Busy as a Bee

Sorry for the delay in updating! It’s been a busy few weeks, and I am just now getting caught up with lectures and marking homework assignments. I was briefly back in the United States for a wedding, although I really spent most of my time in airports or on airplanes. It was amazing to celebrate with Katleen and Jimmy! I also got to catch up with my Peace Corps friend Derek and meet many new people who I have heard so much about over the years from Kat, so it was a wonderful, if exhausting trip! I was lucky enough to experience one of the few cold spells that the Southern United States occasionally gets. Which I was completely unprepared for since I did not bring any clothes with me to Africa that are appropriate for weather below 70 degrees. It made me all the more happy to return the sun and warmth of the Gambia!

Now I am back to preparing lectures, delivering lectures, marking homework, grading exams, and preparing more lectures. I am also starting to design the next field trip research proposal (for the second year students) and working on a road traffic injury study with one of my colleagues here. So when people ask what I do during my free time, my answer is what free time! I am going to start trying to carve out some time on the weekends to visit some of the closer places and some of my colleague’s home villages. A few of my students have volunteered to take me on day trips to various places, so that should be fun! I’ll try to do better with the updates!

On a side note, as a follow up to the earlier letter to the small rodent in my kitchen. He did not take my advice. The war escalated. I ended up putting out glue traps and was unfortunate enough to actually catch something. As it turns out, I can put out traps, but I cannot remove an occupied trap. I went to enter the kitchen and heard a noise near the refrigerator. Now, I tend to be a little jumpy at night, ever since that first encounter with a rodent. My own pony tail scared the bejesus out of me a few nights ago when a strand of hair unexpectedly blew in my face. So when I looked over to see a long tail coming from behind the refrigerator and saw the glue trap was now occupied, my natural reaction was to run back into the house and slam the door. I may have squealed. I know, not the most logical of reactions. It was not as if the rat would free itself from the trap and chase me, but logic was nowhere to be seen that evening. I tried to go back into the kitchen to assess the situation, but I heard it move and ran away again. So, onto plan B. Plan B was to stay away from the back courtyard until the occupant of the glue trap died. However long that was going to take. I would figure out later how to dispose of the body. The downside to plan B was that I have to go by the kitchen to get to the bathroom and the fact that the kitchen was now off-limits. So no food, drink, or bathroom until that rat expired. Seemed like a good plan at the time, but like I said, logic was long gone at this point. But then the rat started to cry. And that made me sad. I tried to block it out with loud music. I tried earplugs. I couldn't handle it. So I went next door and asked the neighbors for help. I am sure my neighbors think I am ridiculous. They followed me back to my house, laughing. I pointed them towards the kitchen and went and hid in my bedroom. Turns out I’m scared of rodents. Since the incident in the kitchen, I haven’t had any more visitors. But I put out another glue trap, just to be safe. With the knowledge that even if I do catch something, it won’t really help since I can’t actually do anything about it.