do people still die of the bubonic plague?

9 january 2010

I think I might.

Let me explain.

I am just sitting here in my living-room, on the "couch", listening to music, minding my own business, waiting for my neighbors to show up to watch a movie (the 16 year old caught me listening to music this afternoon while I was cleaning when he brought me water. Muzungu has a computer - cat's outta the bag, so might as well embrace it - for a cultural exchange (and entertainment - there's no such thing as night life here in Kagogo, Rwanda - and being that the sun sets at 6 o'clock, the nights are very, very long). So anyway, I'm sitting here and I'm feeling creeped out knowing that there's a golfball sized 6 legged spider on the wall in my kitchen, but THEN, as if that wasn't enough.. out of my fireplace I see a furry critter come darting my way, spot me, turn around, and disappear.

THE RAT.

Apparently the rats here have spider-man abilities because when I got out my flashlight to see where the heck he went, he was gone. Nowhere to be seen.. and the only option out of the fireplace (apart from coming my way) is to go up. So - he climbed the chimney.

The old man (the one with 8 children) came over to tell me that his kids are running late (I knew when he told me that 7:30 really meant 8, or maybe even 8:30 - we're on Africa time here) and I told him, flustered that I'd seen the rat in the fireplace.

Oui oui, c'est comme ca. Il va dans la plafond.. (yes yes, it's like that, he went up to the ceiling) **Which would explain why I hear things running around above my head from time to time!

Il y a beaucoup de rat ici (there are many rats here).

Wonderful.

And then I piece it together.

The packet of peanuts that went missing yesterday, I searched for them, checked the kitchen table must've been 3 times. GONE.

Then, today when I was building a charcoal fire to cook lunch, well hot damn.

There's that packet of peanuts.

What the heck is it doing in my fireplace?

I try and convince myself that maybe when I was throwing charcoal in the "stove" maybe somehow they'd gotten mixed up in that mess - and accidently torn open?

No, that doesn't make sense.

I don't know, but those peanuts are a salty treat...

and I'm a starving white girl in Rwanda

and although the story doesn't add up,

I eat them anyway.

And now, NOW seeing that damn rat come running outta my fireplace.. the missing peanuts in the fireplace, I'm putting 2 and 2 together and you know what that equals?

BUBONIC PLAGUE.

That's what that equals!

So folks, if the plague doesn't get me in my sleep, I'm sure that 6 legged spider (which escaped the *bare hands* of the old man) will come back, seeking revenge and finish me off.

Yikes!!