Our Pets

Within the last two months both my sister and my parents have obtained new puppies. I must admit I’m a little jealous when I see how cute they are via Skype. Here, dogs have a bad rap, involving religious taboos; and cats aren’t too popular either. I've been offered kittens, but among other things, I’m afraid they’ll eat rat poison from the building lots next-door. That’s too much, I think. Interestingly, the pets of choice for locals are tortoises and song birds.

We're far from alone in our apartment, though. Here's our growing list of ‘pets’, in order of our fondness for them:

1. Gecko – he stayed in our bedroom for several days and provided endless entertainment as we did a “Where’s Wally” hunt to find him. Plus, he ate bugs, which is a major point scorer.
2. Singing Bird – he built a nest in our air conditioner vent, so he perches outside our window and sings. Sometimes he sings angrily when we crumble in the heat and turn on the AC. It’s pretty funny, though, to see him fly around in a rage.
3. Ants – big ants find their way inside, and then can’t escape somehow. They’re so big that it is mesmerizing to watch them. The bathtub usually seals their fate because they can’t climb up the slick walls.
4. Spiders – are fairly minimal, actually. While I like that they eat bugs, I will admit to terminating some in our bedroom. I don’t know which ones are harmful and which are peace-loving, but I don’t like the idea of being bitten while I’m asleep!

5. Weevils - birthed in a bag of dried beans. Solution: set bowl out in the sun so they hatch and fly off; soak them so the rest float to the top and discard; cook as normal.
6. Mosquitoes - they’re in season now, and I’m Jared’s personal mosquito repellent as I attract them all to me. I can have over a dozen bites, while he remains untouched *grrrr*.

7. Flies – they're seeking out water from our eyes/mouths and food.

8. Big Mama Cockroaches

– these also surprise us as they randomly turn up on our title floors. The solution: trap them under a Tupperware bowl until we have time to exile them.