My Taiwan Adventure

Yes, it was 4 am in the morning again when I awoke suddenly to the feeling of little insect feet running across my back. Ick, ewwwww & yuck! Of course the first thing I do is jump and shriek. All I caught out of the corner of my eye was a dark streak running down the right side of my bed where the mosquito net isn't tucked in under the mattress. One word came to mind - roach.

Sitting bolt upright I scanned the bed for more of the creepy critters. Nothing. Leaning over the side of my bed I saw the offending bug skitter past my storage suitcase and make for the back of the clothes cabinet. They make noise when they run. It is a noise that will stick with me forever. Just writing about it is making my skin crawl.

The first thing I went for was a pair of shoes. No way was I standing in nothing but my bedroom slippers while a giant roach roamed the room. Stumped into indecisiveness by the rush of adrenalyn I prayed and then I moved a couple of things away from the wall to see if it would run.

To my surpirse a second roach twice the size of the first makes a dash across the room. I wasn't as brave alone at 4 am as I was in front of a class of boys who were trying to make me scream. This time I shrieked. However, I was now armed in my school shoes. With more prayer - this time outloud - "please make it die quickly Lord" I make a quick and decisive squish as the first one reappears. It dies on the first stomp.

With my heart pounding and adrenalyn surging through my body I spy the second LARGER roach crawling into my unzippered suitcase. Squishing one in the open is different than having to open a suitcase and pray that it doesn't decide to fly. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the big ones have wings.

I creep towards the suitcase with electric bug zapping racket in hand and flip it open... nothing happens. I push the few things around with the racket... an ant explodes with a sharp "SNAP" and I jump. My body is in full panic mode.

Suddenly I see it.... "big bad bug" made it's way out the other side of the suitcase and was making a beeline for the door. I think about letting it go and then decide that it would not give me peace of mind. I make a lunge and it skitters part way up the wall and then freezes.

I'm frozen too. This thing is huge, ugly and fast. I don't want to miss. I'm still praying out loud for the kill to be clean and easy. I swish the air a little around it and when it puts it's hairy legs on the floor again I strike with the electric racket. SNAP, SNAP! It flips over and starts kicking wildly in the air. I can't bear to watch and stomp on it twice. Bug guts spray out onto my just-washed floor as it dies.

Thus ends the first roach kill in my apartment. Me - sweating in the cool 24 above air in my room with my bangs dangling infront of my eyes as I scan the floor, walls and ceiling for anything else that is moving. I watch the clock flip over past 4:30 am... I crawl into bed with all the lights on and start reading Proverbs. I fall asleep reading verse 19:17.
I wake up staring into the still open Bible and begin reading "Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty..." Proverbs 20:13 It made me laugh because it was so appropriate this morning!

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