Attack of the Flying Ants

The long rainy season has finally started--a much needed and welcomed break from the hot hot hot, dry dry dry summer months we've been experiencing. It rains for 30 mins everyday starting around 4, then off and on all through the night. Everything has cooled down so nicely, it's wonderful! The rain bouncing off our tin roof actually woke me from a Nyquil induced stupor the other night...it was THAT loud! It is now time to start planting the fields in preparation for a new crop. I'm going to be helping my family with the planting over the next few weeks, so that should be pretty interesting! Who loves cow manure fertilizer? WE DO!

There are only 2 downsides to the heavy rains. Number one is the mud. All the roads around my house leading to the main highway are just packed dirt. So they become nearly impassable when it rains at night! My feet are constantly covered in thick, almost black mud on a daily basis now. The other downside is the BUGS.

All the insects that have been hiding from the heat underground for the past few months have come outside, and they are CELEBRATING with a huuuuuge party in my house!! At night, they flock in by the hundreds following the lights. These huge flying ants, some kind of big, roly poly beetle, little flies. They are EVERYWHERE. And they take serious pleasure in dive-bombing me during dinner and when I'm getting ready for bed. I do everything in the dark now so they won't disturb me. And getting prepared for sleep now involves walking everywhere with a big can of Doom. In the mornings when I get up, I have to step around all the bug corpses lying on my floor. It's disgusting but I'm starting to get used to it. I've taken to retreating into my mosquito net as early as 8pm now and just staying there til I sleep at 11. My family thinks I'm a bit nuts, but find my antics very entertaining. Of course, they aren't bugged by the bugs (haha) at all.