this post is about what happens when mosquitos stop being polite....and start getting REAL

Have you ever wanted to just scream bc your entire body was covered with tiny bites from merciless, BIG mosquitoes? Well, I have. Umm.....I have bites everywhere - my feet, my arms, my legs, my neck, and EVEN well....ya know. Do I have to spell it out for you? They are a pain, and I find myself spending lots of time scratching and applying cortizone cream on my body, like its my job. And then if I scratch too hard, I start to bleed, then if I'm outside some fly comes by and tries to eat me up. So now I have an open mosquito bite, dripping blood, and a fly trying to have lunch. Isn't it gross? I try not to scratch them, but its a part of my daily routine.

Let me further explain....

I try my best everyday to take a bath by nighttime, and run in my bed before the monsters really start to come out. And by the way, these mosquitos are HUGE. They're just not normal. Its almost as if they take sterioids or something....kinda like the roosters and chickens here. Oh yea, I saw this one chicken, and his feet were like backwards, and he had the NERVE to "cock-a-doodle-doo" right outside my window at 5am. Um excuse me, LET ME SLEEP. He made more noise than normal, and then when Pepper (my dog) started running after it - the rooster tried to escape - but since his feet were like sideways, he didn't make it very far. Usually I yell at my dog when he chases chickens, but I gave him a pat on the back for this one......Oh sorry, back to the bugs...

So anyway, its around 6:30pm, which means the sun is down and by 7 it will start to get dark. I'm in my latrine. I tell myself, "ok Naa, don't take any more than 10 minutes in here bc you'll get eaten alive." I splash the water on my face. add some facewash...done. I lather my body with soap.....ok, ok......5 minutes pass....done. oops, crap, there's a monster on my leg. I slap it. I miss. He's gone...for now. I rinse, grab my towel, and literally do the 2 step back to my house. But oh wait.....there's a problem. "I forgot the bucket in the bath. Should I leave it there? Will somebody steal it?...Probably, its a nice bucket." I run back to the latrine, and BAM, two mosquitoes waiting for me as I pick up the bucket. 2 quick bites. Ouch. It kinda hurts. So THEN, I finally am done with this whole being-outside thing, walk quickly to the house, and then FALL on my right leg. Yea yea, laugh it up, but it wasnt funny at the time. I'm dirty again, not to mention my right side of my body is covered in sand. But I brushed it off, went in the house, put on my pjs, and settled under my mosquitoe net. It's sord of like camping for the next two years, and my bed is my tent. I swear, I don't feel normal at all here....and I love it.

If you are in Africa and not taking malaria profilaxis, you're outta ur mind. There has already been two of my friends who got malaria, and I dont wanna be the next. (knock on wood). Oh well....let's see what happens, bc I have got to get used to this.

smooches.