All the irksome critters

Insects reign supreme in equatorial climates. Amongst the most aggravating during my 12 years in Douala:
- very large flying cockroaches. You'd feel "whish!" go through your hair; look around; and see a big fat -- UGH -- cockroach in the room.
- very tiny ants: nothing could be left out in the kitchen. Even closed jars of sugar and flour had to be refrigerated, otherwise the ants would find a way to get in.
- and the kings or rather queens of them all: mosquitoes. Anywhere I go mosquitoes feast on me, while I'm still exotic meat. Cameroon's mosquitoes are especially voracious. My husband called them the B-52s.* I learned to wear cotton socks and slacks as soon as the sun went down. I can control what's flying around my arms, but not my legs and feet; mosquito bites on the feet are the worst. An additional disadvantage is having to worry about malaria.
Other invaders from the animal kingdom:
- at one point, for a few months, we had a millipede invasion. Every morning, we'd find them all over the bathtub.
- Field mice found their way easily into homes, and nibbled on just about anything: food, of course, but also dish towels, cookbooks, and even paper money left on the dresser (unforgivable! After that, I had to declare war).
This "margouillat" lizard stuck to the garden!

* For more information about B-52s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-52_Stratofortress

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