An intimate experience with the wildlife....

Before I got off the phone with my mom last week, she asked me if we'd had any problems with bugs. I said, "Oh, not really." I had seen a couple of cockroaches but nothing traumatic had occured. I spoke too soon. This week alone, we have been plagued by a bevy of not only insects but other sorts of reptiles and winged mammals. The cockroaches here are huge and fast. Luckily Noah has been in charge of the capture and release project. We've also experienced quite a few geckos. These are not really dangerous since they don't bite. They also eat all the other insects so I don't mind if they're in my room. The only problem is that they make a lot of noise. Last night there were two in my room and I think they were mating! I was often awoken by the strange cackling/bleating of the geckos. Trust me, it's not a pleasant sound. Unfortunately, Hillary wins the award for having the scariest pests in her room. The second night she stayed at P.S. Apartments, she found a spider the size of her palm in her room. It looked like a tarantula. It might have been a Thai bird spider. Look up a picture of that on google if you get the chance. It's ridiculous! Once again, Noah was called in to capture and release. Props to him. Then last night, I heard a really loud scream from Hillary's room. There was a bat in her room! The bat was clearly dazed and flying around in a panic. Suddenly, it flew out into the hallway and we all ran for cover in our rooms. After awhile, we decided to come out and see if it had gone. Noah bat-proofed Hillary's room by swinging a broom around. After finding it to be secure, he started looking down the stairwell to see that it was clear. Once again, the bat flew up towards us and there was more screaming and scrambling for our rooms. Luckily, the boy who works at the apartment, caught the bat in a bag and released it. You better believe that we all had a hard time falling asleep last night. It's very strange but I feel pretty lucky that there are only geckos,ants and cockroaches in my room. Never thought I would say that!