legs something has. These things are, however, also a fact of life, even back home. There's been at least one spider each day since I've been here, plus I have a constant stream of tiny ants taking up residence in my shower, but for the most part they're easy to deal with. Nothing I hadn't expected, really.

But last night? I think I killed four spiders (and lost sight of a fifth), no less than three of which were these big, spindly ones. I've seen maybe two or three of that kind since I got here, but last night they were popping up everywhere. One right by my shoes, another in the living room, and worst of all, one right beside my bed (and the side I sleep on, no less). On top of those, there were also a couple other insects I can't identify.

Then the ants. I always have ants in my shower, tiny little ones. I think they come in through the fan on the fall. But last night, after fending off lizards, spiders, and insects, I'm finally about to go to bed when I realize I've left something in the other room, so I walk over to turn the lights on and the biggest ant Ive ever seen darts up the side of the counter. This thing moved as fast as the lizard, if not faster. I got that one, then noticed a second, and then more. I think I caught five or six, but I'm sure more escaped. These monster ants were zipping around the counter, the sink, the dish rack, in between the drying dishes and utensils, up the window, the wall...and up to now, I hadn't seen any of these.

For a few hours last night, almost every time I turned around there was a new spider, insect, ant, or lizard. I can usually handle this stuff—I don't like them, but a few insects and spiders are no big deal. So trust me when I tell you just how bizarre the whole thing was. I saw more things crawling in my apartment in two hours yesterday than I have in the entire time I've been here, including the time I've spent outside of this house.

I'll tell you one thing—it doesn't make for great sleeping. Too many roommates.

Anyway, I thought I'd share that little adventure with you. I wouldn't be posting about it at such length if it wasn't so utterly strange. Hoping they stay away; if last night's experience becomes a routine, I'm out of here.

Maybe I used up some of my bad luck last night, because I actually do have good news. Imagine that? The plumber was here and my water is working properly again. Knock on wood. At this point I'm not sure there are any parts that they haven't replaced, so let's hope nothing else in the plumbing department gives up on me.

And even more good news (what?!), I have acquired a helmet! It's used, and it's got a crack in the visor, and it's got tacky lightning bolts on the top, but I have it. I mentioned my difficulty finding one to my supervisor at work and she dug this thing out of a cupboard. Apparently a past intern left it behind. I know it's not generally advisable to use second-hand helmets, and I have no idea how old it is, but it doesn't look like it's been involved in any hard-hitting. I'm iffy on the cracks, but they seem more like the kind of thing that would have happened in storage. Either way, it's better than no helmet. If I see a new one for a reasonable price I'll still buy it, but at least I can stop fretting over it.

Good timing, too—it occurred to me a couple of days ago that lice was probably a legitimate concern with SafeBoda helmets. Now that would have sucked.

Other than that, nothing interesting to report. Work was work, sat at a desk doing research, and melting.

For now, though, I am off to watch Game of Thrones! For once, I wish winter was coming. Good night!