dimanche 2 novembre 2008

Scorpion Carrier


That is a picture of what the locals call a Scorpion Carrier spider. I don't like them. They are sinister looking and huge. And they insist on living in my house. I see two a week or so. I can catch their movement from across the room out of the corner of my eye. This particular one crawled across the length of my body to finally rest there beside my head at the edge of my chair. Yuk. Im not as afraid of them as you'd think a person would be. Sure, I keep my distance but I dont scream and shout and stay awake at night worrying that they are crawling on me and laying eggs under my toe nails (they dont do that it just seems like something that would keep up at night). I dont even kill them. I'm too afraid that they can think and I'll find out that they do indeed bite. I mean, look at those pincers. They don't seem to be too afraid of me and so its up to me to relocate when they want to hangout by my right ear like this guy. Ive never ever seen them in the day or discovered a spider web or spider hovel etc that they would live in. And I don't really want to. The arthropods in this country way freak me out and when I'm trying to work by lamplight while simultaneously flicking away praying mantises that want to pinch me, mosquitos that want to give me malaria, locusts that want to make loud noises while jumping in my hair, and beetles (sp?bea?) that want to walk slowly across my lesson plan, and my neighbors one uping each other on the most horrible scorpion sting stories, and what not and I think "GEEZ!!! What is wrong with this country?!?!! Can't a person work without worrying about freakin bugs?!??!! I want to go baack to America!!!!!!"

4 commentaires:

MEP a dit…

You are not seeing things, I am actually commenting on your blog. The reason it has taken me so long is not because I didn't want to, it just took me awhile to figure out how to register since I don't have a google email account. If that makes me dumb and lazy, so be it. Technology is not my friend. That being said, I am so glad that those scorpion carrier creatures didn't start moving in until after I left. Bastards! Just picture what my reaction would have been if one had crawled up the barca lounger when I was sitting in it (think wasps). I don't believe that they don't bite, keep away from them. And wasps. And scorpions. And flies. And mosquitos. Ah!

Jill a dit…

Strange but true: there are NO BUGS IN AMERICA. None! In fact, I forgot what a bug was until you reminded me of these little terrors. Markus was always in charge of squishing them while I cowered in the mosquito net. He got squirted with bug juice so many times! You'd find his scared sound hilarious. Like a little girl!

Molly a dit…

Have you ever seen one with scorpions on it? And what are the stories of being stung by a scorpion like? And is the cure good old-fashioned 'cough syrup?' As Huck says, "I druther been bit by a snake than Pap's whiskey."

Jackie a dit…

Not that I would ever make it in Burkina, but if could, this would draw the line for me. You are a brave soul.

 
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