Creepy, Crawly (Hoppy, Fly-y) Things: The Plagues of Niger

  Many years ago, I decided that for me to go to Africa would prove the existence of God, because I hate bugs so much, only God could get me to go somewhere with so many of them.  I have since learned that while Africa may have some more bugs than home, it isn't usually that overwhelming.  (Caution: if you are squeamish about bugs, skip to the last sentence of this post)

   In talking to my friend Marta last week, I mentioned that I feel like I am experiencing the plagues of Egypt.  This conversation was sparked by noticing the abundance of frogs that are everywhere at night and the random rash that all of us here have on our arms (pretty sure it is from some form of bug not deterred by DEET).  Watching children dying of malaria is also sadly reminiscent of the plague on the firstborn.  At the time of the conversation, I said to Marta, "just watch, the locusts are coming next," to which Marta replied, "yeah, so they told you about that?"  Um, no.  I was just being facetious!  But unfortunately, it is true.  Tonight there were thousands of locusts flocking about the hospital. While I tried to write admission orders on my two patients tonight, no less than 20 locusts landed on me.  Walking to and from the hospital was walking through a swarm of the the flying creatures.  There is a swarm of gnats that has started to hang out right in my doorway.  Earlier this week, I killed a 2.5 inch scorpion in Marta's house.  And I haven't mentioned the 10-15 earwigs that I find in my house daily (and which like to randomly drop from the ceiling onto innocent bystanders).  Or the 5-10 crickets that sneak in under my doors.  Or the web of 50 baby spiders on my door handle today. Or the 30 ants that climbed into my homemade syrup.  And did I mention the malarial mosquitoes? no... that's because even though they may be deadly, I've only seen a few.

  So if any of you wondered... yes, there is a God.  And he is currently training me to survive bugs.. in Africa.  Please pray for me!