Mosquos, Lagartos, Hormigas... OH MY!

"Sorry there are a bunch of ants on my bed"

"Wait....I just lost the lizard on my ceiling"

"...and then we put RAID on our legs to avoid the mosquitoes...."

All this and more is about to be explained. These are just a few examples of the ambiguous phrases I have been using in my personal emails. I think it is time for me to give some more details about the "pest" situation here. I don`t want anything on this blog to seem negative...so if I start to get too cynical, just picture me with a big smile: "It`s not bad....just different" ...(face twitch)...

MOSQUOS

I have already stated that it is hot and humid here. Starting about 4 weeks ago, it also rains. Every. Day. What little animal are we familiar with that thrives on hot wetness? Bingo. The mosquitoes here are vicious! They are smaller than the ones in the U.S., they are almost impossible to see in the air. But when they BITE you can actually feel it...it hurts! The WI mosquitoes I`m familiar with don`t hurt when they bite, and they leave behind an itchy little bump. Tabasco mosquitoes sting when they bite, and leave behind a BIG bump with a red dot in the center. Also, I`m told that mosquitoes here carry dengue, so people are REALLY careful.

What does "careful" mean? Bug spray. LOTS. Deet? Awesome. Comes in an aerosol can? More powerful. Supposed to be sprayed around a yard? I guess we could do that as well as our legs. After Conserve, my friends back home would frequently hear me say things like: "Hey-Don`t spray that near me! I don`t want those chemicals on my body! Have I told you about Deet?..." And so it began. But here...I tend to scrinch my eyes up really tight and hope nothing gets in my mouth. After all, I have a whole lifetime to be self righteous about bug spray, and I REALLY don`t want dengue.

Lagartos

This is perhaps the most exotic sounding house pest I am experiencing. Little lizards darting around the house? Doesn´t it just sound like something out of the Jungle Book? Surprisingly....it still kind of feels like that to me too. I don´t really have anything bad to say about the lizards. They creep me out a little bit, but I don´t feel squirmy around them. I mean really: They have four legs (not scary), they are smaller than my hand (not scary), and they can´t cause you any physical harm unless you eat two of them in their entirety (It´s a little scary that they know this).

So, the lizards are just sort of THERE, hanging out in behind my dresser. And on my wall. And sometimes on my ceiling....Ok, now I´m starting to psych myself out....

Hormigas

This is the one that gets me. Ants. Lots of them. There are two main types of ants here. The ones that are half red/half black and HURT. And the ones that are brown and small and are just gross. I don´t like either of them. Something about ants has always bothered me. I would rather deal with spiders than ants. Ants are the organized crime of the insect world, I am pretty sure they will take over the planet eventually. Rational? No, but there you go.



During my first few weeks here, I thought: "WOW, it´s incredible that there are so many ants outside, but none in the house! Tralalalala...." Then one day, I noticed that that corner where the wall connects to the floor...was MOVING. I looked closer. Yes. There was a steady STREAM of ants crawling along, being sneaky. I began to check other rooms. I looked along dark colored cracks on the walls....ANTS. AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (<----that was my emotional breakdown)I was freaked out. They were on the table. On the wall. In my ROOM. How had I not noticed this? But I was definitely over reacting. House ants are pretty satisfied with their secretive lifestlye. They are not interested in climbing on me. Unless I am holding a bread product and sit for a VERY long time without moving (this has happened). So, I´ve become a little bit obsessive about wiping crumbs off of EVERYTHING I see. I may come home with a weird lap-wiping-tick. But really: I have now survived having ants: In my bed, on my plate, in my books, and on my HEAD, and I am still here to write about it. So they can´t be that bad, right? (Ok. Actually, they still suck. I´m sorry, I haven´t come to terms with this yet. No positive note to end this segment.) Other Animal Tidbits of Interest



-Racoons are adored here. They are the most popular zoo exhibit. At the fancy hotel I went to in Playa del Carmen, they proudly showed off their trained racoon. "Many people in the U.S. don´t like racoons????? But they are the most adorable animal of all!"

-I don´t think they have any animal rights laws. At all. At many supermarkets, you can find men selling puppies. Out of BOWLS. Yes- a big bowl full of puppies. At first this sound like the realization of every preschooler´s dream...but I get stuck thinking about the puppies on the bottom. Then I get that song from VeggieTales "Esther" stuck in my head (are you with me?). Then I think about the HUNDREDS of strays I´ve seen in this city. I am by no means an animal rights activist, but this just makes me want to.....Ok, I actually have no idea how to fix this problem. It keeps me thinking at least.

-Chihuauas. Are. Loud.

-I live for the moments when I come across big iguanas climbing trees. They remind me of dragons. Way cool.

This post was scattered. I will try to update with some pictures tomorrow. Because seriously, we all need to see the racoon exhibit in the zoo.