I must preface this story by saying, I can sleep through just about anything. Once I'm asleep, I'm out until the morning. Even here, I have adjusted pretty well and really only wake up because my body thinks it is time to get up, a few minutes of convincing and I'm usually back asleep.
However, two nights ago, a new friend of mine made his first appearance and seems to really enjoy spending the early morning hours with me. We first met Sunday morning at 3am, I slightly awoke and heard the loudest buzzing sound I have ever heard. How in the world could one small insect make such an obnoxious sound?! I swatted, it went quiet, but within a few seconds he was back. I then tried the covers, breathing heavy, I realized that wasn't the best option, combined with high body heat, I was now sweating. I finally resented to praying, lightly covering my head with my pillow, and falling back asleep. I thought I had won.
Sunday after church, I came home and told myself, it's time to get serious about language learning! I pulled out my study books and audio cd and went to town. After an hour or so the front of my forehead began to hurt. Thinking it was the studying, I began to rub it... it was then I realized my new flying friend Frank had really won the battle last night. I had not one but two bites on my forehead. Right above my right eye was one the size of a dime, the one directly above that about the size of a quarter. I began to wonder... all the looks at church, was it because I was mzungu or because I had a massive bump on my forehead?!
So last night, as I went to bed I decided to make some adjustments in order to not have to be awoken by Frank again. I moved to the other bed in the room, away from the window and in a bit warmer area. As I laid my head down on my pillow I prayed and thanked God for the different species of bugs and insects he created, the purposes they served and that I really did like them, just not when they wake me up in the middle of the night or bite me multiple times. I fell asleep soon after feeling like things were going to be different, I was very hopeful!
Unfortunately around 2am, Frank came back. This time I swatted and quickly reacted... down with the net! Pulling it down and around me I tucked it into the bed sides and laid back down relieved to know I now had protection, protection I wasn't quite aware I needed here in the city. However I have now learned (from experience), mosquitos are still present here, just not as dangerous as those in other parts of the country. Thinking the threat was over, I turned onto my side smiling... one point for me, one point for Frank, so I thought. Within a few minutes the buzzing began.
This time however I continued to smile, the buzzing would get closer and then stop; hooray, I had outsmarted Frank! I was almost back asleep when the buzzing came closer than I would have liked. I laid there thinking, "Frank is just trying every angle"...*swat*... he made it inside. This time I got out of bed, raised the net back up, swatted the area and pulled the net back down, this time securing every area around my bed I possible could. I crawled back in, tucked in the final piece, laid down and within minutes I was sound asleep. My alarm went off in what seemed like minutes after finally getting back to sleep and I thought, other than getting woken up, I had won the battle last night. Unfortunately, yet again, I lost. This time both my arms had a bite and the back of my neck... can you the positions I took to try to get away from him?
With the score really at 0 points for me and 2 points for Frank (or 5 if you count the amount of bites), I'm getting more serious tonight. One, the net is coming down when I go to sleep and two I will be spraying my room with bug spray before doing so. So glad I'm learning these lessons now! I must say, Frank is not helping with the jet lag feeling. With his early wake up calls the last two nights, my body is beginning to think that is when it should wake up. I think exerting the energy to put the net down and secure tired me out enough to go back to sleep last night and I'm hopeful tonight will be better.
But today, right now actually, I'm really feeling these early morning battles, and a nap may be in my near future. But not to worry, the net will be coming down now, whenever I lay my head down on my pillow, no matter the time of day! I'm smiling, I feel like everything that happens is God whispering to me, "Welcome to Kenya!"
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