Where the Wild Things Are
I have been here long enough to share some of the quirky things about island life and how I am dealing with them. Here we go:
Cocks
I mentioned before that a cock was coming through the bush at me. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about what the kind you find in a pair of Fruit of the Loom. Well, these wild chickens are everywhere. And they crow, caw, whatever at all times of day and night. I guess that's what happens when you don't bemoan morning because you know you are not on the next day's menu.
Note to Self: Eat more chicken.
Flying Cockroaches
These things are even more fun. Imagine your least favorite pestilence sprouts wings to take flight. They do this in both fleeing you and coming at you. Wonderful.
Note to Self: Have ninja-like skills with a can of Raid.
Junk in My Trunk
To you dudes, don't get excited. This one is not about an expanding derriere. There is no house-to-house garbage collection. Yeah, did you get that? There is no sanitation truck that comes by one or twice a week to pick up our discarded crap. Instead, we have to haul our garbage to public dumpsters where we can rid ourselves of the trash once and for all. The problem is, the whole hauling our own garbage to a dumpster bit. And like everything else you see when you don't need them, the first time I needed to dump my garbage, I didn't see one. I wound up keeping the junk in my trunk all day while at work. I didn't want to find a dumpster at night, so it stayed in my trunk until the next day. Thank heaven it was a rental.
Note to Self: Buy air freshener for the car.
Storage Unit
I realized early on, because of all the critters, I will have to be very clean in the kitchen. This is not a problem as it became a habit during my first two flats in Prague where I didn't have a dishwasher and shared the space with other people. However, I find that I don't want to keep my garbage in my house and I don't dare put it outside overnight for fear of what it will attract. My solution: I stick everything in the freezer or refrigerator. Yes, you read correctly. I stick my trash bag in the freezer. In addition, I have started putting dirty dishes in there too until I feel like washing them. This is really weird but it gives me peace of mind.
Note to Self: Buy less food so I can have more room in the fridge.
Shopping
This is an all-day event. Nothing you want is at any one store, so you are forced to go to, at least, two or three different shops just for your necessities. They also have the dollar-type stores where you can get lots of things for way more than one dollar. Here's an example:
At $89.99 or $9.99 it's STILL to expensive for salt.
You have to do all of this unless you are a guy with a wheelbarrow. The other day, I saw a man in town selling fresh coconuts out of a wheelbarrow. Yummy, I thought. The next day during my run, I passed the same man, pushing the same wheelbarrow. On my next loop around, from a distance I could see the top of a tree shaking but not with the wind. As I drew closer, I realized there were coconuts all over the ground beneath this tree. I looked closer and that same man was climbing these tall, flimsy-looking trees to cut the coconuts off with a piece of wood. Later, a security guard was talking to him while he was still cutting. I thought the guard was telling him to stop. Nope, wrong. They were just chatting up the early morning. Correction: you have to shop unless you are a guy with a wheelbarrow, who knows how to climb trees.
Note to Self: Give up salt, get a wheelbarrow and start climbing trees.
You Can Learn A Lot from a Pussy
I'm not getting X-rated on you. I go running at the beach most mornings. On the same day as the coconut man, I noticed a colony (what the heck else do you call it) of feral cats who live there. One recent morning, I was running by this cute tiger-striped kitt— Yeah, I made that mistake. It was a tomcat and the thing turned and looked at me with a 'Bitch, what do YOU want' look on his furry face. Ewe. I ran a wide curve around him.
On my next loop, the same cat gave that look to another cat, who instantly took off running. Over my headphones I heard them tearing it up and the second cat scream for dear life. I figured she was a girl and Tom was taking what he wanted. Poor puss.
The next loop around, I saw Tom protecting his turf, no sign of the other. Finally, I came around again and what must have been the female cat was sprawled out, chilling with Tom a few feet away. He looked at me and winked. It was a primal example of how men like to chase and women like to be caught, despite screaming bloody murder.
Note to Self: Keep running but let one of them catch me.
Late-Night/Early Morning Game of Frogger
I came in this morning around 5ish. I did my routine check for bugs and lizards. Found both, killed the former. Then, I walked into my bedroom to open my laptop to play a movie to put me to sleep. As I turned, I stared into one black bugged-eye. When I realized what I'd was looking at, I couldn't believe it. There was a frog in my bedroom.
"Yeah, I was here first, chick. Go back to NY."
Apparently, he wasn't afraid of me and didn't move quickly. When I turned on the computer, he simply moved over — and, uh, went to sleep. Um, really? Frogs? I can kill bugs, I don't mind lizards but I have to deal with unexpected, middle-of-the-darkness, weird, little bug-eyed frogs too? How much more of this critter ish will there be? Lots, I'm guessing.
Note to Self: Get over it.
Cocks
I mentioned before that a cock was coming through the bush at me. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about what the kind you find in a pair of Fruit of the Loom. Well, these wild chickens are everywhere. And they crow, caw, whatever at all times of day and night. I guess that's what happens when you don't bemoan morning because you know you are not on the next day's menu.
Note to Self: Eat more chicken.
Flying Cockroaches
These things are even more fun. Imagine your least favorite pestilence sprouts wings to take flight. They do this in both fleeing you and coming at you. Wonderful.
Note to Self: Have ninja-like skills with a can of Raid.
Junk in My Trunk
To you dudes, don't get excited. This one is not about an expanding derriere. There is no house-to-house garbage collection. Yeah, did you get that? There is no sanitation truck that comes by one or twice a week to pick up our discarded crap. Instead, we have to haul our garbage to public dumpsters where we can rid ourselves of the trash once and for all. The problem is, the whole hauling our own garbage to a dumpster bit. And like everything else you see when you don't need them, the first time I needed to dump my garbage, I didn't see one. I wound up keeping the junk in my trunk all day while at work. I didn't want to find a dumpster at night, so it stayed in my trunk until the next day. Thank heaven it was a rental.
Note to Self: Buy air freshener for the car.
Storage Unit
I realized early on, because of all the critters, I will have to be very clean in the kitchen. This is not a problem as it became a habit during my first two flats in Prague where I didn't have a dishwasher and shared the space with other people. However, I find that I don't want to keep my garbage in my house and I don't dare put it outside overnight for fear of what it will attract. My solution: I stick everything in the freezer or refrigerator. Yes, you read correctly. I stick my trash bag in the freezer. In addition, I have started putting dirty dishes in there too until I feel like washing them. This is really weird but it gives me peace of mind.
Note to Self: Buy less food so I can have more room in the fridge.
Shopping
This is an all-day event. Nothing you want is at any one store, so you are forced to go to, at least, two or three different shops just for your necessities. They also have the dollar-type stores where you can get lots of things for way more than one dollar. Here's an example:
You have to do all of this unless you are a guy with a wheelbarrow. The other day, I saw a man in town selling fresh coconuts out of a wheelbarrow. Yummy, I thought. The next day during my run, I passed the same man, pushing the same wheelbarrow. On my next loop around, from a distance I could see the top of a tree shaking but not with the wind. As I drew closer, I realized there were coconuts all over the ground beneath this tree. I looked closer and that same man was climbing these tall, flimsy-looking trees to cut the coconuts off with a piece of wood. Later, a security guard was talking to him while he was still cutting. I thought the guard was telling him to stop. Nope, wrong. They were just chatting up the early morning. Correction: you have to shop unless you are a guy with a wheelbarrow, who knows how to climb trees.
Note to Self: Give up salt, get a wheelbarrow and start climbing trees.
You Can Learn A Lot from a Pussy
I'm not getting X-rated on you. I go running at the beach most mornings. On the same day as the coconut man, I noticed a colony (what the heck else do you call it) of feral cats who live there. One recent morning, I was running by this cute tiger-striped kitt— Yeah, I made that mistake. It was a tomcat and the thing turned and looked at me with a 'Bitch, what do YOU want' look on his furry face. Ewe. I ran a wide curve around him.
On my next loop, the same cat gave that look to another cat, who instantly took off running. Over my headphones I heard them tearing it up and the second cat scream for dear life. I figured she was a girl and Tom was taking what he wanted. Poor puss.
The next loop around, I saw Tom protecting his turf, no sign of the other. Finally, I came around again and what must have been the female cat was sprawled out, chilling with Tom a few feet away. He looked at me and winked. It was a primal example of how men like to chase and women like to be caught, despite screaming bloody murder.
Note to Self: Keep running but let one of them catch me.
Late-Night/Early Morning Game of Frogger
I came in this morning around 5ish. I did my routine check for bugs and lizards. Found both, killed the former. Then, I walked into my bedroom to open my laptop to play a movie to put me to sleep. As I turned, I stared into one black bugged-eye. When I realized what I'd was looking at, I couldn't believe it. There was a frog in my bedroom.
Apparently, he wasn't afraid of me and didn't move quickly. When I turned on the computer, he simply moved over — and, uh, went to sleep. Um, really? Frogs? I can kill bugs, I don't mind lizards but I have to deal with unexpected, middle-of-the-darkness, weird, little bug-eyed frogs too? How much more of this critter ish will there be? Lots, I'm guessing.
Note to Self: Get over it.
Posted by LoisLane at Saturday, October 24, 2009 8:57 AM 
Categories: Life on the Rock,The Road Less Traveled
Tags: Ailene Ailenka Virgin Islands St. Thomas moving
Categories: Life on the Rock,The Road Less Traveled
Tags: Ailene Ailenka Virgin Islands St. Thomas moving
All i can do is smile, what a life of adventure with all the creeping creatures. But one thing i would not be able to take is those flying cockroaches, certain flying creatures have always bothered me. Sounds like a different world than where i come from. Be careful and take care dear.
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@Wes,
I wouldn't say I have any one phobia but I do not like bugs. This is a challenge for me but I do know that the human spirit can adapt to anything. I will make it through but the adapting is testing my will. I wanted to scream when I saw that thing invading my 'safe' space. I had to stop myself from instinctively wanting to kill it.
The flying cockroaches are disgusting and I thought they were regular roaches, as opposed to the two-inch palmettos we have here, but one night one of those things took off flying near my bed. I'm going to a bulk-type store today and investing in a bulk supply of bug spray.
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This is so funny! I love this blog! It's crazy, but lot of things you wrote about have already happened to me. Here in the "O". No Mickey or Minnie, but nasty creatures. I've had cockroach in my bathrobe, lizard in my bathroom, baby snake in front of my front door, frog that attacked me, another frog that was crawling on my window and nasty spiders with REALLY BIG teeth in my bedroom. I hate Mother Nature sometimes. LOL. Anyway, great job, Hun!
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@Kitty:
Warmer climates are nice but they do have their pitfalls, don't they? It also depends where you live and what kind of materials was used to build your place.
I'm leaving my current location. I live on an island. I'm giving up this view to live in a flat instead of a cottage, which is a euphemism for shack. Ugh.
Btw, the frog is back.It actually never left. It just went underneath some papers on my desk during the daylight hours. I'm not pleased. I don't dare touch it for fear of getting a wart.
Oh, I wanna hear the story about the frog that attacked you but let's wait until tomorrow when I'm away from this one. I have also learned to shake everything before getting in bed, using my bath towel or putting on clothes. It's also a good idea to check your shoes and shake them out before you slip your feet in...so much to get used to, eh?
I love that you have gone through what I'm going through already...You can give me tips.
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I came upon your blog by accident and found it to be pretty funny. Here are some insights but whether you choose to use my advice or not is totally up to you of course.Please don't kill the lizards, it's considered bad luck. Hint: Wash your dishes so you don't have to put them in your refrigerator. Wouldn't that be more sanitary? Put your trash in a solid container until you can get it into the dumpster. Keeping garbage and dirty dishes in your refrigerator will make people not wanna eat in your home. Good Luck! I look forward to reading more from you!
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I don't kill the lizards, my cat does. He also leaves them on the doorstep. Before I cleaned it up this weekend, there was a collection of four carcasses. I am told they are gifts. As for dishes in the refrigerator, you have it all wrong. I don't leave them in there for perpetuity but if I am pressed for time or am too tired to tackle them, yes, I put them in the fridge. The cold air stops decay and does not attract bugs as is what would happen if I left them in the sink. Standing water also attracts all manner of bugs and mold (quite rapidly), so that is not an option. Unfortunately, on island it is not a good idea to rinse dishes and put them in the dishwasher until it is full enough to run it -- provided you have a dishwasher to begin with.
I'm not sure what you mean about a solid container but rats can smell through containers with lids and can also knock them over. As I have cat, it should be clear how I detest the idea of rodents. Also, I wrote this before I got the cat and taking trash to dumpster after dark is not recommended.
In all, I stand by initial comments. Trash that goes directly into the fridge before it has a chance to rot, does not rot. Anyway, I take it out in the morning and dump it on my way to work.
Thanks for reading!
LL
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