This morning I literally got ants in my pants (which is not as bad as the time Allison got a cockroach in her pants, but that's a different story). I was sitting on my veranda with a bag of roasted granat (peanuts) on my lap. Unbeknkownst to me the bag had been infested with ants, who then promplty migrated from the bag of granat to my pants. It might seem odd that I didn't notice the ant infestation until I felt them crawling on my legs, but these are really tiny red ants--so tiny in fact that they infiltrated every can/jar/container in my kitchen. I now, for the most part, have the ant problem under control, but I first noticed them on about night 2 at site. It took a little innovative thought, but I have now outsmarted the ants that are about the size of one of my neurons. Here are a few unsuspecting places I have found these ants:
-My mayo jar. I assumed that a water-tight container would also be ant-tight. Apparently I was wrong. My solution: I add an extra layer of plastic bag between the jar and the lid, and that seems to do the trick.
-My Laughing Cow. Laughing Cow is a type of packaged cheese that comes in a wheel with 8 individually wrapped wedges of cheese. Imagine my surprise when I opened one wheel to find the little buggers inside. Even more shocking was finding them inside the individually packaged wedges. Gone was my faith in the Western world's packaging ability. I used to think something packed by a machine was impenetrable. I still don't understand how they found an opening in the foil, but they did. My solution: store the Laughing Cow in ziploc bags. Somehow ziploc is able to keep them out where Laughing Cow packing procedures are not.
-My water filter. Really? My water filter!?! Now this one doesn't baffle me as to how, but why. I literally have open buckets of water on the floor 5 feet away. It's like the greyhound that jumps over the fence when there is an open gate 5 feet away. I will never understand the inner workings of an ant's mind.
-My toothbrush. I have only found about a half dozen here. Guess they like the residual toothpaste. I haven't come up with a defense mechanism for this one yet, I just kill them when I see them.
Despite the annoyance, these ants don't seem as bad as the carniverous ones found in the south. That's my 'glass half full' approach. I have also gotten to the point where I just eat them if they're on my food. I figure it's my form of revenge: you get into my food, I eat you. Seems fair to me.
School has now technically started. I have not yet taught a class, but it's on my to-do list. Right behind 'Find out what classes I'm teaching.' My future as a teacher looks bright.
I'm aware that people are also probably interested in things like the culture and the language here, but it is so much more fun to write about ants in pants. If you have something in particular you are curious about, let me know, and I'll either write you an email or dedicate and entire blog entry to you. Just imagine the honor. I'm sure a personally dedicated 'Frenchie Takes Freetown' blog entry is what most of you see in the Mirror of Erised. (Alright, I'll admit it, I'm a Harry Potter nerd.)
Sending my love to all back home!
-My mayo jar. I assumed that a water-tight container would also be ant-tight. Apparently I was wrong. My solution: I add an extra layer of plastic bag between the jar and the lid, and that seems to do the trick.
-My Laughing Cow. Laughing Cow is a type of packaged cheese that comes in a wheel with 8 individually wrapped wedges of cheese. Imagine my surprise when I opened one wheel to find the little buggers inside. Even more shocking was finding them inside the individually packaged wedges. Gone was my faith in the Western world's packaging ability. I used to think something packed by a machine was impenetrable. I still don't understand how they found an opening in the foil, but they did. My solution: store the Laughing Cow in ziploc bags. Somehow ziploc is able to keep them out where Laughing Cow packing procedures are not.
-My water filter. Really? My water filter!?! Now this one doesn't baffle me as to how, but why. I literally have open buckets of water on the floor 5 feet away. It's like the greyhound that jumps over the fence when there is an open gate 5 feet away. I will never understand the inner workings of an ant's mind.
-My toothbrush. I have only found about a half dozen here. Guess they like the residual toothpaste. I haven't come up with a defense mechanism for this one yet, I just kill them when I see them.
Despite the annoyance, these ants don't seem as bad as the carniverous ones found in the south. That's my 'glass half full' approach. I have also gotten to the point where I just eat them if they're on my food. I figure it's my form of revenge: you get into my food, I eat you. Seems fair to me.
School has now technically started. I have not yet taught a class, but it's on my to-do list. Right behind 'Find out what classes I'm teaching.' My future as a teacher looks bright.
I'm aware that people are also probably interested in things like the culture and the language here, but it is so much more fun to write about ants in pants. If you have something in particular you are curious about, let me know, and I'll either write you an email or dedicate and entire blog entry to you. Just imagine the honor. I'm sure a personally dedicated 'Frenchie Takes Freetown' blog entry is what most of you see in the Mirror of Erised. (Alright, I'll admit it, I'm a Harry Potter nerd.)
Sending my love to all back home!
Hi Erica. When you return I think you should take up a career as a writer. Your blog is really fun to read and never boring....partly because your life is never boring, I suspect. We are all enjoying living vicariously through you. Personally, I'd much rather have vicarious ants in my pants than actual ants. Keep up the good work. Hopefully your school will begin soon and then you'll have a bunch of other challenges to master. Thanks for including me in your blogging. Sharon
ReplyDeleteHow did you stop the ants entering your water filter?
ReplyDelete