My House Under Attack

I have had a bit of a crazy week in my house. I think that the rain is making all the animals (and children) act a bit crazy. For some reason my house seems like a reasonable shelter to them all.

Sunday night I woke up about 2am to the sounds of a rat chewing on cardboard, running across the ceiling (between the ceiling and the roof) and then running back to chew on more cardboard. My assumption was that it was building a nest. So didn't sleep a lot that night, never imagined a rat could be so loud. The next day I went to borrow a rat trap from my host sister and planted it in my ceiling with a nice big piece of plantain in it. Either my rat doesn't like plantain or he just is a bit to smart to walk into a metal cage.

It was two more nights of him running around building his nest. So finally I took down the cage, and removed the now moldy piece of plantain, replaced it with some bread and set it on the floor next to my bed. I managed to catch him the next night. He was surprisingly small, and I felt a bit guilty taking him to my host dad for him to feed to the cat, but I was excited to be rat free. So I carried him next door, and they brought out the cat. The cat was watching him intently, so I opened the box and the cat intently watched the rat run away :(



So my host-sister then decided to point out the fact that it takes more than one rat to build a nest. So we decided I probably had two. Now I realize I definitely have two, as they both went running up the wall to hide when I walked in the house last night. Back to putting out a trap again.

As if rats weren't enough, I also have these unpleasant little fire ants building their nests inside my house. I saw a big nest outside my house and walked inside to look and sure enough it was inside too. So I moved around my stove and table and taking advice from my neighbor I poured boiling water all over them. Four kettles later and a lot of mud they were all dead. I spent a while cleaning the mud up, but was happy to be rid of the biting creatures.



The next morning they had moved to the opposite corner of my house. So I went through it all again. Then Wednesday they had moved to the middle of the wall and set up another home. Thursday was when I really regretted not having any kind of ant poisen, though, as I woke up and stood up and uncomfortably discovered they had built their nest next to my bed. They didn't come back today, so I am hoping I am rid of them for a while. Any one have any suggestions on how to get rid of the tiny red ants that like to attack my feet? They are also building in my water house, but I decided I can live with that for now.



Between the rats, the ants, the ever present dogs and chickens from my neighbors I thought my house was pretty well occupied and that I had had enough battles for one week. So I sat down Wednesday to rest in my hammock for a bit in the afternoon when a soccer ball flew into my house and nearly hit my head. I got up to go talk to the kids that like to play in my yard and ask them to relocate their goal a bit. This was our conversation...
Me: Your goal cannot be my front door, okay?
Juan: It is not your door, see the cans? (Two cans placed about 5 feet apart and sitting maybe 2 feet in front of my door)
Me: Oh so if you don't stop the ball and they score a goal, you will stop it in the two feet before it goes in my house?
Juan: Yes :)

Anyway, it was a good week. A lot of fun was had as I wandered around trying to meet the three new families that moved into our village this week. The women in my village have decided they would like to start a women's group, so I am working with them on that whole process. It has been a bit frustrating at times, but a good project to be working on.



My host sister, Safaria, decided that I finally needed to get my Maya clothes made. So she went with me to take them to a lady in the next village and I picked them up this week. Maybe I will have pictures soon. I haven't worn them yet, but probably will Sunday when we have our next women's group meeting. Safaria and I finished sewing my uuq (skirt) together on Monday. Looks good, I think.