Erika vs Cockroach

I've already lost track of the days. But here is a pretty fantastic episode in my life.

I’ve decided to live with the roaches. That is not to say that I will be taking up residence in holes or colonies or burrows or where ever the insects call home but I will peacefully exist in the same room with them. My first encounter with a roach occurred last night. I was completely relaxed as I went to use the bathroom before going to bed. As I go to take care of business I halt. Hanging out on one of the many buckets used as part of the toilet situation is a 4-5 inch long roach.

 Madness ensues. I run from the bathroom yelling EEVVVVOOOOOOODEE!!! HEEEEEELLLLLP!!! Evode runs the residence compound that I’m staying in and I think he generally tolerates me for the entertainment value. He comes into the bathroom as I am running in circles outside the door arms flailing. At this point I have to pee so badly I run to the guest house where I bust through the door waking up Calum who was napping on the couch. Near tears I run to the bathroom. Calum tries to console me but to no avail.

I would like to pause here to question why on earth the human body needs to urinate under stress. It seems to me that in a fight or flight situation where I am about to be eaten alive by a roach, the only thing that could make things worse is if I needed to pee. Obviously I chose flight and made it safely to a bathroom but seriously? Evolution needs to rethink that little detail.

I come back into the house and Evode and his friend (who of course is rather attractive) are sitting in the common area again as if nothing happened. I asked if they found the roach… he laughed at me and said it was fine. The roach wouldn’t hurt me. I beg to differ, my friend. They tried looking again and the thing had disappeared. Not only do I look like a wimp who can’t handle a bug, I also look delusional. Fantastic. 

Needless to say, sleep did not happen last night. I sat vigilantly waiting for the roach to come for me, clawing through my mosquito net and ready to suck my blood. By the time my alarm went off this morning, I resolved to not be afraid of roaches anymore. Just because I was afraid of them coming here does not mean I need to be when I leave. I may not play with them and start keeping them as pets but I will no longer cry and need to urinate every time I see one. Let’s call it a Rwanda Resolution. 

Sorry if there was a bit too much information about urination in this post…