BUG BATTLE

I am enraged. I am disgusted. I am outraged.

The object of my rage, my disgust and my outrage is tiny, but foul. You may have guessed it already; it is the creepy cockroach!

Yesterday, I opened a drawer and saw a couple of the little nasties scurrying away- and this in broad daylight! I braced myself, grabbed a can of super-strength bug-killer, then pulled out that drawer as fast as I could. No fewer than 8 cockroaches darted out of that drawer, in mega-speedy panic mode!! YUK! I sprayed frantically- then realised that I had also sprayed poison all over my baking utensils. Grrrr... now they would all need to be washed up!

But first, I was going to delve deeper, into the recesses of my baking equipment cupboard...
I took everything out, then, armed again with bug-spray, undertook the second attack.
Aha!!! Within seconds, a pile of writhing upside-down insect bodies littered my kitchen floor... I had got them!
But the sense of victory was short-lived, as now I had the knowledge that my kitchen, which I do my very best to keep sparkling clean, is infested with horrid creatures. I could feel my skin crawling with revulsion.

I was due to go out shortly after this. Prior to the attack, the kitchen had clear surfaces. It looked clean and neat. Now, the secret underworld of my kitchen lay uncovered, poison cans lay empty on the floor and poison-covered dishes and utensils lay waiting to be washed up, cluttering every work-top! Andrew was appalled at the muddle!

Last night, I did not sleep well. Cockroaches haunted my dreams. I felt defeated. I try so hard to make sure the kitchen is clean!
In England, I don't think I ever saw a cockroach in any home I lived in. I associated them with dirty people. Now that I have an infestation, I think I may have been a little hasty in my judgement...?? But in a kitchen that usually boasts a temperature around 30'C (or more when I am cooking!), cockroaches thrive. With my ill-fitted and dark brown cupboards, cockroaches are provided with hiding places and a perfect camouflage. It is very difficult to spot the enemy!

This morning, I felt like I wanted to walk away from the challenge. I just wanted to feel clean again! Dreams of a clean house in England floated in front of my eyes...! I felt like I just don't have the resources to fight this battle: there is no Rentokill to call on in Juba! In addition, my days are so busy with schooling, how can I keep on top of this battle against the bugs?

Then I opened my Bible- and I had to laugh. This was the verse I read: "Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord...will fight for you"....!!!! (Deut. 1 v29)
And just as I was feeling like I'd quite like to run away from Juba for a bit, until the cockroaches are gone, I read the next part of my reading for today. It said, "And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him" (or her??) (Hebrews 10 v38) !!!!

:-)  I think there was something in those readings for me this morning....?!?!

So I gritted my teeth, dried my tears and went downstairs to face the inevitable. In between lessons and with the much appreciated help of my energetic house-lady Grace, the battle began....
ALL of my cupboards and drawers have been emptied and sprayed.
All the kitchenware has been washed up.
All obvious bugs have been decimated, with the help of a torch to spot any lurkers in shadowy corners.
All the surfaces have been wiped with Dettol.
Tonight, when the children are in bed, I will apply boric acid to hidden, out of the way corners.

The Troops: Grace, Ben, Joel, me:

The Casualties:

The Tools of Destruction:

The Aftermath (that I now need to go and deal with!)