April 10, 2011
I went to work, rocking my curly fro-hawk. I tried to put on some makeup to hide the fact that I hadn't slept at all the night before. Didnt work. The nurse from my org asked me what was going on. I told her about the rat. She laughed. Apparently people find it funny that I'm afraid of a rat. Whatever. We left to go find the lady at the salon who could do my hair, and I spent the whole day, getting my hair done.
Late in the afternoon, as I'm sitting outside of the salon with this women braiding my hair, I see the nurse walking up with two white people. The girl doing my hair says "I wonder who theyre looking for" I grabbed my glasses and put them on, and I realize: These are two of my friends from Peace Corps! They were supposed to come visit me today! I had totally forgotten that I was supposed to have visitors. They come up and sit with me while this lady braids. We chat for a while, and it starts to get dark. Then...of course....the power goes out. The lady cant braid anymore, because by this time, it's dark and she cant see. So she tells me to come back at 6am the next morning so she can finish, and I can leave for me trip. Lucas, Janet (my guests) and I decide to grab some dinner at the restaurant in town. I was starving, and since I have an electric stove, cooking wasnt an option. Thankfully at the restaurant, they use carvao (coal)
When we get there, I tell them they are welcome to stay with me, but there's a rat in my house. They assure me that it's no problem, they arent afraid of rats. Maybe they could even help me catch it. Then the guy who's in love with me shows up, and I invite him to eat with us. After dinner, we all walk back to my house. My landlord's wife is outside, and so are the boys. I make the guy go in and check around for the rat. Nothing. He tells my landlord's wife that he thinks it left, maybe through a hole or something. I set up the mattress again for Luke and Janet, and after everyone took a bath, we all go to sleep.
Or at least...we tried...
I was the first person to wake up, mainly because I was a paranoid mess in my bed. I yelped when I felt the rat...doing something... under my bed. Luke and Janet called out to make sure I was ok, then they told me to just tuck my mosquito net, and I should be fine. That was just the beginning of a night of torture. The rat jumped all over them, was running around my room, and about every 20 minutes, one of us jumped up and screamed (mainly me), grabbed a flashlight and looked around. The rat had a field day (or night) and none of us slept.
We got up the next day, and I apologized to them for not having a good night's sleep. They kinda grumbled and I sent them on their way to the chapa stop. I told my landlord that the rat was STILL in my house, but I had to go finish my hair. When I came back, I told the boys, who were cooking lunch outside with some of their friends. Miguel, the oldest boy, told me that as soon as he finished the xima, he would come get the rat. I could hear him and his friends laughing outside "There's a rat in her house, and she's scared! So we have to get it out for her..."
I continued to pack my things, and Miguel showed up at my door, with a bamboo stick. He was like a soldier or something. He was methodical and determined, focused on getting this rat out of my house. He banged about, just like the other guy had, but with more determination and force. The other boy came in, and they split, one in the bedroom, one in the livingroom, leaving no stone unturned. They banged around for a while, not finding anything. I was certain the rat was still in the house. Miguel came out of my bedroom, and I thought he had given up. Instead, he asked for my chair and climbed up to check the rafters in the ceiling. By this time, both boys were in my bedroom, thinking ourloud to themselves "Where is this thing?"
I was organizing somethings in the livingroom, and all of a sudden, I hear the boys start to make a commotion. And here comes this little rat, running towards me with the most petrified expression on his little face, as if he was begging me to save him. I ran out of my front door. I could hear the boys banging around with their bamboo sticks, and then I see Miguel kick the rat out of the front door, its little body twitching and squirming about. He comes out after it, to finish it off, and bangs its little head with the bamboo stick again. He then looks at me, and says "Is that the only one, or do you think there's more?" I shake me head no, too shocked to speak and walk back into the house.
Afterwards, I hear my landlord's wife come home. She asks the boys if they got the rat out of my house. They said yeah, then start making fun of the way I ran out of the livingroom.
Then I hear the one boy, Feliciano, call out to Miguel "Hey, make sure you cook that rat well"
I grabbed my stuff and left for my trip, just happy the whole ordeal was over.
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