#Roachfail

To follow up on last week’s newsletter, I had found a couple of roaches in the bathroom and wasn’t sure how that situation was going to unfold.  The next night I found another roach and killed it.  I went back to watching tv.  A couple hours later I went back in the bathroom and there was another one!  I screamed out of surprise and frustration and killed that one.  That night my nerves were shot and I hardly slept at all.  In the morning I walked down the street to the smoothie shop, bought a smoothie and used their restroom.  I know that sounds crazy but I couldn’t go back in that bathroom.  I went back to my condo, booked a hotel for the night, and packed an overnight bag.

At first my plan was just to give myself one night without giant roaches.  It probably sounds like I’m overreacting, and I had a lot of people on Facebook say “what’s the big deal, they're just bugs.”  When I was a kid I had no problems with bugs. I would spend hours in my grandparents’ yard climbing trees and playing in the dirt and looking back I must have been covered with bugs.  When I matured, something happened and I became squeamish around insects and downright terrified of spiders.  I don’t understand it, but there it is.  So for me having roaches scurrying around me is terrifying.  I say this with the full understanding that I am very lucky to have lived in nice places where I did not have roaches and I could afford pest control.  I am fully aware that millions of people in this world don’t have that luxury and have to cope with all sorts of vermin.  So believe me when I say I am deeply grateful for having access to clean housing. Back to the story.  I spent the night in a cute little hotel called Hug Nimman.  I was still really jumpy at every movement and scared to go into the bathroom.  I hit the good ol’ Google search and read up on roaches.  What I read was not good.  Apparently they can get anywhere and everywhere, and when you see one, there are thousands lurking nearby.  I thought they were just in the bathroom, and so far they were, but I didn’t want to take my chances of all my possessions getting infested.  So I decided right then and there to leave the condo.  I went the next day and very carefully packed the rest of my things and brought them over to the hotel and booked three more days.  Fortunately hotels are cheap here, not as cheap as rent and not an expense I had planned for, but do-able.

So now I am in my hotel room trying to figure out my next move.  I am disappointed, I really liked that little condo and I was really getting in my groove of cooking and getting settled there.  I also feel like a bit of a failure for not being able to make it work.  But all my bug phobias aside, roaches are a significant health hazard and it just wouldn’t be safe or smart to stick around.  So I am looking for newly constructed apartments or condos that are hopefully roach free.  Hopefully I’ll have some good news for you next week!