When It Rains It Pours

Despite being the 'rainy' season, it does not rain very often. Every few days a rain storm will pass through. Most of the time they are light showers and nothing that really disrupts your day. However, yesterday the skies opened up and the rain came pouring down, just in time for my second class! 

So I returned to my room, grabbed my Crocs, a raincoat and an umbrella, passed the crowd of Ghanaians sitting under the overhang, and walked through the empty paths to class. Luckily, it was in the central cafeteria, which is quite close to my room, so I didn't get too wet - although walking through the mud paths did turn my feet a funny shade of red.

After class it was time to move out of my temporary room with Becky into a different room in the same building. I lucked out with a nice big room and since I moved in first I happily grabbed the side with the window. I did a thorough job cleaning the shelves with windex, wiping down the closet, and duct taping the floor mat down in places where it was ripped. I felt quite good about my new digs... dun dun dun...

I was cleaning behind my desk when I found a GECKO! It was a tiny clear nude/pink lizard. They scamper all over outside, but I was not keen on living with him as my new roommate. Becky kept watch so he didn't escape while I went downstairs to request help from the Porter. 

He thought I was crazy - I was quite calm, but insistent. He said, "But he is your friend and he will protect you. Anyways, he will do you no harm!" He could not understand why I would have a problems with a lizard crawling around my room. We were in different campus but I would not give up, so finally after a little convincing he came upstairs with a bat.

I just wanted him to catch it and set it free. But he wanted to kill it! Finally, we got upstairs and he knocked it down from its perch and I grabbed it in a bag and threw it out the window! You'll be happy to know the gecko is still alive and well - maybe slightly disabled in his hind legs. 

After the crisis was averted I settled in to relax and watch a little TV (an old Grey's Anatomy episode that I had on my computer). Becky came in to borrow a nail file. I grabbed my cosmetics case from my shelf over my bed, only to see something moving in the shadows... dun dun dun.... a HUGE COCKROACH! Seriously?! 

This was even more "not okay." I knew we couldn't get the Porter since he already thought I was nuts. So Becky steadied the back of the cabinet and I grabbed the little bugger with a plastic bag - okay it wasn't that swift. There was some screaming and a few tries before we caught him, but that was the general idea! I mashed him up in the bag and threw him out the window as well.

After the second vermin incident I sprayed the room with Raid and evacuated for a while - hiding off in Becky's room, quietly praying the Raid was killing any and all living things currently occupying my room.

Needless to say, it was a restless night of sleep - I was reasonably terrified to wake up to a cockroach on my nose or a lizard sleeping beside my head. But I made it through the night with no incidents, and now it's on to my next adventure... the adventure of life without running water! 

They are working on the water pumps in Accra so the water will be turned off in all of Legon for the next 10 days. I have 2 full buckets of water waiting in my bathroom. Becky has 3 more. The city is bringing in tanks that will be in different locations around campus so we'll have access to that water supply and we can buy bottles or satchels as well. 

The plus side is that everyone is in the same boat. It would more frustrating if just one building lost water and everyone else could shower and wash their clothes. Instead, we're all going to be a bit dirty for a while! And it will also work out, because Becky, Pete and I were already planning to take an overnight trip this weekend - hopefully out further west to Cape Coast - where we hope they have running water!

Until next time, Happy Showers!