more from my bathroom series

Here I am a solid 9 months into service and stepping into the bathroom is still an adventure. 
The other day I lifted the lid to my clean bucket water to take my bath and wouldn't you know there was a frog swimming in it. So I took his picture, dragged the bucket outside, dumped him into the jungle back there, cleaned the bucket, refilled and started all over.
Today was a spider. A new spider I've never seen before. I just finished washing my hair, flipped my head up and there it was. Black, yellow, and ominous. I'm not sure if it is a good guy, or one of the good guys that could drop all 120 pounds of me in 45 seconds flat with just one bite. Those of you with fast Internet connection should find out for me. 
Had I not gone running this morning I would have jumped ship then and there, but I really stank! So I crouched down and did a weird Russian dance of a shower looking up the whole time. 
I managed to get clean enough and then bolted out of there, returning only to take bad pictures of it. I really need to use a flash but didn't want to get close enough to hold he camera still enough.
What a life, eh?

Ps. Thanks to my good friend MO I learned that I now can blog from my iPod. Not my favorite thing to type on, but pretty cool. So, sorry for any painful typos I missed. Also couldn't post the pictures but I will, promise!

check out dem gams!

september 2, 2010

i am not afraid of spiders, or bugs really. i mean sure i hate a mosquito, cock roaches are beyond disgusting and moths give me the willies, but afraid? no.

however, i am a little bit afraid to go to the bathroom with this gal hanging over the toilet. i know she is not the biggest spider they have here, i myself have seen bigger desert spiders. this however is the biggest spider i have seen suspended in the air (big spiders that i know of stick to the ground and spin traps not webs), and she is suspended over my toilet!

now for a name, i’m thinking she looks like a hazel.

p.s. i just remembered i am afraid of getting bot flies (look them up).

making friends

 September 6, 2010

remember hazel? well i think i trumped her. meet oswald.

i went to the bathroom when i woke up and it was friend free. went on my run, and when i got back and hopped (no pun intended) in the shower i noticed i was not alone. he kept to himself over in the toilet area and even turned his back while i got dressed.
i thought the spider was normal and didn’t say anything about it, accept to my cluster folk. they all wanted to see so i took them into  to meet hazel. my host family gave me a funny look. i said there is a spider in there. they laughed and said good morning and we went to school. when i got home at lunch, the spider was gone and they were all up in my grill (not in a mean way, it was funny) about not telling them. hahaha i assured them it wasn’t a big deal, and didn’t mention i actually did try to convey the message. then i learned about spider fighting, a popular sport with the kids. they catch spiders and keep them in match boxes (not as big as my hazel) and don’t feed them. then they find a kid with a spider put them on a stick and let them have at each other. i also learned they do different things with hazel and all her sisters. they take them and remove the egg sack. where the sack was is an impression or marking. they try to see what number it most resembles and boom they have a new lucky number.
i told them about oswald and continued to do my hair with him chilling. then i went and did some stuff and nothing was done about the frog. when i had to pee again (nature calls a lot these days) i checked for him, didn’t find him and sat down. then came in someone to take care of him… despite my announcing my status they came in full force. it was awkward but i really didn’t get too embarrassed (the philipinnes are doing wonders to me). so when i was done we did another search and didn’t see him.
oswald is tricky, because guess what. he came out during breakfast and was doing sprints between the shower and the toilet. what a life i live.